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of medals, coins and banknotes from around the world, including a stash of 1000 mainly American gold coins (1869–1928) and a full chronology of Cuban banknotes from the 19th century to the present. Opposite, the new Museo 28 Septiembre de los CDR (Obispo btwn Aguiar & Habana; admission CUC$2; 9am-5pm) dedicates two floors to the nationwide Comites de la Defensa de la Revolución (CDR; Committees for the Defense of the Revolution). Commendable neighborhood-watch schemes, or grassroots spying agencies? You decide. Two blocks further down the Museo de Pintura Mural (Obispo btwn Mercaderes & Oficios; admission free; 10am-6pm) exhibits some beautifully restored original frescoes in the Casa del Mayorazgo de Recio, popularly considered to be Havana’s oldest surviving house. Two doors down is the Museo de la Orfebrería ( 863-9861; Obispo No 113; admission donation; 9am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 9:30am-12:30pm Mon), a silverware museum set out in the house of erstwhile silversmith Gregorio Tabares, who had a workshop here from 1707.

Across Obispo from the Hotel Ambos Mundos lies the Edificio Santo Domingo (Mercaderes btwn Obispo & O’Reilly) on the site of Havana’s old university between 1728 and 1902. It was originally part of a convent; the current incongruous office block dates from the 1950s when the roof was used as a helicopter landing pad. In 2006 Habaguanex rebuilt the convent’s original bell tower and inserted an elaborate baroque doorway onto the building’s eastern side. The result provides an interesting juxtaposition of old and new.

PLAZA DEL CRISTO & AROUND

Habana Vieja’s fifth (and most overlooked) square lies at the west end of the neighborhood, a little apart from the historical core, and has yet to benefit from the City Historian’s makeover. It’s worth a look for the Parroquial del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje, a church dating from 1732, although there has been a Franciscan hermitage on this site since 1640. Still only partially renovated, the building is most notable for its intricate stained-glass windows and brightly painted wooden ceiling. The Plaza del Cristo also boasts a primary school (hence the noise) and a microcosmic slice of everyday Cuban life sin tourists.

Sidetrack a few blocks up Brasil and you’ll stumble upon the Museo de la Farmacia Habanera (cnr Brasil & Compostela; admission free; 9am-5pm), founded in 1886 by Catalan José Sarrá and once considered the second most important pharmacy in the world. The antique shop still acts as a pharmacy for Cubans, but also as a museum displaying an elegant mock-up of an old drugstore with some interesting historical explanations.

CHURCHES

South of Plaza Vieja is a string of important but little-visited churches. The 1638–43 Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara ( 866-9327; Cuba No 610; admission CUC$2; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri) stopped being a convent in 1920. Later this complex was the Ministry of Public Works, and today the Habana Vieja restoration team is based here. You can visit the large cloister and nuns’ cemetery or even spend the night (with reservations far in advance; Click here). The Old Town’s other main convent is the Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de Belén ( 861-7283; Compostela btwn Luz & Acosta; admission CUC$2; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun), completed in 1718 and run by nuns from the Order of Bethlehem and (later) the Jesuits. Today it is a convalescent home for senior citizens funded by the City Historian’s office.

Havana’s oldest surviving church (built in 1640 and rebuilt in 1674) is the Iglesia Parroquial del Espíritu Santo ( 862-3140; Acosta 161; 8am-noon & 3-6pm), with many burials in the crypt. Built in 1755, the Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Cuba No 806; 8am-noon & 3-5:30pm) was reconstructed in the 19th century. Beautiful gilded altars, frescoed vaults and a number of old paintings create a sacrosanct mood; there’s a quiet cloister adjacent.

The Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula ( 41-50-37; cnr Leonor Pérez & Desamparados) is one of Havana’s most attractive churches. Fully restored in 2000, it is all that remains of the San