Experience Havana’s colourful heritage,
Given the pace of change in Havana, it’s probably no surprise that the city is trumpeting a series of new hotel openings to coincide with its 500th anniversary. But while development in the city can seem frantic, Cuba’s capital retains the beauty, grit, music and energy that has long made it such a compelling corner of the world to explore. Anywhere reaching the quincentenary of its founding by Spanish colonisers has, by definition, seen a vast amount of history, so a visit in 2019 is a great excuse to look back as well as forward.
Finding Havana’s top sights is easy enough. Start in the Plaza Vieja, tour the Catedral and remarkable Necrópolis
Cristóbal Colón, and hit the museums dedicated to the revolution and celebrated resident Ernest Hemingway. The real joy of being here, though, is strolling the rundown streets and along the seafront Malecón, taking in the sights and sounds of Havana life. Neighbourhoods such as Guanaba
coa and Playa will take you away from the bigger crowds touring Habana Vieja.
Havana is generally seen as part of a longer visit to Cuba, whether keeping to the beaches to the north of the city or taking the chance to visit other colonial treasures like
Camagüey and Trinidad. The cost of flying here has come down with the increase in flights, particularly from the US. It is increasingly feasible to tack a few days in Cuba onto a US visit, especially if you’re heading to Florida: Miami is just a 75-minute hop away. IF YOU LIKE THIS… • Jamaica offers a very close yet very different take on the Caribbean.
• Miami is another Latin-influenced city alive with music. The heritage here is gloriously rooted in the city’s art-deco architecture.