Cuba - Lonely Planet [68]
Cubanacán (Map; 873-2686; www.cubanacan.cu; Hotel Nacional, cnr Calles O & 21, Vedado; 8am-7pm) Very helpful; head here if you want to arrange fishing or diving at Marina Hemingway; also in Hotel NH Parque Central, Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel Habana Libre.
Cubatur (Map; 835-4155; cnr Calles 23 & M, Vedado; 8am-8pm) Below Hotel Habana Libre. This agency pulls a lot of weight and finds rooms where others can’t, which goes a long way toward explaining its slacker attitude. It has desks offices in most of the main hotels.
Havanatur (Map; 835-3720; www.havanatur.cu; Calle 23 cnr M, Vedado)
San Cristóbal Agencia de Viajes (Map; 861-9171/2; www.viajessancristobal.cu; Oficios No 110 btwn Lamparilla & Amargura, Habana Vieja; 8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-2pm Sat, 9am-noon Sun) Habaguanex agency operates Habana Vieja’s classic hotels; income helps finance restoration. It offers the best tours in Havana.
Sol y Son (Map; 833-3647; Calle 23 No 64; 8:30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-noon Sat) Sells Cubana flights.
Return to beginning of chapter
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Havana is not a dangerous city, especially when compared to other metropolitan areas in North and South America. There is almost no gun crime, violent robbery, organized gang culture, teenage delinquency, drugs, or dangerous no-go zones. Rather, a heavy police presence on the streets and stiff prison sentences for crimes such as assault have acted as a major deterrent for would-be criminals and kept the dirty tentacles of organized crime at bay.
But it’s not all love and peace, man. Petty crime against tourists in Havana – almost nonexistent in the 1990s – is widespread and on the rise, with pickpocketing, bag-snatching by youths mounted on bicycles and the occasional face-to-face mugging all being reported.
Bring a money belt and keep it on you at all times, making sure that you wear it concealed – and tightly secured – around your waist.
In hotels use a safety deposit box (if there is one) and never leave money/passports/credit cards lying around during the day. Theft from hotel rooms is tediously common, with the temptation of earning three times your monthly salary in one fell swoop often too hard to resist.
In bars and restaurants it is wise to check your change. Purposeful overcharging, especially when someone is mildly inebriated, is a favorite (and easy) trick.
Visitors from the well-ordered countries of Europe or litigation-obsessed North America should keep an eye out for crumbling sidewalks, manholes with no covers, inexplicable driving rules, veering cyclists, carelessly lobbed front-door keys (in Centro Habana) and enthusiastically hit baseballs (almost everywhere). Waves cascading over the Malecón sea wall might look pretty, but the resulting slime-fest has been known to throw Lonely Planet–wielding tourists flying unceremoniously onto their asses.
For more popular scams see the boxed text on Click here.
Return to beginning of chapter
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Habana Vieja
Studded with architectural jewels from every era, Habana Vieja offers visitors one of the finest collections of urban edifices in the Americas. At a conservative estimate, the Old Town alone contains over 900 buildings of historical importance with myriad examples of illustrious architecture ranging from intricate baroque to glitzy art deco.
For a whistle-stop introduction to the best parts of the neighborhood, check out the suggested walking tour Click here or stick closely to the four main squares – Plaza de Armas, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís and Plaza de la Catedral.
* * *
HAVANA IN…
Two Days
Go for an early morning caffeine jolt in Café El Escorial overlooking Plaza Vieja before investigating the colonial treasures of the Museo de la Ciudad. Clear your head afterwards with a casual stroll down Calle Mercaderes, where specialist shops and colonial mansions offer plenty of