Havana’s oldest surviving church has been heavily remodeled since its founding as a hermitage, built by freed formerly enslaved black people in 1638. Most of the current edifice dates from the mid-19th century and exhibits Moorish, Gothic, neoclassical and Andaluz styles.
Iglesia Parroquial del Espíritu Santo
Habana Vieja
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.16 MILES
Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
1.03 MILES
The Malecón, Havana's evocative 7km-long sea drive, is one of the city's most soulful and quintessentially Cuban thoroughfares, and long a favored meeting…
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Habana Vieja's most uniform square is a museum to Cuban baroque, with all the surrounding buildings, including the city's beguiling asymmetrical cathedral…
Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro
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This wave-lashed fort with its emblematic lighthouse was erected between 1589 and 1630 to protect the entrance to Havana harbor from pirates and foreign…
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8.94 MILES
Where does art go after Antoni Gaudí? For a hint, head west from central Havana to the seemingly low-key district of Jaimanitas, where artist José Fuster…
0.24 MILES
Laid out in 1559, Plaza Vieja is Havana's most architecturally eclectic square, where Cuban baroque nestles seamlessly next to Gaudí-inspired art nouveau…
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
0.68 MILES
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Nearby Habana Vieja attractions
1. Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced
0.07 MILES
Bizarrely overlooked by the tourist hordes, this baroque church in its own small square has Havana's most sumptuous ecclesiastical interior, as yet only…
2. Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara
0.11 MILES
South of Plaza Vieja is Havana's largest and oldest convent, built between 1638 and 1643, though since 1920 it has served no religious purpose. For a…
3. Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula
0.15 MILES
One of Havana's most attractive churches, this building is all that remains of the San Francisco de Paula women's hospital from the mid-1700s. Lit up at…
4. Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de Belén
0.16 MILES
This huge building dating from the early 18th century first functioned as a free school and convalescent home run by the Belemitas order. It was taken…
5. Floating Maritime Promenade
0.17 MILES
Added in 2015 as a stainless-steel extension of the 1700s Alameda de Paula, this floating promenade is a spacious open-air platform enjoyed by skaters,…
6. Palacio de los Condes de Jaruco
0.2 MILES
This muscular mansion on Plaza Vieja's southwestern corner is one of the square's oldest, constructed in 1738 from local limestone in a transitional…
0.21 MILES
Encased in Plaza Vieja's oldest building is this quirky playing-card museum, with a 2000-strong collection that includes rock stars, rum drinks and round…
0.22 MILES
Housed in a restored colonial mansion, this library and comic-book museum highlights the relationship between Belgium and Cuba, hosting Belgium Culture…