Havana & Surrounding Region Travel Guide

Havana... where does one start and where does one end... perhaps at the Malecon, the sea-front of Cuba with its wind-swept air... but there is so much to see and do and experience in Havana... first go to the Partagas and the Romeo y Julieta cigar factories (both are open and closed on somewhat different days) and get yourself acquainted with this most Cuban of things... buy yourself a few (Romeo and Juliet, Cohiba and Monte Cristo are good), though its much better to buy it through a local Cuban... perhaps your host if you are staying with a family (highly recommended) as it is significantly cheaper ... then enjoy them over a Mojito at one of the many cocktail bars in Havana...perhaps that colourful one full of graffiti and postcards that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent... also visit Hemingway's room at the hotel Ambos Mundos where he stayed and wrote for quite a while ... the room is still maintained as it is with some of his belongings displayed... of course, the Museo Revolucion is unmissable... go there to get a full rundown on the revolution, Fidel Castro, Che, Batista, and the lot...it has interesting artefacts, letters, photographs and other paraphernalia...as you come out of it, there are the quaintest cars parked in front (not that there is any shortage of quaint vintage cars in Havana or Cuba)... but these are taxis, so take a ride...go to the impressive Presidential Palace too and to the Habana Libre for more of history...but don't miss the non-serious stuff too ... like feasting on ice-cream at Coppelia (an institution for local Cubans), dancing or learning salsa or tango at one of the local bars, and listening to Cuban bands playing at one of the many outside or inside restaurants and bars all over Havana ... while you engage in the serious business of downing Mojitos and chomping on your cigar or cigarillo ...

 

Havana... where does one start and where does one end... perhaps at the Malecon, the sea-front of Cuba with its wind-swept air... but there is so much to see and do and experience in Havana... first go to the Partagas and the Romeo y Julieta cigar factories (both are open and closed on somewhat different days) and get yourself acquainted with this most Cuban of things... buy yourself a few (Romeo and Juliet, Cohiba and Monte Cristo are good), though its much better to buy it through a local Cuban... perhaps your host if you are staying with a family (highly recommended) as it is significantly cheaper ... then enjoy them over a Mojito at one of the many cocktail bars in Havana...perhaps that colourful one full of graffiti and postcards that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent... also visit Hemingway's room at the hotel Ambos Mundos where he stayed and wrote for quite a while ... the room is still maintained as it is with some of his belongings displayed... of course, the Museo Revolucion is unmissable... go there to get a full rundown on the revolution, Fidel Castro, Che, Batista, and the lot...it has interesting artefacts, letters, photographs and other paraphernalia...as you come out of it, there are the quaintest cars parked in front (not that there is any shortage of quaint vintage cars in Havana or Cuba)... but these are taxis, so take a ride...go to the impressive Presidential Palace too and to the Habana Libre for more of history...but don't miss the non-serious stuff too ... like feasting on ice-cream at Coppelia (an institution for local Cubans), dancing or learning salsa or tango at one of the local bars, and listening to Cuban bands playing at one of the many outside or inside restaurants and bars all over Havana ... while you engage in the serious business of downing Mojitos and chomping on your cigar or cigarillo ...