Cuba - Lonely Planet [111]
Galería Habana ( 832-7101; Línea No 460 btwn Calles E & F; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) This wonderful space in the heart of Vedado shows contemporary Cuban art in big, bright galleries. Come here to see what’s new and different.
Galería de Arte Latinoamericano (cnr Calles 3 & G; admission CUC$2; 10am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Situated inside the Casa de las Américas and featuring art from all over Latin America.
Other galleries worth a peek in Vedado are the Centro de Arte 23 & 12 (cnr Calles 12 & 23; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat) for contemporary Cuban art and the gallery at Uneac (cnr Calles 17 & H).
Shops & Markets
For photo services and camera needs, try outlets in the Hotel Habana Libre and the Hotel Nacional. There’s also the Galerías de Paseo (opposite).
HABANA VIEJA
Calle Mercaderes has some fantastic old stores restored by the City Historian’s office.
Habana 1791 ( 861-3525; Mercaderes No 156 btwn Obrapía & Lamparilla) A specialist shop that sells perfume made from tropical flowers, Havana 1791 retains the air of a working museum. Floral fragrances are mixed by hand and you can see the petals drying in a laboratory out the back.
Palacio de la Artesanía (Cuba No 64; 9am-7pm) A former 18th-century colonial palace turned into a shopping mall – the Americans could learn from this! Gathered around a shaded central patio is one-stop shopping for souvenirs, cigars, crafts, musical instruments, CDs, clothing and jewelry at fixed prices. Join the gaggles of tour-bus escapees and fill your bag.
Feria de la Artesanía (Tacón btwn Tejadillo & Chacón; Wed-Sat) Havana’s best open-air handicraft market sells all kinds of interesting souvenirs – paintings, guayabera shirts, woodwork, leather items, jewelry and numerous apparitions of the highly marketable El Che. If you thought communism had put an end to the fine art of business negotiation, try out your haggling skills with the amiable stall holders here. If you buy paintings, make sure you arrange an export license (Click here).
Longina Música ( 862-8371; Obispo No 360 btwn Habana & Compostela; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun) This place on the pedestrian mall has a good selection of CDs, plus musical instruments such as bongos, guitars, maracas, guiros and tumbadoras (conga drums). It often places loudspeakers in the street outside to grab the attention of passing tourists.
For rum check out the Fundación Havana Club shop (San Pedro No 262; 9am-9pm); for cigars try the Casa del Habano (Mercaderes No 120) in the Museo de Tabaco.
CENTRO HABANA
El Bulevar (San Rafael btwn Paseo de Martí & Av de Italia) This is the pedestrianized part of Calle San Rafael just behind the Hotel Inglaterra. Come here for peso snacks and surprises and 1950s shopping nostalgia.
La Manzana de Gómez (cnr Agramonte & San Rafael) This faded but elegant European-style covered shopping arcade built in 1910 is full of shabby, half-empty stores. Opposite the Plaza hotel is El Orbe bike rentals.
Area de Vendedores por Cuenta Propia (Máximo Gómez No 259; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat) This is a permanent flea market where you can pick up Santería beads, old books, leather belts etc.
VEDADO
La Habana Sí (cnr Calles 23 & L; 10am-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun) This shop opposite the Hotel Habana Libre has a good selection of CDs, cassettes, books, crafts and postcards.
Feria de la Artesanía (Malecón btwn Calles D & E; from 10:30am, closed Wed) This artisan market has much of the same as its Habana Vieja counterpart, with a few handmade shoes and sandals, and some old stamps and coins thrown in for good measure.
ARTex ( 832-9430; cnr Calles 23 & L) A fabulous selection of old movie posters, antique postcards, T-shirts and, of course, all the greatest Cuban films on videotape are sold at this shop inside the cinema.
Galerías de Paseo (cnr Calle 1 & Paseo; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Across the street