Havana travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the name also refers to one of the municipalities of the city of Havana, Cuba, with the latter’s boundaries extending to the south and west beyond the original city. Although it is today a sprawling metropolis of 2 million inhabitants, its old centre retains an interesting mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments and a ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies and internal courtyards. Everywhere you look there is an unique image waiting to be recorded. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1982, La Habana Vieja is one of the oldest settlements in the America’s – full of charming, weather worn buildings and narrow, intriguing roadways. Lots of ancient building are under repair, but unfortunately, money is not enough, so that in many cases these are just superficial external repairs. They won’t last, and every summer storm is causing severe damages to the buildings.

Havana was founded in 1519 by the Spanish. By the 17th century, it had become one of the Caribbean’s main centres for ship-building. According to the historical tradition, Havana was the last of the first seven villages founded by order of Diego Velazquez. One of his deputies, Panfilo de Narvaez, founded it on July 25th of 1514, baptizing it with the name of San Cristobal de La Havana, for the saint of the day and the indigenous district of Havana, where was established the village. On the XVII century, Old Havana received two Royal Graces and in 1665, the right to use its own shield, where were represented, with tree turrets, the castle (Castle of La Real Fuerza, Morro and La Punta) that then defended the city. After the urbanization of Plaza de Armas, this square stopped being the most important public space and it received the name of Plaza Vieja. It is a porticated square with a lot of historical building from four different centuries. The most important of them is which dates back from XVIIIth century.One of Havana’s prettiest courtyard fountains provides a backdrop to this romantic restaurant, that’s an Old Havana landmark. At the left corner on Empedrado street you will find “La Bodeguita Del Medio” home of ” mojito” drink cost CUC 4, this world famous and much copied restaurant immortalized by Hemingway, has served up classic Cuban dishes for 50 years.

Castillo de la Punta seen across the Havana channel. The city’s first settlement was constructed on the western edge of Havana Bay. The channel into Havana Bay is flanked by four imposing colonial forts constructed of coral-limestone. Two of these sit at the entrance to the channel – on the north the Castillo del Morro, which now houses a maritime museum, and on the south the Castillo de la Punta, which contains the Museum of Fortifications and Armaments and is also the site of the nightly canon-firing ceremony.
Old Havana still houses vestiges of its origins, such as the Alameda de Paula, next to the port, the Plaza de Armas and Cathedral Square, the Castillo de la Real Fuerza and the Morro and La Cabana castles, the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the Palacio del Segundo Cabo, as well as the ruins of the walls that once surrounded it and the brick streets that have defied time in order to reveal all the greatness of the past.

The Havana’s Grand Theatre is the oldest theatre institution on active service in all Latin America. One of Old Havana’s finest buildings, the Grand Theater was built in 1837. It was considered to be one of the finest theaters in the world. During this time the construction of the Capitol, in which the national assembly met and the construction of the Grand Theater was begun, but it became only completed in 1929.

Some important artist that played in this place: dancers Fanny Elsler and Anna Pavlova, actress Sarah Bernhart and Eleonora Dusse, singers Adelina Patti, Victoria de los Angeles, Enrico Carusso, Tita Ruffo, musicians as Arthur Rubinstein, Ernesto Lecuona and Serguei Rachmaninov, Prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso and many others.

Dancers of Cuba’s National Ballet perform “After the Deluge” during the 20th International Ballet Festival at the Grand Theater of Havana in Havana November 4, 2006 The first Havana Ballet Festival was in 1960 and it has taken place every two years since 1974, making it one of the most well-established events of its kind in the world. The festival features performances at various theatres in Havana including the Grand Theater of Havana, Havana National Theatre and the Mella Theatre. This is a fantastic theatre in a fantastic small town. The Wheaton Grand is one theatre that sits in a cool suburban downtown. Theatres like this can be used to help slowly emerging revitalized downtown areas.