A city as saturated in history and culture as Havana deserves more than a rushed, fly-by tour. To really do the city justice, book us for a vintage car tour of the colonial squares. This way you can learn about Havana’s amazing past.
Our Tour guides are knowledgeable and passionate about their city and will make sure you have a memorable experience.
There are four colonial squares in Havana: La Plaza de Armas, La Plaza Vieja, La Plaza de San Francisco de Asís and La Plaza de la Catedral. Each has its own characteristics and history.
The Plaza de Armas
La Plaza de Armas is the oldest in Havana and was originally built in 1519. It is a popular meeting for residents and tourists. You’ll discover lovely flocks of pigeons as well as Wooden Street (the only one in the world).
Small fountains, groves, and stunning gardens are the surrounding environment with stone benches and cobbled floors. There is, also a pedestal with the marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban patriot, initiator of the Ten Years’ War against Spanish colonial rule in 1868 and ‘Father of the Nation’.
The place is home to two museums: the Havana castle (El Castillo de la Real Fuerza), and El Palacio de Los Capitanes Generales. It was the seat of government under colonial rule.The building is now the museum of the city.
El Templete is a 19th-century temple with a Greek Neoclassical style, which is an interesting building to find in Havana. This was where the Spanish settlers built Havana in 1519.
The magnificent 18th-century Casa del Conde de Santovenia is nearby. 1998 brought about the renovation of this sumptuous mansion and turned it into the Hotel Santa Isabel, which remains elegantly decorated today.
On any given day you´ll be able to see people walking around, sitting on the benches, or enjoying the shade of the trees. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Havana, La Plaza de Armas is ideal.
It’s one of the charming colonial squares that provides a look into the country’s past.
La Plaza Vieja
La Plaza Vieja was built in 1559 and is one of the most beautiful and representative in Havana.
It was originally called Plaza Nueva and was used for military exercises, carnivals, proclamations, and whatever the social vicissitudes of the time.
Then, it functioned as an open-air market and, currently, there are many restaurants, cafes, bars, and breweries.
This is home to many interesting places, such as the Camera Obscura. This optical device offers stunning views of the city from its 35-meter tower. Another point of interest is the Palacio Cueto, which is one of the finest example of Art Nouveau architecture in Cuba.
Just behind the square is the baroque Palacio del Conde de San Juan de Jaruco, built in the 17th century and owned by Don Gabriel Beltrán de Santa Cruz y Aranda, who obtained the noble title in 1768 for his exploits against the English.
La Plaza Vieja and the streets around it have beautiful galleries, very typical of Havana, with semicircular arches and stained glass windows.
If you’re looking for things to do near the square, we suggest checking out the Planetario (Planetarium), the Fototeca de Cuba (Photographic Gallery of Cuba), the Museo de Naipes (Museum of Cards), La Casona’s Centro de Arte (Art Center La Casona), or Pablo de la Torriente Brau’s Centro Cultural.
You’ll find many women in flashy Caribbean clothing, old ladies smoking large cigars from Cuba, and people of all ages enjoying a drink or a bite to eat. Here is always full of activity, so it’s a great spot to soak up the atmosphere of Havana.
La Plaza de San Francisco de Asís
Also known as the Plaza of the pigeons (because there are several of them). It was built during the XVI century looking towards the port of Havana, to receive the Spanish galleons in their passage through the colonies.
In the center, you´ll see an amazing fountain with water called Fuente de Los Leones. It is one of the most beautiful in all of Havana, made in white marble by a famous Italian sculptor in 1836.
Also visible is the Market Hall (Lonja del Comercio), covered by a dome, and the Sierra Maestra Station, which is the entry point of the cruises that arrive on the Island.
Initially, a market was installed in this square, and years later a church was built: the Convent of St. Francis of Asís which today is the Museum of Religious Art.
Here are some interesting places such as the Rum Museum, or the Auto Miambí, a luxury train car built in the United States in 1990 and brought to Cuba in 1992.
Here you will also find El caballero de París, a statue settled outside the church, representing a very popular street character who passed through Havana in the 1950s entertaining passers-by with his opinions on various topics (It´s a custom to touch the statue’s beard or finger to be lucky enough to return again).
Plaza de San Francisco de Asís is a good place to experience Havana’s colonial culture. Plan to spend some time here on your next visit to the city!
La Plaza de la Catedral
This is the city’s newest main square, dating back to 1700. The beautiful cathedral is the highlight of the landmark but all the houses around are very special too. It was very prestigious to live in this ubication so the richest and the most privileged families lived here.
The most well-known structures in the area are: La Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana, El Palacio del Marqués de Aguas Claras, and EL Palacio del Conde del Lombillo. There’s also The Wifredo Lam Center, a little museum dedicated to Cuba’s best contemporary artists.
La Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana is one of the most important and impressive architectural monuments in Cuba. It is one of the most beautiful and restraint religious constructions of the American Baroque, recognized a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
Very close on foot is La Bodeguita del Medio, the most famous bar restaurant in all of Cuba. Ernest Hemingway, a daily client, mentioned it in one of his well-known sayings: “My daiquiri in Floridita and my mojito in La Bodeguita”.
I hope you enjoyed this tour of Havana´s colonial squares. These are just some of the many colonial squares that make Havana a unique and beautiful city.
If you have the opportunity, I recommend that you take our tour in vintage cars around all these points, it is an experience that you will not forget soon!
If you’re looking for more interesting places to visit while in Cuba, be sure to read our “Havana tour: 4 things to do in Havana” post.