La Maqueta de la Capital

Havana


Havana itself is somewhat dilapidated in parts and so, ironically, is this huge 1:1000 scale model of the city, which looks as though it could do with a good dusting. The model was created for urban-planning purposes but is now a tourist attraction. It's going through a protracted renovation but can usually still be viewed.

Nearby, the two parks on Av 5 between Calles 24 and 26 create an atmospheric pocket with their immense banyan trees and shady lanes.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Havana attractions

1. Memorial de la Denuncia

0.51 MILES

The former Museum of the Ministry of the Interior was remodeled in 2017 to form this far more interesting (if propaganda-ridden) look at US actions…

2. Acuario Nacional

0.81 MILES

Founded in 1960, the national aquarium is a Havana institution designed primarily for Cuban visitors, who arrive by the legion. Overseas visitors, be…

3. La Casa de las Tejas Verdes

0.86 MILES

Emerging from the tunnel under the Río Almendares, your first glimpse of Miramar is the so-called 'house of the green tiles,' a subtle hint of the…

4. Russian Embassy

0.94 MILES

In case you were wondering, that huge Stalinist obelisk that dominates the skyline halfway down Av Quinta is the Russian (formerly Soviet) embassy,…

5. Fundación Naturaleza y El Hombre

1.12 MILES

This tiny museum seems to confirm the adage 'small is beautiful.' It displays artifacts from a 17,422km canoe trip from the Amazon source to the sea that…

6. El Bosque de la Habana

1.22 MILES

Running along the banks of the Río Almendares, below the bridge on Calle 23, is this welcome oasis of greenery and fresh air in the heart of the chaotic…

7. Iglesia Jesús de Miramar

1.52 MILES

Despite its modernity, Playa cradles Cuba's second-largest church, an aesthetically pleasing neo-Romanesque structure topped by a giant dome. Built in…

8. Tomb of Eduardo Chibás

1.61 MILES

The tomb of Orthodox Party leader Eduardo Chibás, in the Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón, once gained notoriety. During the 1940s and early ’50s Chibás was a…