Havana

Seductive and rich in cultural touchpoints, Havana is having a moment. Alluring andcrumbling colonial-era buildings frame characterful street scenes as a horse and cart passes by an American classic car, and jazz notes float on the air. Atmospheric Havana is to be admired, interacted with and inspired by.

From Hemingway to Che Guevara, supper clubs to a diverse music scene, rum cocktails andaromatic cigars, Havana is an addictive mix, spawned from centuries of revolution and conflicts. Today the city is a steady presence and a fertile breeding ground for innovation and vibrant green shoots, all rooted in its captivating melange of Afro-Cuban and European influence.

It’s easy to get stuck into Havana. Go to ground level and stroll the city – feel the palpable energy of UNESCO World Heritage Site Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) around cobbled streets and historical plazas where bakeries, cafes and galleries jumble amid the majesty of the Convento de Belen and Plaza Belen. Top up on architecture and culture at the emblematic national building - the domed Capitol, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) and the Great Theatre of Havana. Havana harbour showcases renaissance military architecture at the Castillo del Morro, a sturdy and imposing coastal fortress built in 1790. Follow Ernest Hemingway’s footsteps at his home of twenty years and at the fascinating Hemingway Museum. 

Music is deeply embedded in Havana’s cultural psyche, and you won’t go far without hearing a performance of one sort or another. Pick up a few steps in a rhumba club or salsa bar, listen to a troubadour player or go to a late-night jazz pitstop. Even walking down the street, music sonorously resonates from open-top vintage cars or courtyard gardens and rooftop bars. 

Where cultural cross points meet a unique modern life, Havana is like no other.