La Habana

El Malecon

Descansar en la Capital

Centro Habana

For me Centro Habana is one of the best places to stay in Habana. This part of Habana is located right between the old town of Habana, called Habana Vieja and the newer part called Vedado. So it easy to do a lot of sightseeing just walking. Also it's cheaper to stay at Centro Habana compared with other places in Habana.

Lic. Carlos Luis Valderrama Moré
Neptuno #404, 2do piso
e/ San Nicolás y Manrique
Centro Habana
La Habana
Telf.: ++53 (7) 867-9842

Price: 20 CUC/room
Note: Carlos and his wife Vivian rent in the city centre two nice rooms, each with a independent bathroom (with hot and cold water). The rooms have also a ventilator as well as a air-conditioning. One room has a double bed, the other two normal beds. From the balcony you will enjoy the view over the busy life in the street. This is certainly one of the best addresses in Habana, also for its fair prices. It's recomended to make a reservation in advance.

Reservation: Also possible by e-Mail_1 or e-Mail_2 (Spanish and English).

Elizabeth y Güicho
Galiano #307, Apto. A_1
e/ Neptuno y San Miguel
Centro Habana
La Habana
Telf.: ++53 (7) 861-6798

Price: 25 CUC/room, breakfast 4 CUC/person
Note: Also in the centre of the city - and only a few meters from the Casa de la Musica - Elizabeth and Güicho rent three rooms. Two rooms in an independent apartament with kitchen, a living-room and a balcony at the guests disposal. Each of the two rooms has it's one bathroom (with hot and cold water), safe and an air-conditioning. The other room is in the familiy's apartment but also with it's own bathroom (hot and cold water), safe, air condition. It's recomended to make a reservation in advance, specially when you like the whole apartment for you own.

Reservation: Also possible by e-Mail (Spanish and English). I recomend to make the reservation by phone.

Lic. Marilys Herrera Gonzalez
Concordia No. 714 (altos)
e/ Soledad y Aramburu
Centro Habana
La Habana
Tel. +53 (7) 870 0608 / 878 1653

Price: 30 CUC/room
Note: Marilys rents the whole floor above her flat. That means you've your own flat with two rooms with twinbeds, bathroom, livingroom, diningroom, a kitchen with all the necesary things for preparing a good meal - and very important - a huge terrace. At the terrace you will find a table and some chairs. A nice place for drinking a cold Cuba Libre or Mojito, enjoing the Sun, reading a book, playing a game or whatelse.

Both rooms have aircondition, ventilator, fridge, TV, twin beds. Because of the near see you even can enjoy a sea brise in your room if the windows are open. Only inconvenient at this place is maybe, that you share your bathroom, kitchen, terrace and so on with the people of the other room. So actually, this is maybe a problem if you only rent one room and like to be the most privat possible - in this case I suggest you the house of Carlos or Eddy. Beside of this it's a very nice and clean place. Although you've your own kitchen Marilys also prepars you a delicious breakfast.

I recomend to make a reservation in advance, specially if you wan't the whole flat for your own.

Reservation: I recomend to make a reservation in advance, specially if you wan't the whole flat for your own.You can reserve also by e-Mail (write in spanish, english or russian).

Vedado

Vedado is a part of the city with a lot of nightlife, hotels and nice old house. Before of the Cuban Revolution the hotel National was the place where the Mafia and a lot of famous people of this times where staying at. The rich people prefered to live in this, rather quiet part of the city with its old trees.
Who's looking for a silent room in a nice old villa but also want's to be near important places of Habana is at the Vedado on the right place. But the rooms here are a little bit more exepensiv and for example to go to Habana Vieja, the old town, you have to catch a taxi - or walk a lot.

Eddy Gutierrez Bouza
Calle 21 #408 bajos
e/ F y G, Vedado
La Habana
Tel. ++53 (7) 832-5207

Price: 30 CUC
Note: 30 CUC are rather expensive but it's really comfortable, better than many hotels. For exemple they will clean the room everyday, you´ve got even a small kitchen for preparing a coffee or something else. Air Condition. The room has to matrimonial beds, so there can live up to four people in the room.
The security is an other reason why it´s worth to pay this price.

Habana Vieja

The charming old town of Habana is certainly the most important sightseeing place in Habana. There are a lot of very nice renovated streets, squares, churches, restaurants ans bars. Up to know there is a big part of the old town renovated - but there's still a lot of work to do. So you also have to be aware of houses in very bad conditions and bad smelling sweepings.

Hector Ramirez Abreu
Acosta #162, apto 4
e/ Damas y Cuba
Habana Vieja
La Habana
Telf. ++53 (7) 863-1260

Price: 25 CUC
Note: Hector und Ery have started to rent one of their rooms in their flat some few years ago. So you certainly can't compare there house with other places in Habana Vieja - where people are renting some ten or more years. But they are every month improving the conditions and you will certainly enjoy the good and relaxed atmosphere - and good food, too.
The room is with a twinbeed, aircondition, ventilator and with a bathroom of your own with a hot and cold water shower. The building has a big terrace which you can't use too. Up to now there's no table or chairs there - so you have to improve or just enjoy the view over Habana Vieja.

Panataxi (Tel. 855 555)
Havanauto Taxi (Tel. 24 24 24)
Turistaxi (Tel. 33-5539 al 42) Ask for a special offer "oferta especial". If you don't you will pay about twice as much as with a Panataxi

If you go to Cuba you have to go to Habana, that is right. I was more than three months in this city and I never felt boring. Havana is the best place to begin a trip. From the capital are leaving train, bus and airplane to all parts of Cuba. For discover Habana I recomend the same I recomend for every city: walking, walking, walking. Look into the shops, houses, get into touch with the people, feel, enjoy Habana.

Excursiones

From Habana you have many possibilites for making excursions. Impossible to describe everyone. So I only give you some ideas for leaving the city for a few hours or one or two days. Have also a look to the travel suggestions which normally starts and ends in Habana.

Playas del Este. Go by taxi, a Panataxi will cost you about 10 to 13 CUC one way. By regular bus you will need a lot of time for your trip to the beach. In summer there is also the possibility to go by truck or by train. The cheapest way to go to the beaches. In 2003 Via Azul started with a new offer - three buses daily from Habana to Playas del Este - 3 CUC one way.
At Playas del Este I prefer a beach near Santa Maria, called "mi cayito". It's a quiet place, with some palms giving shade. You can rent at the beach for 2 CUC a day a sun-lounger. Near the road you have the possibility to buy some food or drinks. Nearby is a small island where you can also eat and drink. There they rent some water-sport equipment.

El Rincon. A place 20km from the city, famous for it's church of Saint Lazaro. It's not just a place for religious people. I think it's a very interesting and unforgetable place (and also the way if you don´t go by taxi). You can get there by using M2 Camel (a kind of bus. look also the transport page) to Santiago de las Vegas and there you take a thrown by horses. If you want to go in a faster but also expensiver way you can take a Panataxi which cost about 35 CUC (retourn journey). It is important to carry some flowers which you can buy at the market in Santiago de las Vegas or on the way to the church. It's a place only 20km from the city, as I mentioned, but it's worth to try because the country of Habana is very diferent than the city!
Soroa and Artemisa. Go by bus (ASTRO) to Candelaria, then with some transport to Soroa. It's a very calm place, there's a waterfall and because of this is worth the trip. You can stay at the hotel, at a camping place o like I did at a privat home (there's no an oficial one, have a look at the Soroas' page). For going to the waterfalls there are also some organized tours. At the waterfall are some times organised tourists, too. The next day go to Candelaria and from there by train or truck to Artemisa. It's a untouristy place, here you can use your Cuban Pesos, and you can find very kind people. Ask for a casa particular, there's one, but normally it's for Cubans. (But they stay an hour or so and not the whole night...). Enjoy the city and visit the old coffee plantations a few km out of the city (see also Lonely Planet, Cuba). You can go there by truck. To go back to Havana the train will be the easiest way and it exists the possibility to pay in pesos. The train leaves at about 12:30.

At night

A selection of bars, discoteques and places for enjoy the Night in Habana. There are always places for going out. Here I offer you a list with some places which are normally every day open.

Habana Cafe. Coffee theatre in the ground floor of Melia Cohiba Hotel. It's open till 4'o clock in the morning. The entrance cost 5 CUC and this includes a consumption. It's a very popular place with very good shows included dancing performances. For enter to these place you need some other clothes than the one you use to go to the beach...

Cafe Cantante. It's located in the National Theatre near the Plaza de la Revolution. The entrance cost 10 - 15 CUC. Humoristic and dancing performance and a lot of salsa music for you to dance.

Dos Gardenias. The best Bolero playing groups from all over the world had visited and visit this place. It's located in 5 Avenue, Miramar, next by the Algive restaurant.

Bar Cafe Ambos Mundos. It's just a place for drining some coffee in a very nice place. With the simplicity of the good sound of a piano which is accompanied by a clarinet. Obispo Street #153, Havana Vieja.

Bar el Patio. A clasic place for tasting a good drink in the open air. Accompanied by a salsa or son music playing group you can enjoy the relaxed but rather touristy atmosphere of Habana Vieja.

Tropical. Here you can always find a concert, a place especially for cubans. (I know, it sounds somehow strange, but there are a lot of night places very you find mostly tourists. This is a consequence of the politic to renovate old, from cubans frequented places and offer afterwards only in CUC) At the Tropical tourists has there own place, a balcon which is reserved for CUC paying people. The entrence costs 10 CUC. You can also go to the place where Cubans enter paying with Pesos (But you as a tourist also have to pay 10 CUC). It can be more Cuban style but somehow dangerous for valuables things and something more, because music, rum, heat and calor can be a dangerous mix.

For more places consult the cartelera.