Top Five Things to do in Havana, Cuba

Cuba is unique, different from any other Caribbean Island we have ever visited.  Generally most people go to the Caribbean to sit on the beach and soak up the sun, however, I would highly recommend immersing yourself in the Cuban culture of Havana instead if you visit.  There is so much to experience and you would really be missing out if all you saw was sand and water.  Here is a list of our top 5 things to do in Havana, Cuba.


TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN HAVANA, CUBA

1. Walk along the streets of Old Havana
Old Havana has a welcoming charm about it.  Live music playing along the street, people drinking, eating and dancing, and children playing games... there is so much going on!  I have to say, our boys (ages 3yr and 1yr) LOVED just watching everyone as we weaved our way along the streets of Old Havana.  Added bonus: because there were very few cars driving along Old Havana, we felt very comfortable letting the boys out of the stroller to walk. 

TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN HAVANA, CUBA                               

2. Visit Vedado (Fidel Hilton Hotel and Hotel National)
Our visit to Vedado was actually one of my favorite things we did.  It's funny because Matt and I totally miscommunicated and he thought I was ready to head back to Old Havana so we didn't stay very long, but I totally could have spent all day.  I found it so interesting because it really felt like what "modern" 1950 Havana must have looked like.  The style of buildings, fences, cars, all stuck in time. 
Two places we visited was the Fidel Hilton Hotel and Hotel National.  Fidel Hilton Hotel was the hotel that Fidel set up his headquarters during the revolution.  In the lobby, they had a little exhibit with old pictures from the revolution.  It was all so interesting to me.  I love learning about history from the past 50 years.  We also visited the famous Hotel National!  It was sooo beautiful and we really enjoyed just sitting in their open air lobby eating a Cuban sandwich while the boys played with little pebbles on the ground… and checking out their peacock sleeping!



TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN HAVANA, CUBA

3. Take a classic car to the beach for the afternoon
This was definitely top on our list!  Our boys are obsessed with their little matchbox cars so we thought they would LOVE to ride in an old car!  We spent about $30 to get from Old Havana to the beach.  The ride was sooo different from what I expected!  First, it was sooo hot in the car.  He told me to roll down the window and gave me a wrench but of course I couldn’t figure out how to unroll it! LOL!  Once the window was down it was so much more comfortable!  It took about 20 minutes to get to the beach, which was a perfect amount of time to be in the car! J Our driver offered to stay and wait for us a few hours while we sat at the beach, however we didn’t feel like spending another $30 to get back, so we decided to just take the bus instead, which was a much cheaper option.  We also road in an old red convertible in the city and that was SO fun!.    

TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN HAVANA, CUBA

4. Sit along the street and watch live music
Havana is known for its artistic musical atmosphere and it really is so lively!  The boys definitely loved hearing all the music and people would literally get up and start dancing everywhere! We loved stopping to watch the salsa dancing and hear such talented musicians!  Our hotel, Hotel Sevilla always had live musicians down in our lobby and every one was amazing!  Multiple times I got goose bumps listening to some of the singers perform. 

TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN HAVANA, CUBA

5. Walk at sunset along Malecon
Our Airbnb was right next to Malecon so it was super convenient for us to walk along at sunset!  Malecon is the street along the water's edge and it is just gorgeous!  It is also a WiFi zone so we saw everyone sitting along the side of the water barrier with their heads down on their phones!  It was almost comical.  No one was paying attention to anything else! LOL!  Of course I had to check my WiFi as well, but found that it was difficult to stay connected, so I gave up pretty easily.  The fantastic view definitely was better than anything, I was missing on my phone. :-)

Havana is a vibrant city with charming, welcoming people. I 'm so glad that we had the opportunity to experience such a rich culture.

Comments

  1. Great blog! We're headed there in 4 weeks and can't wait to explore! Which beach did you guys visit? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Victor!! We visited Santa Maria. We hung out right in their public beach and rented chairs and umbrellas. You could also buy food from the restaurant right off the beach as well! It was perfect for us as we only stayed a couple of hours!

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  2. Havama in on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing that!

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  3. YOur trip sounds amazing! And your pics are gorgeous

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    1. Thank you Cassie! We had a great time and I would definitely recommend Cuba to anyone, such a beautiful place and rich culture!

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  4. A trip back in time - must be real special :)

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    1. So special! It was a dream of mine to go there forever! So glad we made it happen!

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  5. Fabulous post, and the photography is gorgeous. I would love to see Havana! My grandparents honeymooned there in the 1930s.

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    1. Oh they did!? That sounds dreammmmmy!!! And before everything happened!!

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  6. I love Havana! Great photos, too!

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