Habana del Este
On the Vía Blanca, 18km east of Havana, this is the closest beach resort to the capital. There's a long, sandy (if rubbish-ridden) shore between the resort and the mouth of the Río Bacuranao, across which is the old Torreón de Bacuranao (inside the inaccessible military-academy compound). The hotel is dated, but adequate for travelers not seeking a tourist-oriented all-inclusive.
Bonuses: an ample swimming pool and friendly service. Cons: stray dogs and poor maintenance.
10.85 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…
8.13 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…
8.22 MILES
The incomparable Capitolio Nacional is Havana's most ambitious and grandiose building, constructed after the post-WWI boom ('Dance of the Millions')…
7.61 MILES
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
7.73 MILES
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…
16.67 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…
7.63 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
7.97 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…
2.56 MILES
East across the river from Cojímar is a large housing estate of prefabricated apartment blocks built from 1971 by micro brigadas (small armies of workers…
3.63 MILES
Overlooking Cojímar's harbor is an old Spanish fort dating from 1649, a twin of the Torreón de la Chorrera in Vedado. It was the first fortification taken…
5.14 MILES
Built for the 1991 Pan American Games, this shabby stadium was fitted with a new athletics track in 2008, though it still looks neglected and unloved. It…
5.31 MILES
Convento de Santo Domingo is a sadly ruined convent with a handsome but mildewed baroque facade that's usually closed (there are no official hours, but…
5.5 MILES
This church, in Parque Martí in the center of Guanabacoa, is also known as the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. It was designed by Lorenzo…
6. Museo Municipal de Guanabacoa
5.6 MILES
Guanabacoa's main museum, like Regla's, is an important shrine to Santería, though you'll need to see past the run-down facilities and impassive 'guides'…
5.8 MILES
Effectively an arm of Guanabacoa’s municipal museum, this tiny place on the road to Regla displays a scruffy selection of material relevant to the…
6.11 MILES
Inexplicably, barely anyone visits this, the oldest church in Cuba, still standing in its original perch. The structure dates from around 1675 and is a…