As the travel restrictions have lightened in recent years, Havana is no longer as much of mystery to Americans. The largest city and capital of Cuba is now well visited by people from around the world, including the United States.
It’s tourist draw is understandable with the blend of old and new, where vintage cars seamlessly mix with kitschy galleries and the up-and-coming food scene has a lot to offer. It’s purely a bonus that the prices are still very reasonable.
This may change in the near future, when more cruise ships arrive and people get wind of the plethora of incredible things to do there, so the time to visit Cuba is soon.
Travel to Cuba now!
During my recent visit, I spent four days exploring the nooks and crannies of this intriguing city. One of my favorite finds was Fabrica de Arte Cubano (the Cuban Art Factory). It is a cutting edge hotspot where sophisticated gallery rooms cohabitate with multimedia performance spaces. We made a night of it by having dinner at El Cocinero restaurant, which is right next door.
Of course you can’t go to Havana without exploring the Old Town. It’s the perfect place to take a ride in a vintage convertible, smoke a Cuban cigar, follow the footsteps of Hemingway and indulge in the iconic mojitos.
My favorite dining experiences were at the local paladars, a privately owned restaurant typically located in a converted home and run by a family. If you are in the old town definitely go to the very trendy O’Reilly 304 which is a treat of Latin influenced foods and cocktails. Cafe Laurent is located on the top floor of a Vedado apartment complex (we even saw tenants taking out their trash on our way up!), but don’t let that discourage you. This paladar served up one of the best shredded pork dishes in Cuba with a chic ambiance. El Litoral is located along the Malecón esplanade and has the perfect patio for watching the vintage cars drive by. The crème de la crème of paladares is the famous La Guarida.
With a population of over two million, the fun things to do in Havana are practically endless.
Interesting and Amazing Pictures! Your work is successful, it makes me like that i have to visit havana as soon as possible. Thanks! As an traveler, i am always on the search to find new places where i can spend my time very well.
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Truly inspiring photos! Havana has been a dream for me for many years for a number of reasons – a favorite ice-breaker fun fact I use in the US is to tell people I had my first handmade Cuban as a teen, thanks to the fact my mom worked on a tobacco project there in the 80s….
Thank you for the inspiration,
Petia
That is a great ice-breaker!
Thank you. It’s so strange to have this perspective. I grew up in a communist country myself and when I moved to the US 17 years ago, it was so interesting to see how Cuba was this obscure, mysterious, forbidden fruit to Americans. And to know the dozens of highest quality hand-made Cubans I had access to – and wasted! – in my youth were so highly coveted here. I will check your site to see what other parts of the country you visied. And again – I simply love your photos….
Great pictures of Havana. Cuba must now be having a windfall in tourism with the travel restrictions lifted. That’s one bad joke that went too far…just goes to show nothing really endures forever.
Loved our travels to Cuba! Unfortunately only went to Holguin and missed Havana. Will definitely have to return. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos and travel inspiration! 🙂
I also need to return to explore more of Cuba!
Great photos! They would leave anyone inspired
I love that photo of the red car against the colorful buildings!
That’s one of my favorites too!
Nice pictures of Havana. Cuba really is a place that I would like to discover. Working for an events company in London where we list several trips and travel related events, I am continually getting overwhelmed about which destination to pick. I am decided though, my next stop will be Havana!