Cuba - Lonely Planet [84]
* * *
WALK FACTS
Start Restaurante El Patio
Finish Taberna de la Muralla
Distance 1.3km
Duration Three hours
* * *
Crossing Lamparilla you’ll quickly fall upon the Hostal Condes de Villanueva (10; Click here), an impressively restored Habaguanex hotel with a tranquil inner courtyard and a first-class on-site cigar shop (great presents for uncle Charlie here). Walk past the quirky Museo del Chocolate (11; Click here) – situated ironically on Calle Amargura which translates as ‘Bitterness Street’ – and you’re either ill or in serious denial. It’s a predictably busy melee inside, but you’ll get served eventually and when it comes, the hot chocolate with dip-in biscuits is…well, words cannot describe! Jog left down Amargura as the sugar high kicks in and you’ll hit the warm sea breezes of Plaza de San Francisco de Asís. The western side of the plaza hosts several art galleries (Click here), some with little gardens out back if you need a break. Or splurge with a cappuccino at Café del Oriente (12; Click here).
Train lovers will want to detour half a block south on Oficios and turn left on Churruca to check out the Coche Mambí (13; Click here).
Otherwise, turn right at the corner of Oficios and Brasil and you’re headed toward Plaza Vieja. This plaza is captivating: you’ll get some of the city’s best views from atop the tower housing the cámara oscura (14; Click here) on the northeastern corner. Peek quickly into Café Taberna (15; Click here), a temple to the late Benny Moré and other assorted mambo kings, before nosing through the card collection at Museo de Naipes (16; Click here), on the square’s southeastern corner. Finish the tour with a glass of Havana’s best beer brewed on the premises at Taberna de la Muralla (17; Click here). There’s an outdoor grill here, too, if you’re feeling peckish.
If you want to say goodbye to tourist-brochure Habana Vieja and hello to the real world, continue west on Muralla for one block and then south on Cuba. Here ceilings fall without warning and power outages, water shortages and garbage-strewn streets are the norm. This is one of the roughest parts of the city, so be on your toes. Everyone will see at a glance that you’re a tourist, but try not to look like an easy mark. If in doubt, head back toward the Plaza de Armas. Avoid these areas after dark.
Return to beginning of chapter
CENTRO HABANA ARCHITECTURAL TOUR
This leisurely amble through some of Centro Habana’s eclectic architectural sights begins at the end of Paseo de Martí, a salubrious tree-lined avenue known to locals by its old name, El Prado (1; Click here).
Heading south toward Parque Central, the more interesting buildings lie initially to your left. Exhibiting the sharp lines and pure cubist simplicity of depression-era America, the Teatro Fausto (2; Click here), on the corner of Prado and Colón, is an art-deco classic. Still a functioning performance venue for a new generation of budding thespians, the theater is famous for its light plays and hilarious comedy shows.
One block further up on the left, the Casa del Científico (3; Click here), now a budget hotel, is an eclectic masterpiece that was once the residence of former Cuban president, José Miguel Gómez. Furnished with sweeping staircases, elaborate balconies and an eye-catching rooftop lookout, this veritable palace is dripping with diverse architectural influences from art nouveau to Italian Renaissance.
Contrasting sharply with other modern architectural styles on Calle Trocadero, the neo-Moorish Hotel Sevilla (4; Click here) harks back to a bygone age of Spanish stucco and intricate mudéjar craftsmanship. A glimpse inside its gilded lobby with its blue-tinted azulejo tiles and decorative wooden ceilings calls to mind a scene from Granada’s Alhambra, though the hotel itself was built in 1908.
* * *
WALK FACTS
Start El Prado
Finish Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
Distance 4km
Duration Three hours
* * *