It’s only 93 miles from Florida, and just 13 from the Bahamas, but like the smoke that coils from its legendary cigars, The Republic of Cuba exists in a time and space all it’s own.
Blending the traditions of Spain, Africa, and its native peoples, and lit by the fires of independence and revolution, the aromas, textures, and flavors of this Caribbean nation are like no other. Despite its size, Cuba has punched well above its weight. For centuries its vast plantations satisfied a global appetite for sugar and thirst for the smoothest rums.
In 1962 it played center stage in a nuclear standoff, which made the planet hold its breath for 13 days. And through it all, its infectious rhythms taught the world how to move its hips. Few cities can stir the imagination like Cuba’s capital, Havana, a city preserved by forts and citadels, …a five-mile seawall, …and an imposed embargo which held back the excesses of the 20th century for over 50 years.
Castillo de la Real Fuerza
Havana’s symbol is La Giraldilla, dedicated to the city’s first female governor, who scanned the horizon each day for her husbands return from the sea.
400 years later she continues to wait, high above Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the city’s original fort.
While her husband never returned from his explorations, today she watches as millions of travelers come to explore her city.
The Museum of the City of Havana
The fort overlooks Plaza de Armas the birthplace and heart of Old Havana. Step into the cool colonial elegance of the Palace of the Captains General, once the home of governors, today the home of the Museum of the City of Havana.
Plaza de la Catedral
Browse the vintage books and posters in Plaza de Armas, …then take the short walk to Plaza de la Catedral where fortunes are told and salsa spills from beneath the arches.
The Cathedral of Saint Christopher
Made from blocks of coral cut from the ocean floor, The Cathedral of Saint Christopher is a Cuban Baroque masterpiece that has been called music set in stone.
For 100 years, it was also the resting place of Columbus, who claimed these fertile lands for Spain in 1492.
Plaza de San Francisco
Another of the Old Town’s squares is Plaza de San Francisco, which has changed little since the days when the crews of passing galleons filled their barrels at the Fountain of the Lions.
Statue of La Conversación
A more recent addition to the square is ‘La Conversación’, a statue that reminds us of the need for dialogue in contemporary society.
Cubans however, need little reminding of the importance of such simple pleasures. In a world where our heads are increasingly bowed to the smartphone, this is a city where the people still walk with heads held high.
The franchise-free streets
There’s something truly liberating walking these advertisement and franchise-free streets, where you can be open to millions of unguarded moments, …like the curbside battles of wits, …the characters, …the melancholy of peeling paint, and the promise of each new coat.
La Bodeguita del Medio
One place that will never see a paintbrush is La Bodeguita del Medio. Enjoy a mojito and add your name to the thousands of others, which adorn every surface of this iconic bar.
The majestic dome of El Capitolio
Getting around the city is easy, simply walk, catch a bus, or cruise in style. Havana is home to thousands of classic autos from a golden age, which just like the city, only become more alluring with each passing year.
Head west, and you’ll soon see the majestic dome of El Capitolio rise over Central Havana.
The Great Theatre of Havana
The streets here are lined with some of Havana’s finest architectural treasures, such as the Great Theatre of Havana.
The National Museum of Fine Arts
Here you can also visit the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Vedado district
Just a little further to the west, discover the Vedado district, a mix of fabulous 1950s modernist buildings and neoclassical mansions patiently awaiting restoration.
Coppelia
Explore the markets, …then join ice-cream loving locals at Coppelia, Havana’s futuristic temple to the multi-scoop.
The University of Havana
The Vedado is also home to The University of Havana, a hotbed of inquiry and dissent for almost 300 years.
The iconic National Hotel
And the iconic National Hotel, where the likes of Winston Churchill, Rita Hayworth, and Leonardo DiCaprio have spent many a Cuban night.
The Malecón
While the streets of Havana give the city it’s a pulse, it’s on the Malecón where you’ll find its soul. Extending for miles along Havana’s northern shores, this is where the city comes to meet,…romance,…and dream, ….and perhaps, catch a little dinner.
Fort San Salvador
At the Malecón’s eastern end, look out across the mouth of Havana Harbor from Fort San Salvador to its big brother, Moro Castle. For centuries these two guardians were linked by a giant chain, which could be pulled tight to keep marauding ships at bay.
The Museum of the Revolution
While you’re near the Malecón’s eastern end, visit the Museum of the Revolution. Housed in the former presidential palace of deposed dictator Batista.
The museum is a dedication to those who took part in the long march to a free Cuban homeland.
The Plaza de la Revolución
You’ll find tributes to Cuba’s political heroes all over Havana, but there is none greater than the Plaza de la Revolución, where more than a million Cubans can gather at a time.
The memorial to Jóse Marti
Towering over the square is the memorial to Jóse Marti, the poet, writer and lightning rod for Cuban Independence.
Colon Cemetery
Pay your respects to Cubans great and small, at Colon Cemetery, a city within a city containing over 500 mausoleums.
From generals to chess champions to the poor, a walk through these 57 hectares is a walk through Cuban history.
Fusterlandia
Another city within this city is Fusterlandia, where for more than 30 years the wild imagination of artist Jóse Fuster has exploded from the confines of his studio and into the neighborhood streets, walls and rooftops of Jaimanitas.
The former Cuban residence of Ernest Hemingway
Havana has long been a magnet for creative minds. On Havana’s outskirts, high on a shady hilltop, sits the former Cuban residence of Ernest Hemingway.
Peer into the rooms where the Nobel laureate lived for twenty years, writing classics such as The Old Man and The Sea. The home was a gift to the people of Cuba and remains much as it was, the day Hemingway left his beloved island forever in 1960.
El Floridita
When the sun gets low and the city takes on its beckoning glow, why not head back downtown and order a daiquiri at El Floridita, just as El Papa did after a long day at the typewriter. Then let Havana’s magical rhythms carry you into the night.
The town of Matanzas
Havana’s lure can be hard to resist, but Cuba offers so much more beyond the seductive lights of its capital. In Cuba, a long sandy beach and a cool sea breeze are never far away.
Just 12 miles from Havana’s downtown, the Eastern Beaches unroll toward the town of Matanzas, the birthplace of the rumba, …and Cardenas, wherein 1850, the Cuban Flag flew for the very first time.
Varadero
From here, follow the scent of fresh lime, rum and suntan lotion north, to one of Latin America’s premier resorts, Varadero.
This long sandy peninsula is famed for its natural attractions as well as its resorts.
The Varahicacos Ecological Reserve
Be sure to take a walk in the Varahicacos Ecological Reserve, and experience the subterranean world of the Cueva de Ambrosio. Then cool off in the pure, crystal waters of nearby Cueva Saturno.
Santa Clara city
After exploring the northern coastline, turn south towards Cuba’s heartland. Santa Clara is Cuba’s most revolutionary city.
Here, in 1958, Ché Guevara and 18 fellow rebels took on an armored government train with a bulldozer and Molotov cocktails and won. The Battle of Santa Clara brought an end to the Revolution and cleared the way for a new President, Fidel Castro, who would steer Cuba’s course for the next 50 years.
But this city will always belong to Ché. He is everywhere,…watching over the city from his mausoleum, from the streets, from the very walls, extolling us to remember that liberators do not exist, …the people liberate themselves.
Trinidad
From a city forged by Revolution to one built on sugar, welcome to Trinidad.
In the early 1800s, this was the sugar capital of the world. Here, plantation owners poured vast fortunes into plazas, …churches,…and Spanish colonial mansions filled with the best furnishings money could buy.
Manaca Iznaga Tower
Just a few miles from Trinidad, climb Manaca Iznaga Tower for views across the Valle de Los Ingenios.
Here, for as far as the eye can see, thousands of workers once cut sugar cane, while more than fifty mills squeezed out its sweet liquid gold.
Playa Ancón
Trinidad is surrounded by other riches too. Relax on Southern Cuba’s finest stretch of sand, Playa Ancón.
The Sierra del Escambray
Then follow the rural back roads that lead to the cool heights of the Sierra del Escambray.
Cienfuegos
In Cienfuegos, the mood changes from Spanish, to something a little more Parisian. This is the only Cuban city founded by the French, and it shows.
There is an unmistakable elegance here, in the spacious avenues around Jose Marti Park, …to the theater where Caruso once brought opera lovers to tears.
The Palacio de Valle
You’ll find it amid the lavish dining room and roof-top terrace of the Palacio de Valle, and in the seaside homes of Punta Gorda.
The birdlife of Laguna Guanaroca
And when it’s time to experience natures elegance, you’ll find plenty nearby, …in the birdlife of Laguna Guanaroca, …and in the afternoon light of Rancho Luna Beach.
After exploring Cienfuegos, why not just keep going, because there’s so much more to discover in this country, which opens to the world more each day.
Conclusion
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether Cuba is awakening to the world, or if the world is awakening to Cuba.
Whatever your politics, it’s easy to admire this island nation that has proudly gone its own way.
Cuba may still have one foot firmly in the past, but as the world tumbles towards tomorrow, we can be thankful for the many things it has not let go.