30 Best Things To Do in Havana Cuba

Havana is one of the best preserved colonial cities in all of Latin America, and is jam-packed with colorful buildings, opulent palaces, ancient forts and hidden alleyways. In fact, there’s so many things to do in Havana Cuba that it can be a little overwhelming to plan your Havana itinerary. This post breaks down what to do in Havana by the three main central neighbourhoods – Habana Vieja, Centro Habana and Vedado – and I’ve created a Google Map to help you make the most of your trip to Havana. Read my Cuba itinerary to see how I tackled most of these Havana things to do in just 3 days. Happy travels! 

What to do in Havana Cuba – Havana Tours

Taking a tour of Havana is the perfect way to take the hassle out of planning your trip to Havana, and to pack lots of Havana attractions into one day. In fact, I took three Havana tours during our 3 days in Havana!

1. Havana Walking Tour

While you can stroll around Havana by yourself, it’s worth taking a walking tour of Old Havana or Centro Habana with a local guide to learn about the history and architecture of the city, and to discover hidden gems and alleyways. We took a combined walking tour and classic car tour with Cuba Outings, which was a highlight of our trip to Havana.

Cost: Free to explore alone. Prices for walking tours vary, expect to pay 10-20 CUC per hour.

2. Havana Classic Car Tour

Unless you’re on a tight budget, you simply can’t visit Havana without taking a ride in an old school classic car. While you can pretty much go wherever you want, I recommend cruising the Malecon (24 below) and the suburbs of Vedado as it’s a bit more spaced out. A classic tour is fun but pricey, so make sure you agree on the price in advance.

Cost: The price of a classic car tour in Havana varies, but expect to pay roughly 30 CUC per hour, of 40 CUC per hour with a guide.

3. Havana Biking Tour

With very few cars on the road and polite drivers, Havana is the perfect place for a biking tour. We had already explored Old Havana and the main ‘tourist sites’ on foot, so decided to join the Real Havana Bike Tour. This cycling tour of Centro Habana and Habana Vieja gave us the perfect introduction to daily Cuban life, including street markets, food rations and the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion.

Cost: Varies, expect to pay 30 – 40 CUC per person for a half day biking tour.

4. Havana Hop On Hop Off Bus

The Havana bus tour is a red double-decker hop on hop off bus that does a continuous loop of Havana. The loop takes around 1 hour 45 minutes (non-stop) and includes a whooping 27 stops. A great alternative if a classic car tour isn’t in your budget. The Havana hop on hop off bus is the only thing in this list of Havana attractions that we didn’t cover during our 3 days in Havana, as we had already done the 3 Havana tours above! We did enjoy the Vinales hop on hop off bus through the beautiful Vinales Valley.

Cost: The Havana hop on hop off bus costs 10 CUC for a one day ticket 7

Things to do in Havana – Habana Vieja (Old Havana)

Habana Vieja, or Old Havana in English, is the vibrant heart (and touristic heart!) of Havana. Old Havana is a neighbourhood of contrasts. You’ll find beautifully restored palaces and town plazas interspersed with colorful crumbling mansions and gritty laneways. Not to mention the historic forts, many museums, endless processions of classic cars and cafes with live music spilling out onto the streets. Old Havana is made for walking, with unexpected treasures at every turn.

Most of the famous things to do in Havana are located in Habana Vieja, where the city’s impressive restoration work is focused. Old Havana is centred around four main plazas – Plaza Vieja, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de San Fransisco and Plaza de Armas. These plazas are grouped below with the other key attractions in their vicinity.

5. Plaza Vieja

Plaza Vieja (‘Old Square’) is the best restored plaza in Havana, and was my personal favorite. (Not because it’s lined with bars, promise!) The plaza is surrounded by pretty colorful multi-storied buildings, restaurants and bars.

For good music, try the 1950s style American dinner La Vitrola. If you love beer, nab a spot in the sun at Factoria Plaza Vieja, a craft brewery. My fav jaunt was Don Eduardo Alegrea, a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the square which is perfect for people watching. Don’t miss their awesome ropa vieja, a tasty and tender pulled pork or beef dish.

Cost: Free

6. Camara Oscura

Camara Oscura is an optical device invented by Leonardo Da Vinci which provides real-time 360 degree panoramic views of Old Havana. It’s the only Camara Oscura in Latin America and the Caribbean. The camera operator will explain the machine and take you on a bird’s eye tour of the city, in both English and Spanish, for around 10 minutes. There’s also expansive views over Old Havana from the rooftop.

Camara Oscura is on the top floor of Edificio Gómez Vila, the tallest building in Plaza Vieja, on the north east corner of the plaza. If you can’t follow those directions, look out for the beautifully restored building that looks yellowish in some lights, and kinda light spew green in other lights (top right corner of the photo under 5 above). There’s a sculpture in front of the building, which may or may not resemble a metal flower. (Art is not my strong point.)

Cost: 2 CUC

7. Plaza de San Fransisco

Plaza de San Fransisco is a cobbled square near Havana harbour that was restored in the 1990s. Like Plaza de Catedral, the square is dominated by a grand church, Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asís. The Basilica has roots in the 16th century and was completed with baroque finishes in the 18th century. San Fransisco Square also has a number of marble and bronze sculptures.

Cost: Free

8. Calle Mercaderes

Calle Mercaderes is a busy pedestrian street, lined with pretty buildings, museums and cafes. The street runs between Plaza Vieja and Plaza de Catedral.

Cost: Free

9. Calle Obispo

Calle Obispo (‘Bishop’s Street’) is another lovely cobbled walking street which runs perpendicular to Calle Mercaderes, and west from Plaza de Armas. It’s filled with shops selling crafts, along with plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants.

Cost: Free

10. Museo de la Pintura – Museum of Mural Painting

Museo de la Pintura is one of the oldest surviving houses in Havana, which exhibits some frescoes inside. It’s located on Calle Obispo.

Cost: Free

11. Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas (‘Square of Arms’) is Havana’s oldest town square, and dates back to the 1520s. It’s a pleasant plaza with swaying palms and a white marble statute of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, known as the ‘Father of the Motherland’. Cespedes freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868, which led to the 10 Years War and Cuban independence.

Cost: Free

12. Museo de la Ciudad – Museum of the City

Museo de la Ciudad (Museum of the City) is Havana’s city museum. The museum is housed inside a magnificent baroque house which has the feel of an opulent European palace. It’s worth the entry fee just to stroll around the palace and beautiful courtyard, and the artifacts inside are the cherry on top. The museum is on the west side of Plaza de Armas.

Cost: 3 CUC

13. Castillo de la Real Fuerza

The Castillo de la Real Fuerza is a 16th centruy fort bordering Plaza de Armas. The fort was built to defend Havana against pirate attacks. Problem is, the fort wasn’t overly effective as it’s located too far into the harbour.

The best view of Castillo de la Real Fuerza is actually from the outside through the fence, where you can see the moat surrounding the fort (photographic evidence above!). There’s a maritime museum inside (captions in Spanish), including a 4 metre replica ship. It’s probably only worth paying to go inside if you’re into maritime history.

Cost: Free to view outside gates. 3 CUC for entry to the Castillo de la Real Fuerza Museum.

14. Plaza de la Catedral

Plaza de la Catedral (‘Square of the Cathedral’) is another bustling plaza known for, you guessed it, the magnificent cathedral that dominates one side of the plaza. There’s also plenty of restaurants around the plaza. This was my second fav square in Havana (after Plaza Vieja), and I’d wander through it on my daily amble around the old town.

Cost: Free

15. Havana Cathedral

Havana Cathedral is the namesake of Plaza de la Catedral. Even if you’re not into churches, this one is pretty impressive. The cathedral has unequal towers on either side, and neoclassical interiors. Havana Cathedral one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas, and even housed the remains of Christoper Columbus for a period. You can admire the cathedral from the square or go inside and climb the smaller bell tower for views over the square.

Cost: 1 CUC to climb bell tower

16. Fortaleza de San Carlos la Cabana

The two most impressive forts in Havana are on the eastern entry to Havana harbour, just across the harbour from the old town: Fortaleza de San Carlos la Cabana (‘La Cabana’) and Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro (‘Castle Morro’, 17 below).

La Cabana is an 18th century fort that was built to protect Havana from invaders, after Castillo de la Real Fuerza (13 above) wasn’t quite up to the job. La Cabana is the biggest Spanish colonial fort in the Americas, and is more like a little town at around 10 hectares in size.

The fort subsequently became Che’s Guevara stronghold in Havana, and has a good revolutionary history museum dedicated to Che, including his office, with information in English and Spanish.

Fortaleza de San Carlos la Cabana is famous for its sunset views, and for the 9pm cannon show where actors dress in 18th century military uniform and reenact the firing of a cannon over the harbour.

Cost: Entry to La Cabana is 6 CUC or 8 CUC after 6pm. You can take a taxi or the bus through the harbour tunnel. We were told that a taxi would charge around 5 CUC, so took the public bus for the bargain price of 1 CUP / 0.05 CUC each (around 5c!).

17. Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro – Morro Castle 

Castillo de los Tres Reyes de Morro is a smaller fort next to La Cabana, with a 16th century lighthouse to protect Havana from pirates and invaders. While Morro Castle is much smaller than La Cabana, I found it to be more interesting and atmospheric.

The highlights of Morro Castle are exploring the castle, which includes a few small exhibits, and climbing the lighthouse. We tipped the guy at the top of the lighthouse to have a nosy at the lighthouse workings and take a photo of the expansive views of Havana harbour and the old town. I’m not entirely sure whether he manned the lighthouse, or was just an entrepreneurial local.

Cost: Entry to Morro Castle is 6 CUC

18. Iglesia de la Merced 

Iglesia de la Merced is an extravagantly decorated church at the south end of Havana Vieja, just a few blocks south of Plaza Vieja. The church seems to have escaped the attention of tourist hordes, but it’s pretty stunning and worth the slight detour. The interior has frescoes and ceiling paintings to rival the Sistine Chapel, and some stunning stained and painted glass.

Cost: Free. Has a donation box.

19. Bacardi Building – Edificio Bacardi 

Edificio Bacardi is possibly the finest art deco building in Havana. It was built as the Bacardi headquarters in 1930, before being nationalised by Fidel Castro. The Bacardi Building was restored in 2001, and is now an office building with a cafe inside. The building is on the edge of Habana Vieja, near Centro Habana.

Cost: Free from outside. After hours, the guards may allow roof access for 1 CUC.

Havana Things to Do – Centro Habana

Centro Habana, or Central Havana in English, is to the west of Old Havana. Most of the tourist sites are near the border with Old Havana, which has lovely wide boulevards and beautifully restored buildings.When people are planning what to do in Havana Cuba, they often overlook anything west of this area. However, it’s absolutely worth exploring the heart of Centro Habana. You might not find so many ‘attractions’ in this area, but you will experience local life.

20. El Capitolio – National Capital Building 

El Capitolio, or the National Capital Building, was built in the 1920s to house the Cuban legislature. From 1959, it was home of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the Science and Technology National Library. The Capital Building has been recently refurbished, and will again house the legislature.

El Capitolio is a lavish and ornate building, which resembles the US Capitol, but was apparently based on the Pantheon in Paris. The Havana National Capital Building recently started offering tours, but was unfortunately closed when we visited.

Cost: Tours of El Capitolio cost 10 CUC.

21. Gran Teatro de la Habana – Great Theatre

Gran Teatro de la Habana, or the Great Theatre of Havana, is an equally beautiful and ostentatious building next door to El Capitolio. The theatre facade is intricately decorated with sculptures and adornments.

Cost: Free to admire from the outside. Ticket costs for shows vary, but usually cost around 10 CUC or 30 CUC for the Cuban National Ballet. You can also ask about Gran Teatro tours at the box office.

22. Museo de la Revolucion – Revolution Museum

Havana’s Revolution Museum is yet another gorgeous building in Havana, and has one of the most comprehensive museums about the 1950s Cuban revolution. There’s also an outdoor exhibit with tanks and planes from the revolution.

Cost: Entry to the Revolution Museum is 8 CUC. You can see the tanks and planes without going inside.

23. City Wall

It surprised me to learn that an old city wall protected Havana in the 18th century. You can see remains of the old city wall at various spots around the city, including a small section just outside the front of the Revolution Museum.

Cost: Free

24. Malecon

The Malecon is an 8km esplanade and seawall along the Havana coast. It starts at the south end of Old Havana and runs along the front of Centro Habana and Vedado. The Malecon is not exactly a tranquil waterfront location, as it’s on a busy main road with a footpath on the waterfront side and a mix of derelict buildings and restaurants on the other side. The joy in the Malecon lies in strolling along the waterfront and people watching, as the Malecon known as a local meeting place.

Cost: Free

25. Callejon de Hamel

Callejon de Hamel is a bit of a hidden gem in Centro Habana. The street is lined with colourful murals and street art inspired by Afro Cuban culture and religion, and was started as an artistic haven during the Special Period (aka the Hard Period of the 1990s). Aim to visit on a Sunday if you can, when the street comes alive with live rumba music and dance.

Cost: Free

Things to do in Havana – Vedado

Vedado is a sprawling municipality next to Centro Habana. Once a mafia neighbourhood, Vedado (meaning ‘forbidden’) has now transformed into a leafy suburban oasis.

26. Vedado Neighbourhoods

Vedado is filled with fancy mansions from different architectural eras and pretty parks, which makes it a great spot for a convertible car or walking tour.

Cost: Free. Vedado is quite large, which makes it a good location to include on a classic car tour.

27. Hotel Nacional

Hotel Nacional is one of Havana’s fancy hotels, with nice views over the Malecon from its outdoor lawn and bar. Wander through the indoor bar to see photos of all the famous guests who have frequented Hotel Nacional over the years. Hotel Nacional formerly housed a casino, and even hosted a mafia conference in the 1940s.

Cost: Free guided tours. Pay an arm and a leg for a cocktail with a view.

28. Plaza de la Revolucion – Revolution Square

Plaza de la Revolucion, or Revolution Square, is a large city square surrounded by stark utilitarian style buildings that house important offices of the Cuban government. As well as being a place of political rallies and congregations for up to 1 million people, Revolution Square has iconic murals of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, and views of the Jose Marti Memorial (29 below).

If you’re into revolutionary history, don’t miss Santa Clara Cuba, where Che Guevara won the last battle of the Cuban revolution.

Cost: Free

29. Jose Marti Memorial

The Jose Marti Memorial is a towering memorial dedicated to Jose Marti, a national hero who fought for Cuban independence in the late 1800s. The memorial is Havana’s tallest structure at over 130 metres, and has a large marble statue of Jose Marti out front.

Cost: Free to view from the outside, pay a fee to access the Marti museum or 2 CUC for the lookout.

30. Necropolis Cristobal Colon

Necropolis Cristobal Colon, or Colon Cemetery, is an absolutely massive cemetery in Vedado that dominates an entire block. The cemetery has grand gates, elaborately decorated crypts and sculptures, and is the resting place of famous Cuban historical figures.

Cost: Free, or pay 1 CUC for a map which shows the graves of famous figures.

I hope this post has helped you plan your Havana itinerary! Read more about Havana in my 10 day Cuba itinerary! While you’re in Havana, don’t miss the nearby beautiful Vinales Valley, where you can step back in time to agriculture the old fashioned way!

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