How many days havana

The latter is a great place for scuba diving. Here the former Castro family estate is today a fascinating museum. If you want to explore somewhere more remote, you can head into the Sierra Maestra , Cuba's most rugged mountain chain, accessed via the well-preserved colonial-era city of Bayamo.

You can base yourself at the eco-resort in the town of Santo Domingo. Four weeks provides sufficient time to explore Cuba in its entirety and to immerse yourself in the fascinating eastern provinces. Base yourself in Santiago de Cuba , a hill city founded in Its architectural style is quite distinct from Havana, as is its culture, which is heavily influenced by Haitian and French immigrants.

Surrounded by rainforest and soaring mountains, its bay setting is exquisite. Road travel in Cuba is easy, as the state-run car rental companies have outlets in every town and city. However, many roads are poorly maintained, and the many obstacles range from huge potholes to oxcarts and wayward bicyclists, especially beyond Havana. Flying between cities is possible on two domestic airlines, Cubana and Aerogaviota, but reserve well in advance.

Be aware that baggage allowance is limited on domestic flights. To experience the best of old Havana, we highly recommend doing a guided walking tour. We did our private tour with a local guide and thoroughly enjoyed our time. Book your walking tour of old Havana here. One can spend almost an entire day, photographing and wandering through Old Havana.

Certain sections of Old Havana are commercialized, where one will find hip restaurants, stores, banks, etc. But as you wander through smaller lanes and go deeper, you will only find blocks and blocks of old dilapidated, but beautiful buildings. Old Havana consists of 5 large plazas each with its own unique architectural character. There are 4 squares in Havana. Get inspired by these amazing photos from Old Havana Cuba.

Plaza Vieja or Old Havana Square is lined with beautiful, colorful buildings that now house cafes and restaurants. This square was the site of bull-flights, processions, and excursions in the past. Plaza Vieja was built in the 16th century and was popular with the wealthy citizens who witnessed these events.

The Catedral de San Cristobal square gets its name from the beautiful cathedral that stands tall on one side of the square. This beautiful and massive baroque cathedral was built in the 18th century.

It is also called the Havana Cathedral. The remains of Christopher Columbus were housed here but later taken away to the Seville Cathedral in Spain in the 19th century. The cathedral can be categorized as an early Cuban Baroque facade because of its many curves and double curves and structures that are ornamental rather than structural.

The interior of the cathedral is ornate with white and black marble floors, with massive stone pillars and side chapels. It is built in a neoclassical style. The towers at the entrance are uneven. The one on the right is a bell tower and is wider than the tower on the left. You can actually climb to the wider tower and get amazing views of the city of Havana. The ticket costs 1 CUC. This is a living cathedral and weddings are conducted here as well.

There are other buildings in this square as well and the beauty of these buildings is that they are painted in lovely bight colors — blue and yellow. There are cute cafes around the square. We stopped for cappuccinos and a quick bite at the Bianchini restaurant. Their cappuccino was delicious! You can spend a few more hours here and wander through beautiful lanes with Spanish remnants of the city of Havana. If you happen to like Plaza de la Catedral and spend more time there, you will find your way to Hotel Ambos Mundos.

It was home to the popular writer for seven years in the s. On your first day, you can also check out the famous restaurant that Ernst Hemingway frequented when he lived in Cuba for 20 years. The restaurant called — El Floridita — was located right across the street from our hotel.

And we went there for a couple of drinks. Hemmingway loved his daiquiris. There is a big statue of Hemmingway inside as well.

Keep in mind this place is super crowded and they serve Daiquiris made in batch at the bar and also mojitos and pina coladas. There is a restaurant as well along with the bar, but make sure you reserve your place.

The drinks were a little expensive than other restaurants. There is a restaurant in the same block as El Floridita, actually next to it — which serves amazing Cuban food. We had Roopa Vieja shredded beef with a beer and a dessert or ice cream — all for 6.

The restaurant is called La Pina Del Plata. This plaza was built in the 17th century and it faces the Havana Harbour, so you can enjoy some warm sunshine in the winters. If the sun is too bright, skip the plaza and head to Hamel Alley instead. Hamel Alley is located in central Havana and it is filled with lively colorful murals and sculptures. This colorful lane with bright messages including the popular story of Happy Prince makes this site very unique and special.

Rumba is very popular as the art is dedicated to the Afro-Cuban relationship. And every Sunday, there are rumba sessions held here for tourists to enjoy. Book a tour to explore the Afro Cuban Religious walking tour. From Old Havana, you can make your way to Central Havana before evening , to see the hustle-bustle of the capital city.

There is nothing much to see in terms of sight-seeing spots. But just like the lanes of Old Havana, you can wander into Centro Havana — capture some amazing pictures of these buildings, lanes and everyday life.

In the evening, head back to the old Habana neighborhood for dinner. You have tons of options to enjoy dinner with mojitos, food and live music. Ruinas del Parque Roast Chicken and Rice, plain but decent portion, food was okay.

Ambiance was great. It is common to see Cubans singing and dancing the night away, and they will invite you to do that same. So get your salsa shoes on! On Day 2 of Havana Travel Itinerary, the theme of the day was the revolution period.

This square with the statue of Jose Marti is a popular spot in Havana for Insta-worthy pictures and is also a taxi and tour hub. This square is an open area where locals sit and have a healthy banter and debate. The square is lined with vintage cars that you can rent. This memorial is different from the Jose Marti monument at the Plaza de Revolution. It is also a living theatre. You can book for guided tours of the theatre for 5 CUC.

If interested you can visit the Museo Nacional de las Bellas Artes located nearby. There are two exhibitions or museum displays in the buildings belonging to the Museum.

While exploring this area, you will be mesmerized by a building that resembles the Capitol in Washington DC. Today, it is home to the Cuban Academy of Sciences. Right after the Capitolio, we went to the Museum of the Revolution, also called Museo de la Revolucion.

This museum was located just 5 minutes from our hotel. As the name suggests, Museo de la Revolucion is a museum dedicated to the history of pre and post-Cuban revolution.

This period was marked by immense nationalism within the country and had international repercussions especially with the United States. The revolution saw the overthrow of Batista rule and under Fidel Castro — a new government was formed. The museum speaks volumes on the activities of the CIA and the US and how it led to the nationalization of banks, schools and education, health systems, etc. My personal opinion — from what I saw in that museum actually showed me a different side of Communism.

As a student of history, I like Marxism as a concept. It is hard to implement though and get results in terms of economic prosperity, which is also a fact. But in Cuba, post revolution, the work that the leaders did — in terms of opening medical schools, arts institutes, hospitals, etc is commendable. Education and health care is still free, including prescription drugs. Cubans own their property and houses, this is in contrast to the erstwhile Communist Czechoslovakia where houses were state owned at that time prior to And not to forget safety of tourists and everybody else in the country.

Cuba is struggling economically due to trade embargoes, and tourism does help them and is a great source of income. Jobs in tourism are better paid then others. They also have a really clever payment method; entry costs 1 CUC, with it you receive a card where if you purchase something inside they will write down a symbol.

On exit you present the card and pay just before leaving, avoiding all the faff of looking for the right amount of coins every time you order a drink. The only thing to bear in mind is that it is quite far from the centre and a taxi back to Havana Vieja will cost around 15 CUC, depending on how well you can bargain with the taxi driver. Sunset in Parque Central with the Capitolio of Havana in the background.

These provide a much better value for money and will allow you to really live the Cuban experience, living with locals instead of a resort or hotel that could be anywhere in the world. It was halfway between the Capitol and Habana Vieja, a perfect location to explore all of Havana. You can check it out here. I personally really liked it as it was on a relatively small side street, but was surrounded by beautiful colonial houses and had a lovely view from the balcony.

Click here to book your stay at the same lovely colonial casa particular in Havana that we stayed at! Enjoying breakfast in our AirBnb with a view over the colonial buildings of Havana, Cuba.

However some of the most famous and well known also internationally are located in the Parque Central close to Capitol, and include:. Hotel Inglaterra — this is the oldest hotel in Cuba and one of the most classic hotels in Havana. It has a prime location in Parque Central and they even have wifi. Hotel Plaza — this luxurious property has beautiful views over Parque Central.

Iberostar Parque Central — if you want to treat yourself, this is the place to do so. This hotel has a rooftop pool with views of the Capitolio, luxurious rooms and an abundant breakfast buffet. Have you been to Havana? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments below! Havana is a beautiful city which I personally enjoyed visiting, even if I enjoyed my time in Vinales and Trinidad better.

Even if we were only there for three days we still had the opportunity to see all the main attractions and points of interest. I hope you find this post about the best things to do in Havana in three days useful in planning your own trip to Havana, Cuba.

This is a lovely area to explore on foot, simply spending time wandering through the city streets while soaking up the local culture. This is a good place to come to get a sense of Cuban culture as well as to support the locals by buying their wares made from wood, leather, ceramics and much more.

The museum shows how these masters turn freshly cut sugar cane into delicious-tasting rum, and of course, allows you to try a tipple or two. The Plaza Vieja, or Old Square, in Havana, is a large, open plaza surrounded by colonial houses in various states of restoration or disrepair. While the square used to be the location for fiestas, bullfights, parades and even executions, today the plaza is more of a place to come and relax in one of the many restaurants and cafes dotted around the outside.

The 20th century Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana is famous not only for its pristine architecture but also because it was home to American writer Ernest Hemmingway during the s. Francis of Assisi as well as the impressive Fuente de Los Leones fountain made by a famous Italian sculptor from white marble in and gifted to the city. The square boasts amazing views across the water to the El Morro Castle and also features a daily second-hand book market except Sundays.

This is a pretty busy part of Havana but the museums here are mostly free and surprisingly quiet. The grand Palacio de los Capitanes Generales is located on the eastern side of the Plaza de Armas and is home to the Museum of Havana, a museum displaying the original rooms as well as a collection of historical art and artefacts.

The fort was created as a defence against pirates but has also been used as the National Archive and National Library and briefly as the Museum of Arms. The Plaza de la Catedral, as the name suggests, is home to the Havana Cathedral, a Baroque church with grand bell towers, a large tiled dome and fossilised marine life buried in the walls. They serve up traditional Cuban dishes of pork, rice and beans and there is loads of graffiti from famous names all over the walls.

Visitors can discover Cuban works of arts as well as pieces by international artists, with permanent and temporary exhibitions on display throughout the year.