Center stage in Plaza de la Revolución is this monument, which at 138.5m is Havana's tallest structure. Fronted by an impressive 17m marble statue of a seated Martí in a pensive Thinker pose, the memorial houses a museum (the definitive word on Martí in Cuba) and a 129m lookout (reached via a small CUC$2 lift) with fantastic city views.
Memorial a José Martí
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
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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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The incomparable Capitolio Nacional is Havana's most ambitious and grandiose building, constructed after the post-WWI boom ('Dance of the Millions')…
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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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6.55 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…
2.5 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
2.21 MILES
Spread over two campuses, the Bellas Artes is arguably the finest art gallery in the Caribbean. The Arte Cubano building contains the most comprehensive…
Nearby attractions
0.11 MILES
Conceived by French urbanist Jean-Claude Forestier in the 1920s, the gigantic Plaza de la Revolución (known as Plaza Cívica until 1959) was part of Havana…
2. Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba
0.14 MILES
A long, uninspiring concrete structure that glowers from behind the Martí memorial, the modern HQ of the Cuban government doesn’t match the architectural…
0.18 MILES
The ugly concrete block on the northern side of the Plaza de la Revolución is famous for its huge mural of Che Guevara, a copy of Alberto Korda’s famous…
4. Biblioteca Nacional José Martí
0.21 MILES
Cuba’s national library is housed in a modernist tower block overlooking the Plaza de la Revolución. There's sometimes a photo exhibit in the lobby.
0.22 MILES
A small and very modest collection of old stamps and postal memorabilia is on show at Vedado's biggest post office, should you get bored while waiting in…
0.72 MILES
The former stately residence of Independence War general Máximo Gómez, the Quinta sits in lush surroundings that have been managed as botanical gardens…
7. Monumento a José Miguel Gómez
0.75 MILES
At the top of Av de los Presidentes is a huge marble monument to José Miguel Gómez, Cuba's second president.
0.79 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…