Havana, Cuba

A beautiful Cuban city located around a harbor, Havana is a rustic colonial place with warm, friendly people who enjoy mingling with travelers from across the oceans of the world. Despite the wide range of ethnicities here in Havana, the prevalence of Spanish heritage is so strong that it drowns everything else out. Throughout the city youll see drivers holding onto the past with their 50s and 60s American automobiles, residential and commercial buildings with peeling paint, and nightlife that wont die down until the morning sun rises. It is the quintessential Cuban city where its people hold onto countless stories of their yesterdays, and live everyday as a new adventure.

When to go

The ideal time to visit Havana, Cuba, is in winter, which lasts December til April. This is the high season of course, when tourists from all over the world fill planes and head over for weeks on end. If you wish to beat the tourists, then youll have to try to squeeze in a flight between winter and summer, because summer is very, very hot. Its quite an unpleasant time to be in Havana, unless, of course, youre a local. During the off-season prices in Havana tend to dip quite a bit as well.

Getting there and around

Flights to Havana arrive in the nearby town of Rancho Boyeros. Jose Marti International Airport is quite a distance away from Havana, so we wouldnt recommend walking. There are plenty of taxis (try to find a metered one), buses (on a schedule), and car rental services available. We suggest taking a taxi into town, simply because its the quickest and the most comfortable.

When in Havana, despite the evidence of taxis and public transit (however, buses are peculiarly rare to come by), we definitely recommend renting a car. The roads are not very busy (except during rush hour), and youll be guaranteed transportation wherever you go. Just be sure to lock the vehicle.

Attractions

Central Havana may not be the most ideal place to start your own tour of the city, but Capitolio Nacional is the highlight of this part of town, and many people congregate in this area year round for all different sorts of activities. It is a national landmark, where much of the Havana Carnival is held here, and its a great place to watch the parades go by.

Speaking of events, Havana is host to a wide range of other highly regarded festivals in Cuba. Havana is home to the International Jazz Festival and International Guitar Festival. Both are held every other year, in succession the International Jazz Festival held one year, the International Guitar Festival held the next, etc. The Jazz Festival is held in February, and the Guitar Festival is held in May.

Surely, you cant visit the city without taking a stroll through the Old Havana district. Old Havana was designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 - which then revived an abandoned restoration process and now is home to some beautiful buildings which the people of the city hold to high esteem. Many of the historic buildings have been converted into museums which you can now visit (some charge an admission fee).