Cuba History

Beautiful city, great architecture, music, and history. Try to visit Habana without a guide, it's much more fun. Unless you want to hear about dozens of things you'll soon forget anyway. It's very important to know the Cuban history and economy before going to Cuba, it explainy why locals are keen on getting our money (peso convertible and $) et cetera. In summary: A City you must visit, especially before the U.S. has the chance to destroy its very own charme and cultur

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 ...

la habana, with or without socialism and "periodo especial" is one of the most beautiful and seductive cities i´ve ever been to. there´s so much history, so much creativity and dreams (both realized and dead) everywhere you go. "el malecon" is a must, mainly because of the people and the chance of getting wet by the waves (our malecon in santo domingo is better in my modest opinion, we do have palm trees!).  "el vedado" and "el nuevo vedado" are amazingly beautiful neighborhoods. walking around in them and seeing the size of the streets, the beauty of the mansions, you can just start to imagine how important Cuba was for Spain and later to the US.  the colonial part of the city ("la vieja habana") is a totally different world. its architecture is completely different from the colonial architecture in both santo domingo and san juan. la vieja habana has narrower streets, darker buildings, everything is more compressed and intense. 
cultural life in havana never stops. its theatre and movie festivals are very famous and respected. and for those of you who are like me and love unique expressions of dancing and spirituality, afro-cuban rituals and beliefs are fascinating to explore.  a little hint for women travelers: Cuban men are extremely prone to sexual harassment (as Dominican and other Caribbean and Latin men are). my technique is to address them directly and say "buenos dias" (good morning) or "buenas tardes" (good afternoon) before they have any chance to speak. in most cases, men feel obliged to reciprocate and many even behave very nicely. oh and Cuban Spanish is extremely fast even for native speakers (I would only understand half sentences my first couples of days there) so don´t feel intimidated. a lot of people speak english as well.  

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 ...

THIS IS A CITY THAT HISTORY IS AROUND AVERY CORNER . THE MONUMENT TO ERNESTO " CHE " GUEVARA , HOTEL SANTA CLARA LIBRE .