Cuba - Lonely Planet [71]
You’d think that the last thing Havana would need is a car museum, but a block down Calle Oficios lies the small, surreal Museo del Automóvil (Oficios No 13; admission CUC$1; 9am-7pm) stuffed with ancient Thunderbirds, Pontiacs and Ford Model Ts, at least half of which appear to be in better shape than the antiquated automobiles that ply the streets outside.
ALONG MERCADERES & OBRAPíA
Cobbled, car-free Calle Mercaderes (literally: Merchant’s Street) has been fully restored to replicate the splendor of its 18th-century high-water mark. Myriad museums along here include the Casa de Asia ( 863-9740; Mercaderes No 111; admission free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun), with paintings and sculpture from China and Japan; and the Museo de Tabaco ( 861-5795; Mercaderes No 120; admission free; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat), where you can gawp at various indigenous pipes and idols and buy some splendid smokes.
The Maqueta de La Habana Vieja (Mercaderes No 114; unguided/guided CUC$1/2; 9am-6pm) is a 1:500 scale model of Habana Vieja complete with an authentic soundtrack meant to replicate a day in the life of the city. It’s incredibly detailed and provides an excellent way of geographically acquainting yourself with the city’s historical core. Come here first.
A few doors down, the Casa de la Obra Pía (Obrapía No 158; admission CUC$1, camera CUC$2; 9am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 9:30am-12:30pm Sun) is a typical Havana aristocratic residence originally built in 1665 and rebuilt in 1780. Baroque decoration – including an intricate portico made in Cádiz, Spain – covers the exterior facade. In addition to its historical value, the house today also contains one of the City Historian’s most commendable social projects, a sewing and needlecraft cooperative that has a workshop inside and a small shop selling clothes and textiles on Calle Mercaderes. Across the street, the Casa de África ( 861-5798; Obrapía No 157; admission CUC$2; 9:30am-7:30pm) houses sacred objects relating to Santería collected by ethnographer Fernando Ortíz.
The corner of Mercaderes and Obrapía has an international flavor with a bronze statue of Simón Bolívar, the Latin America liberator, and a museum ( 861-3988; Mercaderes No 160; donations accepted; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) dedicated to his life across the street. The Casa de México Benito Juárez ( 861-8166; Obrapía No 116; admission CUC$1; 10:15am-5:45pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) exhibits Mexican folk art and plenty of books, but not a lot on Señor Juárez (Mexico’s first indigenous president) himself. Just east is the Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín ( 861-3843; Obrapía No 111; donations accepted; 9am-2:30pm Tue-Sun), the old studio and now a museum of the great Ecuadorian artist who painted Fidel in numerous poses.
PLAZA DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASíS
Facing Havana harbor, the breezy Plaza de San Francisco de Asís first grew up in the 16th century when Spanish galleons stopped by at the quayside on their passage through the Indies to Spain. A market took root in the 1500s followed by a church in 1608, though when the pious monks complained of too much noise the market was moved a few blocks south to Plaza Vieja. The Plaza de San Francisco underwent a full restoration in the late 1990s and is most notable for its uneven cobbles and the white marble Fuente de los Leones (Fountain of Lions) carved by the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Gaginni in 1836. A more modern statue outside the square’s famous church depicts El Caballero de París, a well-known street person who roamed Havana during the 1950s, engaging passers-by with his philosophies on life, religion, politics and current events. On the eastern side of the plaza stands the Terminal Sierra Maestra cruise terminal, which dispatches shiploads of weekly tourists, while nearby the domed Lonja del Comercio is a former commodities market erected in 1909 and restored in 1996 to provide office space for foreign companies with joint ventures in Cuba.