Old Havana (La HabanaVieja)

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, La Habana Vieja or Old Havana is usually the first stop on the tourist trail. It's easy to see why; with its rich architectural heritage and an impressively high concentration of museums and galleries - many of which are being restored to their former glory thanks to the efforts of the City Historian's Office. Furthermore visitors are likely to be as excited by the commotion of daily street life as they are by the museums. So put on your walking shoes and enjoy. Do beware that you are likely to meet while what may seem an endless stream of jineteros (local touts eager to make a buck by selling fake cigars, guidance to a palladar etc etc).

San Cristobal de la Habana (1519), one of the first seven towns founded by the Spanish colonizers in Cuba, was service orientated from the start. Tagged the 'key' to the West Indies because of its strategic location, the port of Havana was a stopping point for all Spanish galleons sailing between Spain and its Latin American colonies. The area now known as Old Havana supplied and repaired boats, and its' war ships protected them from pirates who craved the rich cargoes of gold and silver. Later, a large defensive system of colonial fortresses along the Northern shore and city walls was built to protect the city and the wealth of passing ships.

Known for its crumbling buildings, potholed streets, lack of greenery and people crammed into every nook and cranny, Centro Havana is often overlooked by visitors who prefer the more tourist friendly areas of La Habana Vieja and Vedado. Yet it would be a mistake to bypass Centro, with its neighborhoods that throb with life, the city's only Chinatown, and the high–energy commercial streets of San Rafael, Neptuno and Italia (Galiano), which have been springing back to life in recent years.

Much of Centro Habana's history is related to that of the city walls, built between 1674 and 1797 to encircle the old city. By 1863 La Habana Vieja had become so overcrowded that the demolition of the walls was ordered to open up land on the bordering areas. From 1890 on, a huge among of construction took place, and, in keeping with a period of growth in Havana as a while the area soon became more sophisticated with the construction of sumptuous palaces, and the development of nightlife and culture. Centro Habana's new look, in particular its Eastern reaches, was finished in the 1920's when the French urbanist Jean–Claude Nicholas Foerstier was contracted to landscape the area.

These days the area may be somewhat neglected - after all, it is mainly a residential area rather than one frequented by so many tourists - but there are plans to improve the situation. For example since 1995 the City Historian's office has been slowly restoring the buildings along the Malecon, starting with the facades along the oldest and most traditional part of the seafront.

With its sumptuous mansions, fine parks, lively music and arts scene and towering hotels, Vedado couldn't be more different from La Habana Vieja. While Old Havana is filled with stunning colonial architecture that demands your attention non–stop, Vedado gives the sense of a cosmopolitan elegance combined with streets that are best explored at leisure. Its grand houses, an eclectic mix, are set back from the road with verandas and gardens, and every now and again you'll stumble across an art gallery, a museum, a nightclub or a restaurant.

Originally an area of dense woods and limestone hillocks in the 17th century Vedado (meaning 'forbidden zone') became a military area closed to civilians in a drive to defend Old Havana against pirates. By the late 19th Century, after the brief Spanish–American War came to an end, Vedado began to enter a new age, financed by US money which led to an explosion in construction - hotels, fancy restaurants, casinos, shops and nightclubs. Soon Vedado became an eclectic showpiece of Havana, with everything from neo–classical to Italian Renaissance, art deco to modern and was established as the city's key social and cultural hub. Vedado was also the first part of the city to benefit from urban planning; its grid of tree–lined thoroughfares are orientated to catch cooling ocean breezes, there are numerous parks and lettered and numbered streets make it reasonably easy to navigate.

Miramar

A trip to Miramar gives visitors a glimpse of the future. This grand suburb, separated from Vedado by the Rio Almendares, is the setting for the city's most recent developments, as trading partners came to do business with Cuba.

In Havana, the political and economic elite have traditionally moved Westwards, away from the site where the city was founded in Old Havana, to Centro Habana and then Vedado. By the 1930s, due to the pressure of population growth and an economic upturn, the city jumped the Almendares and expanded into new terrain. The recent arrivals, mainly middle and upper–class were initially forced to use a drawbridge to commute from their offices in Old Havana to the green and spacious suburbs of Miramar. However, the linking in the 1950s in the Malecon coastal road to the tunnel going under the Rio Almendares facilitated the journey.

Under the Revolution Miramar's grandest mansions was the home of the fabulously rich. That changed on 1 January 1959, when wealthy owners opposed to the new Castro regime abandoned the city, many heading for Miami. Most émigrés were convinced that their absence from Cuba would be short term. They left their servants in charge of their houses, stashed their money away and concealed their treasures.

The properties were used to house students as part of a literacy campaign but they soon fell into decay as maintenance costs proved impossible to meet. Today many of these houses have been turned into the offices of joint ventures or Cuban enterprises though others remain as they were on January 1, 1959. A good place to see these mansions is Primera Avenida which hugs the coast. (Ironically given that Miramar means 'sea view' in Spanish, this road gives little access to the shore– except for the rocky swimming areas at the ends of Calles 16 and 66– as private houses and buildings reserve this for their own use).

Further west of Miramar the upmarket suburbs of Siboney and Cubanacan are providing to be as fashionable as ever, with various Cuban sporting and music celebrities calling them home. Further west is Jamiananitas where Fidel is said to reside.

Note that the street system in Havana's western neighborhoods can be rather confusing to visitors; the northwestern part of Miramar is a fairly straightforward grid with even–numbered calles and odd–numbered avenidas, but the roads to the south and west, especially the out towards Cubanacan, are winding and the numbering system is harder to follow. Even taxi drivers can have trouble finding addresses around there.

Eastern Bay & the coast

The beacon of the Eastern Bay is the lighthouse visible from the Malecon, which forms part of the immense castle and fortress. Originally built to guard the mouth of the harbor, they are a reminder of Cuba's colonial past. Nowdays they mark the gateway into sleepy villages and residential areas that are well worth exploration. Deeper east, glossy palms provide welcome shade on Havana's radiant Playas del Este.

Although they're frequently overlooked by tourists, the sugary–white sands at Playaa del Este, more than hold their own against those of the slicked–up resorts elsewhere in the country, and have the added advantage of having buckets of atmosphere. They're just a 20–minute jaunt (by car) from Old Havana. Bear in mind that in the hot summer months these become packed with local Cubans cooling off which can make them somewhat overcrowded especially in August.

The Playas del Este are really a single, eight kilometer stretch with changing names (from East to West): Tarara, El Megano, Santa Maria del Mar, Boca Ciego and Guanabo. Several large resort hotels - mainly ghastly 1960s and '70's structures are scattered between Tarara and Guanabo with the majority at Santa Maria del Mar. Furthest West is Tarara. The spacious, partially wooded beach with a residential complex was previously used for foreign businessmen but is currently being used to house people involved in the operation Milagro project.

Our favorite is Playa Megano which has gorgeous sand and a laid back ambience decorated with pine trees. It is much less packed than Santa Maria which again we consider a bonus.

Easily the most popular are Santa Maria del Mar, Boca Chica and Guanabo a trip of creamy sands and crystalline turquoise waters, backed by coconut trees, pines and grassy dunes reaching up to 80 feet.

The most honky–tonk of all the Eastern beaches is Santa Maria del Mar whose busiest stretch is in front of the Hotel Club Tropicoco. Being a more touristy area, it has lodgings, restaurants, water sports hire, grocery stores and a pharmacy. Next along comes Havana's gay, lesbian and transvestite beach, Playa Mi Cayito. Then you reach Boca Chica, a lengthy strip with particularly soft white sand stretching from the dilapidated wooden bridge crossing the Itabo river to Guanabo. Quieter than Santa Maria del Mar, it is popular with Cuban families.

Last but not least is Guanabo, also popular with Cubans. Perhaps more interesting that.