Cuba - Lonely Planet [128]
These days the fort has been restored for visitors and you can spend at least half a day checking out its wealth of attractions. As well as bars, restaurants, souvenir stalls and a cigar shop (containing the world’s longest cigar), La Cabaña boasts the Museo de Fortificaciones y Armas and the engrossing Museo de Comandancia del Che. The nightly 9pm cañonazo ceremony is a popular evening excursion (see boxed text, above).
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ASK A LOCAL
The cañonazo ceremony in the Fortaleza La Cabaña re-enacts an old tradition carried out since the 18th century, when soldiers used to fire a single cannon shot every night at 9pm to mark the closing of the old city gates. Modern soldiers carrying fire torches and wearing old-style military uniforms have kept the practice alive. It’s quite a spectacle.
Augusto, Havana
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Eating
Paladar Doña Carmela ( 863-6048; Calle B No 10; evenings only) A private eating option that offers quality chicken and pork in a very pleasant alfresco setting (when it’s open). Makes a good dinner before or after the cañonazo, but check ahead as opening times are sporadic.
Parts of the fortresses have been converted into good restaurants and atmospheric bars. The Restaurante Los Doce Apóstoles ( 863-8295; noon-11pm), below El Morro, so named for the battery of 12 cannons atop its ramparts, serves comida criolla. It’s a better-than-average government-run kitchen, and the prices are fair. Bar El Polvorín ( 860-9990; 10am-4am), just beyond Los Doce Apóstoles, offers drinks and light snacks on a patio overlooking the bay. There’s zero shade, but it’s perfect for those famous Havana sunsets.
Back below La Cabaña, just beyond the Dársena de los Franceses, is another battery of huge 18th-century cannons. The upscale but approachable Restaurante La Divina Pastora ( 860-8341; noon-11pm) behind the guns, offers well-prepared seafood, including lobster and fish. You can also just sit and soak in the views with an icy Cristal and some crisp tostones (fried plantain patties).
Getting There & Away
Cyclists can get to the fortresses from Havana with the specially designed CicloBus leaving from the corner of Dragones and Águila at Parque El Curita in Centro Habana (Map). This seatless bus is accessible via small ramps that lead to the doors. Cyclists are obliged to use it to get to La Habana del Este as riding a bicycle through the tunnel is prohibited. If you don’t have a bicycle, you can walk to the head of the line and get on the first bus (ask the person selling bus tickets). Get off at the first stop after the tunnel; it’s only a 10-minute walk back to either fortress. You can also get there on the P-15, P-8 or P-11 metro buses (get off at the first stop after the tunnel), but make sure you’re near an exit as very few other people get out there. Otherwise, a metered tourist taxi from Habana Vieja should cost around CUC$4.
One of the quickest ways to get here without a car is via the Casablanca ferry. From the entrance to La Cabaña, go down into the moat and follow it around to a gate just below the huge Christ statue.
Parking costs CUC$1 at the fortresses.
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CASABLANCA
Casablanca, just across the harbor from Habana Vieja, is dominated by a white marble statue of Christ (Map) created in 1958 by Jilma Madera. It was allegedly promised to President Batista by his wife after the US-backed dictator survived an attempt on his life in the Presidential Palace in March 1957. As you disembark the Casablanca ferry, follow the road uphill for about 10 minutes until you reach the statue. The views from up here are stupendous and it is a favorite nighttime hangout for locals. Behind the statue is the Observatorio Nacional (Map; closed to tourists).
Passenger ferries to Casablanca depart Muelle Luz, on the corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara in Habana Vieja, about every 15 minutes (CUC$1). Bicycles are welcome.
The Casablanca