Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Deposito San José
Habana Vieja
Havana's multifarious handicraft market sits under the cover of an old shipping warehouse in Desamparados. Check your socialist ideals at the door: herein…
Must-see shopping in Cuba
-
Habana Vieja
Cuba's first indie design store when it opened in 2015, Clandestina makes its own T-shirts, bags and accessories out of any old junk it can find, 99% of…
-
Havana
A shop full of beautiful artifacts, the Memorias Librería opened in 2014 as Havana's first genuine antique bookstore. Delve into its gathered piles and…
-
Havana
Arguably Havana's top cigar store – and there are many contenders. The primary reasons: it's well stocked, with well-informed staff, a comfy smoking…
-
Cienfuegos
Fabulous private bookshop selling literary tomes as well as retro magazines, 1950s curiosities and other pieces of sunken treasure.
Habana Vieja
Perfectly located just steps from Havana’s 18th-century cathedral, this small but eclectic shop is run by a group of Cuban artists of various disciplines…
Havana
Whether you're searching for jewelry, embroidered cushions or a vintage cigar humidor, this privately run shop is a great place to pick up a high-quality…
-
Habana Vieja
Wonderful little private bookshop in Calle Obispo selling yellowed secondhand tomes, esoteric film posters and other random print work that you won't find…
-
Casa del Habano – Hostal Conde de Villanueva
Habana Vieja
One of Havana's best cigar shops, with its own roller, smoking room and expert sales staff. It's on the mezzanine floor inside the hotel.
-
Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales
Santiago de Cuba
This government-run gallery features a good rotation of local artisans and art exhibitions, a few blocks from Parque Céspedes.
Habana Vieja
Should you want a more permanent memento of your time in Cuba, try La Marca, the first licensed tattoo shop on the island. The parlor is run by a group of…
-
Havana
Every single piece at this private boutique reflects authentic Cuban style. It specializes in all things linen – dresses, blouses, trousers and guayaberas…
-
Habana Vieja
Relocated from Plaza de Armas, much to the chagrin of many vendors, Havana’s famous secondhand-book market now convenes in the open-air ruins of the…
-
Matanzas
To the southwest of Plaza de la Vigía this unique book publisher, founded in 1985, produces high-quality handmade paper and 1st-edition books on a variety…
-
Habana Vieja
This specialist religious shop in Habana Vieja sells all manner of Santería offerings and cult objects, almost exclusively to religious-minded locals. The…
-
Havana
After Plaza América in Varadero, this is probably Cuba's flashiest shopping mall – and there's barely a tourist in sight. The place has taken a step up in…
-
Habana Vieja
If only all shopping malls could be this attractive! Encased in an 18th-century colonial palace and gathered around a shaded central patio, this place…
-
Havana
The Cuban fashion fascination is in high gear at this small boutique complex hidden in a Miramar villa. It has a limited selection of designer clothing,…
-
Varadero
The best selection of rum in Varadero as well as tasting opportunities in a venerable old building that acts as a small museum. It gives a through-the…
-
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos' main drag – known officially as Av 54, but colloquially as El Bulevar – is an archetypal Cuban shopping street with not a chain store in sight…
-
Varadero
The place for cigars: this place has top-quality merchandise from humidors to perfume, and helpful service. There's also a small bar-tasting room and a…
-
Habana Vieja
A restored colonial-era shop on historic Calle Mercaderes that sells perfume made from tropical flowers, Habana 1791 retains the air of a working museum…
-
Trinidad
This open-air market in front of the Casa de la Trova is the place to buy souvenirs, especially textiles and crochet work. Avoid buying black coral or…
-
Varadero
Antique jewelry, museum-quality silver and glass, paintings and other heirlooms from Varadero's bygone bourgeois days are sold here. As most items are of…
-
Varadero
Your quintessential cigar stop: it has top-quality goods, from humidors to perfume, and helpful service. It serves a wicked cup of coffee in the upstairs…
-
Baracoa
An artist's co-op where you'll always find one of the young creative painters sitting at a palette in the window. The local painting style is best…
-
Trinidad
Trinidad is known for its pottery. In this large factory, teams of workers make trademark Trinidad ceramics from local clay using a traditional potter's…
-
Havana
Cuba's largest and most modern shopping and business center houses myriad stores, airline offices and embassies. Look out for the offbeat art…
-
Cayo Coco
Shopping plaza just outside the entrance to the Meliá Jardines del Rey with souvenir and clothes shops, a bowling alley and a spa open to all visitors.
-
Librería La Escalera Eddy Tamayo
Santiago de Cuba
A veritable museum of old and rare books stacked ceiling high, plus vinyl records. Eddy is usually down to make a deal. Sombrero-clad trovadores often sit…
-
Taller de Serigrafía René Portocarrero
Habana Vieja
Paintings and prints by young Cuban artists are exhibited and sold here, with prices ranging from CUC$30 to CUC$150. You can also see the artists at work…
-
Casa del Habano 'El Embajador'
Cienfuegos
Offering frigid air-conditioning and hazy views of puffing cigar aficionados, this is where you come for the city's best smokes. Rum and coffee play…
-
Havana
A 20-year-old shopping center spread over four floors at the Vedado end of Miramar. By Cuban standards it's fairly comprehensive, if a little rundown.
-
Holguín
This state-run shop on Parque Calixto García sells small affordable paintings and similar handicrafts to the private vendor market a few blocks away.
-
Varadero
A retail outlet of Havana's famous Casa de las Américas, this place sells art, postcards and those old pre-internet-age throwbacks – books!
-
Varadero
The largest of several open-air artisans markets lining Primera Avenida, with private vendors selling mainly Cuba-themed crafts.
-
Santiago de Cuba
The definitive Cuban specialist music store; this retail outlet of Egrem Studios has a good selection from local musicians.
-
Cienfuegos
Gallery run by Cuban cultural agency that sells folk art. There's usually a small bookstall set up in the street outside.
-
Habana Vieja
Pop into this gallery to see the large, hectic but intriguing canvases by Nelson Domínguez, whose workshop is upstairs.
-
Viñales
This private-enterprise market sells Cuba-themed arts and crafts, and sets up in Calle Joaquin Pérez every day.
