Habana Vieja (UNESCO Old Town)

Havana's old town is the largest contiguous colonial ensemble in Latin America and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. On just under 2 km², over 900 historic buildings are packed together — baroque churches, neoclassical palaces, Art Deco houses, and Moorish-influenced courtyards. In between: vibrant Cuban everyday life.

The Four Plazas

Four historic squares form the skeleton of the old town:

★★★ Plaza de la Catedral — The most elegant square in Havana. Dominated by the Catedral de San Cristóbal (1777), whose asymmetrical baroque facade Alejo Carpentier described as "music turned to stone." The former Palacio del Marqués de Arcos now houses the Galería de Arte. In the evening, musicians play under the arcades, and cocktails are available at El Patio.

★★★ Plaza de Armas — Havana's oldest square (1520s) and former power center. Under royal palms, booksellers with revolutionary literature and old postcards stand daily. On the east side: the Museo de la Ciudad in the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales — Havana's best museum for city history (5 €). On the west side: the Castillo de la Real Fuerza (1577), Cuba's oldest fortress, with the Giraldilla weather vane on the tower — the symbol of Havana, which also adorns the Havana Club logo.

★★ Plaza Vieja — The people's square: colorful, lively, photographed. Beautifully restored colonial houses from four centuries frame the square. Highlights: the Cámara Oscura (darkroom with 360° live projection of the city, 2 €), the planetarium, and the Cervecería Antigua — Cuba's first craft brewery, where you can drink freshly brewed beer on the rooftop terrace.

★★ Plaza de San Francisco de Asís — The former trading square at the harbor. The Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís (1738) now serves as a concert hall with excellent acoustics. In front: the Fuente de los Leones (Lion Fountain) and the bronze statue of the "Caballero de París," a legendary eccentric whose nose every tourist rubs (supposedly brings luck).