Cuba - Lonely Planet [69]
Head through Chinatown on day two, stopping for an early lunch in Tien-Tan. Admire the architectural wonders on the Centro Habana Architectural Tour before tracking west along the Malecón for a reviving drink in the bar of the Hotel Habana Libre. Reach for Havana’s culinary heights in La Torre on top of the Focsa building before heading down for a comedy show at Café TV.
Four Days
Follow the two-day itinerary, and on the morning of day three board the Havana Bus Tour for the Plaza de la Revolución. After the obligatory Che mural photos board a second bus for Miramar, disembarking at the Acuario Nacional (p156) for an afternoon dolphin show. Stroll over to the fascinating Fundación Naturaleza y El Hombre before tracking back to El Aljibe for a classic Cuban dinner. For evening entertainment roll the dice and choose between a concert at Teatro Karl Marx, hot salsa at the Casa de la Música or full-blown Cuba kitsch at the Tropicana Nightclub. On day four, pack up your beach bag and hop on the Havana Bus Tour to Playa Santa María del Mar.
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The renovation of Habana Vieja is overseen by the government-run agency Habaguanex and directed by long-standing City Historian, Eusebio Leal Spengler. Eager to recreate a ‘living’ historic center that integrates the neighborhood’s 70,000-plus inhabitants, Habaguanex splits its US$160 million annual tourist income between further restoration (45%) and other deserving social projects in the city (55%).
PLAZA DE LA CATEDRAL
Habana Vieja’s most uniform square is a museum to Cuban baroque with all the surrounding buildings (including the city’s magnificent cathedral) dating from the 1700s. Despite this homogeneity, it is actually the newest of the four squares in the Old Town with its present layout dating from the 18th century.
Dominated by two unequal towers and framed by a theatrical baroque facade designed by Italian architect Francesco Borromini, the graceful Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana (cnr San Ignacio & Empedrado; before noon) was described by novelist Alejo Carpentier as ‘music set in stone.’ The Jesuits began construction of the church in 1748 and work continued despite their expulsion in 1767. When the building was finished in 1787, the diocese of Havana was created and the church became a cathedral – one of the oldest in the Americas. The remains of Columbus were interred here from 1795 to 1898 when they were moved to Seville. The best time to visit is during Sunday Mass (10:30am).
On the corner to the left of the cathedral is the Centro Wilfredo Lam ( 862-2611; cnr San Ignacio & Empedrado; admission CUC$3; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat), a cafe and exhibition center named after the island’s most celebrated painter but which usually displays the works of more modern painters.
Situated on the western side of the Plaza is the majestic Palacio de los Marqueses de Aguas Claras (San Ignacio No 54), a one-time baroque palace completed in 1760 and widely lauded for the beauty of its shady Andalucian patio. Today it houses the Restaurante El Patio.
Directly opposite are the Casa de Lombillo and the Palacio del Marqués de Arcos. The former, built in 1741, once served as a post office (a stone-mask ornamental mailbox built into the wall is still in use). Since 2000 it has functioned as the main office for the City Historian, Eusebio Leal Spengler.
The square’s southern aspect is taken up by its oldest building, the resplendent Palacio de los Condes de Casa Bayona built in 1720. Today it functions as the Museo de Arte Colonial ( 862-6440; San Ignacio No 61; unguided/guided CUC$2/3, camera CUC$2; 9am-6:30pm), a small museum displaying colonial furniture and decorative arts. Among the finer exhibits are