Where to Stay in Havana: Neighbourhood Review

Havana was the starting point of my trip to Cuba. The Cuban capital is quite a large city so choosing where to stay in Havana can be both a laborious chore and essential for getting the most out of the city. This neighbourhood review is useful for those travelling on a guided tour as well as those who wish to travel independently.

For further information on other Cuba travel destinations that I visited and for essential travel information, check out my Cuba Solo Travel post.

HAVANA ORIENTATION

The airport is quite a distance from the city centre and, with no obvious public transport, a taxi is the only choice. I highly recommend arranging a taxi in advance with your accommodation provider.

Havana city centre is divided into three neighbourhoods: Vieja, Centro and Vedado.

VIEJA

Havana Vieja (Old Havana), the area west of the Bay of Havana, is where visitors spend most of their time, meandering through a labyrinth of colonial squares and narrow streets lined with architectural gems ranging from restored splendour to crumbling marvels.

Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de San Francisco de Asís were two of my favourite squares for people-watching while Obispo is possibly the best shopping street in the city. My best advice is stroll along to whatever street or square takes your fancy.

I stayed in Hostal Peregrino El Elcinar on my arrival into Cuba. Run by Elsa and Julio Roque, service and comfort met my expectations and it comes recommended.

CENTRO

The Prado or Paseo de Martí, as it’s also known as, is where Havana Vieja ends and the Centro (Centre) neighbourhood begins. It is by far the most interesting street in Centro. Over 1km long it begins at the harbour front and runs right up to Parque de la Fraternidad.

Along its route one will find Havana’s finest hotels such as Hotel Inglaterra, Hotel Telégrafo and Hotel Saratoga at the Paseo’s southern end. With a constant soundtrack of live salsa music and an atmosphere evoking Cuba’s laissez-faire past, Hotel Inglaterra, Havana’s oldest hotel, comes highly recommended for socialising.

The area around Hotel Inglaterra and Parque Central is a transport hub of taxis, buses, bici-taxis, horse-drawn carts and anything else with wheels. The picture below of the Capitolio Nacional shows this multitude of vehicles. The design of the Capitolio is based on the Capitol Building in Washington DC

I stayed in Elsa and Julio’s Hostal Peregrino Lealtad prior to departing from Cuba. Again it comes recommended. Hostal Peregrino Consulado is also based in Centro and it was here that guests from the other Peregrino hostals gathered for tasty evening meals.

VEDADO

From Parque de la Fraternidad one can head for Vedado via Dragones, the main artery through Chinatown, or via Avenue Simón Bolivar which after approximately 1km morphs into Avenue Salvador Allende. At the western end of Avenue Salvador Allende lies a major junction.

Southbound along Avenue de la Independencia leads to Plaza de la Revolucion and Memorial Jóse Martí, an area which looked grey even on the sunny day I visited. West from Plaza de la Revolucion lies Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón, one of the largest cemeteries in the world and the resting place of celebrated Cubans.

The most notable sights in Vedado are located in its north-eastern segment. Heading towards the sea front one will pass the University of Havana buildings but it is the hotels which serve as the best education for visitors.

The boxy Hotel Habana Libre is where Fidel Castro’s office was located in the early days of power in 1959. But it’s the art-deco Hotel Nacional which became one of my favourite sights in Havana not just on aesthetic grounds but for the story of Cuba it tells.

For more insight into the Hotel Nacional, check out my Our Man in Havana Key Locations post which is a guide to the sights featured in the Graham Greene novel Our Man in Havana.

A playground for the pre-revolutionary rich and corrupt, the gardens overlook the Straights of Florida and a decidedly biased exhibition is housed in the bunkers and tunnels underneath the gardens. I left the exhibition attendant stunned when I informed him that both Che Guevara and John F. Kennedy had Irish ancestors.

WHERE TO STAY IN HAVANA: FINAL THOUGHTS

All three parts of central Havana have two things in common. The first is the iconic Malecón, the 8km water front dual-carriageway, the wall of which doubles as a social hub at night. The Chancery Building that houses the US Embassy is located at its western end.

The second commonality is the constant haranguing a visitor will experience although the further one travels from Vieja the less the intensity.

For independent travellers the haranguers don’t entertain no as an answer. It’s constant, bothersome and for female independent travellers a frequent source of threat. So travel with a tour group. Cuba is there to be enjoyed not endured.

Author’s Note: This post was originally published in November 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.