The Malecon
Havana, Cuba[0.3 miles]
Join the locals on this famous sea wall for rum and sunsets over Havana’s skyline.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
Best places to stay:
A hub of Cuban design and creativity perfectly pitched on Havana’s ocean road, Malecon 663 is a fusion of voguish Habanero style mixed with retro flavours from yesteryear.
The vibe is lively, with a downstairs lobby bar and café and a fabulous rooftop terrace and bar with musicians and DJs playing every night.
Art is everywhere throughout the hotel, from chairs upholstered with photographic images to a vertical garden of plastic poppies.
Staying here you’ll meet Havana’s artists and creatives who come to hang and chat. You’ll also be clued into the latest under-the-radar events, gallery openings and coolest places to eat.
Right on Havana’s sweeping ocean road, Malecon 663 is located on the edge of residential Centro district and the neighbourhood of el Vedado.
Facing the Malecon, this road is usually fairly quiet by late evening due to the lack of vehicles in Havana. Behind Malecon 663 but not immediately behind (i.e. not directly affected) is the trafficked San Lazaro Street with transport options.
Neighbouring residential streets of pastel-coloured townhouses are weathered and salt-bitten and many are dishevelled. This area is bursting with life and is not unsafe despite appearances.
The busy 1950s shopping district of Galiano is within easy walking distance, which today is home to iconic buildings, shops, and cafes and is the gateway to Chinatown.
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Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Havana, Cuba[0.3 miles]
Join the locals on this famous sea wall for rum and sunsets over Havana’s skyline.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
Havana, Cuba[1.2 miles]
Havana’s magical, neo-baroque Grand Theatre stages ballet and modern dance, including performances by Carlos Acosta’s troupe.
Best for ages: 15+ | £20 | 2 hours
Havana, Cuba[1.2 miles]
Get the low-down on the Mafia, Hollywood stars and Cold War tactics during a history tour of the famous Hotel Nacional.
Best for ages: 13+ | £4 | 1+ hours
Havana, Cuba[1.4 miles]
Watch the ancient artisanal craft of rolling Cuba’s world-famous cigars at one of the very few working factories in Havana that opens to the public.
Best for ages: 13+ | £8 | 1+ hours
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Havana, Cuba[1.2 miles]
This imposing wedding-cake mansion is the seat of the Cuban government. Stop by to see the marble 400ft Hall of the Lost Steps, the gigantic Statue of the Republic, the bronze bas-relief front doors, and the statue of the devil in a patio devoid of shade.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Havana, Cuba[1.3 miles]
Cuba’s most impressive museum, housed in two separate buildings almost next to each other, showcases the best of Cuban art (in one building) from the 1600s to the modern day, and international artists over 5 art-filled floors of a second building.
Best for ages: 13+ | £6
Havana, Cuba[1.3 miles]
The largest collection of Napoleonic memorabilia outside of Europe (some 5,000 items) is housed in this glorious Florentine mansion. Go for the paintings, statues, prized bronze death mask, the French emperor’s bicorne hat, his pistols, and the original oil Napoleon Planning his Coronation by Jean-Georges Vibert.
Best for ages: 118+ | £2
Havana, Cuba[1.3 miles]
History buffs will love the Museo de la Revolución that details the minutiae of Fidel Castro’s 1953-1959 rebel campaign, culminating in victorious revolution in the ornate surrounds of the old Presidential Palace. The outdoor exhibition displays weaponry, aeroplanes and the Granma yacht, which brought Castro from exile in Mexico to Cuba to relaunch the rebel campaign in 1956.
Best for ages: 18+ | £2
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
Cuba
Sensual and sultry communist Caribbean capital, home to captivating, crumbling architecture, and enlivened by dance, music, avant-garde art and cocktails.