When going on a package tour to Varadero, be sure to take the time to part with the white sand diving into the turquoise surface of the Atlantic and a glass of cold mojito helpfully brought by a cute mulatto from the pool bar.
Go to Havana for at least a couple of days, because Varadero is not exactly the Cuba that you want to understand, feel and remember, until it turns into another resort appendage of the Western Hemisphere.
Don't ask anyone what to see in Havana! Just grab your camera, some money, and good sunglasses, wear comfortable shoes, and go wherever you go. In this most beautiful city in the Caribbean, you will find everything that fills every guide: old colonial mansions with cracked stucco revealing magnificent stucco; ancient fortresses built in an era when sea robbers ruled the islands; nightclubs and cabarets with dancers full of passion; Hemingway's favorite zucchini with legendary mojitos and daiquiris, which are not cheap here.
It is best to touch the bright palms of the Havana squares in the morning, before the sun has heated the stones, and to comprehend "Maniana" - at dusk on the Malecon, bathed in salty ocean spray and hot from salsa, which is sure to be danced every night by someone here.
TOP 10 attractions in Havana
Havana Vieja
The historical part of Havana is full of historical and cultural attractions. The history of the city dates back to the first settlement formed by the Spaniards in 1519. 35 years later, the city was destroyed by pirates led by the Frenchman Jacques Soret. This was the reason to build powerful fortifications.
In the period from the 16th to the 19th centuries. in the Cuban capital, about 3,000 buildings have appeared. The architects used the techniques of Baroque and Classicism, and the city became one of the most beautiful in the Western Hemisphere. Only a third of the mansions have survived to this day.
Worthy of attention in Old Havana:
- Malecon embankment, stretching for more than 5 km and built at the beginning of the twentieth century.
- The fortress of La Cabana, the construction of which was completed in 1774.
- Fortification of the 16th century La Punta, used to protect the Havana harbor from pirates.
- El Morro fortress with an interesting museum exposition.
- Plaza de Armas, where from the 16th century. military parades were held.
- Cathedral, within the walls of which the ashes of H. Columbus originally rested.
The old streets and squares of Havana are worth a leisurely stroll. You can look not only at the sights, but also at the life of ordinary Cubans, who do not close their doors to their homes and are always happy to communicate with tourists.
Cathedral
The clearest example of the colonial baroque, the cathedral has been decorating the capital of Cuba since the middle of the 18th century. The famous writer Alejo Carpentier called the main Havana temple "music in stone".
Hewn stone slabs, in which shells and corals can be seen, served as the building material. The two bell towers have different shapes and sizes so that water does not accumulate on the square during the rainy season, but has the ability to leave along the street with a narrow tower. This asymmetry gives the building a special charm and recognizability.
The sculptural compositions decorating the interior and the altars were made by the Italian sculptor Bianchini. The statue of Saint Christopher was carved in 1632 by the Seville master M. Anduyar.
The ashes of the discoverer of America were buried in the cathedral for more than a hundred years, until in 1898 Spain laid claim to it.
El Morro Fortress
The colonial fort protecting the entrance to the Havana bay was built by the Italian architect Antonelli in 1589. The fortress stands on a cliff on the opposite coast of the bay from Havana. A magnificent panorama of the city opens from there. The fort is dominated by a 25-meter lighthouse, added in 1845.
For the first time the fortress was besieged by the British during a military expedition during the Seven Years War. In 1762, they landed on the coast east of the city and took El Morro from land.
Today, a museum has been opened in the fortress, where you can look at an exhibition dedicated to the lighthouses of Cuba, and see the preserved walls and ancient weapons.
Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabana
In order to avoid repeated attacks on the El Morro fortress from the land in 1774, another fortification was built - La Cabana. When designing, all mistakes and miscalculations were taken into account, and the fortress turned out to be the largest military colonial structure in the Western Hemisphere at the time of completion of the work.
During its existence, La Cabagna managed to serve as a prison, and not only during colonial times, but also during the Batista regime. The general kept prisoners of war in dungeons. The communists who came to power did not change anything, and La Cabana continued her bloody path. Che Guevara, who led the revolutionary tribunal, personally executed hundreds of political prisoners, and in total during the years of the Castro regime in La Cabagna, at least 8,000 people who were objectionable to the regime were killed.
Now an exhibition of ancient weapons and Che's Commandant's Office are open in the fortress.
Gran Teatro
One of the most beautiful buildings in the Cuban capital, located on Boulevard Martí, was built in 1914 according to the design of Paul Belau. The huge colonial baroque mansion houses the stage of the Cuban National Ballet, and once in Havana, you can watch the performances three times a week.
The metropolitan Cuban theater can accommodate 1,500 spectators at the same time, making it one of the largest on the planet. The facade of the Temple of Arts is made of stone and faced with marble. Luxurious carvings and sculptures, niches and turrets, arches and columns give the building the appearance of a real palace. The sculptures by the Italian Giuseppe Moretti symbolize Charity, Music, Education and Theater.
Over the years, Enrico Caruso and Anna Pavlova, Sarah Bernhardt and Maya Plisetskaya shone on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Havana. An international ballet festival is held here annually in October.
Arms Square
Plaza de Armas is the oldest square in Havana. The Spaniards laid it down back in 1519 to hold military parades and just rattle their weapons for any reason. By the will of fate, a square with a monument to M. Cespedes, who made a lot of efforts in liberating the island from the Spanish colonialists, has now been laid out on the square.
The façades of several monuments of colonial architecture of the 16th century overlook the square. and the former Palace of Generals of the 18th century, which today houses the exposition of the Municipal Museum of the capital of Cuba. Another notable mansion is the first hotel to open on the island and was called "Santa Isabel".
On ordinary days, a spontaneous flea market is noisy in the Plaza de Armas, and on weekends, dancers and acrobats on stilts are added to the merchants, organizing colorful shows and carnival processions.
Capitol
In 1929, a building was built in Havana, which is almost an exact copy of the Washington Capitol and in part resembles St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican. The government building houses the parliament. The construction lasted for about three years and was supervised by the famous Cuban architect Eugenio Rainieri Piedra.
The massive doors of the Capitol are decorated with carved reliefs that tell the story of the different stages of Cuban history. In the lobby on the ground floor, visitors are greeted by a huge sculpture symbolizing Cuba. The image was created by the Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli. The Capitol is located at the zero kilometer mark of Havana.
Today the building is available for inspection by visitors, is used as a congress center and serves as the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences of the republic.
José Martí Memorial
Monuments to Jose Martí, whom the Cubans consider the de facto father of the nation, are erected throughout the island. Even the smallest rural school boasts a bust of a singer of freedom and a brave fighter for independence against the Spanish colonialists. But the most grandiose memorial to Jose Marti was opened in 1958 on the square that now bears the name of the Revolution.
The respectable vertical stele rises 110 meters into the sky. Against its background is a marble sculpture of the poet. At the bottom of the stele is the Jose Marti Heritage Museum, and at the top there is a glazed observation deck from where you can look at Havana from above.
Museum of the Revolution and Yacht Granma
Of the three hundred Cuban museums, this one is the most important. The Museum of the Revolution is located in the former presidential palace and invites you to get acquainted with 9000 exhibits that testify to how the revolution took place in Cuba.
In fairness, it should be noted that some part of the collection is dedicated to earlier times and tells about the discovery of America by Columbus and about the indigenous population, which after the Spanish colonization did not remain on the island.
The palace is an architectural monument of the early twentieth century. The interior design was developed by the stylists of the Tiffany firm, and one of the halls was created on the model of the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles of the 17th century.
Behind the building, in a glass sarcophagus, is the yacht Granma, on which Fidel Castro and his comrades sailed from Mexico in 1956 and landed in the province of Oriente to start the revolution. The Batista dictatorship was successfully overthrown and in January 1959 Castro announced the beginning of a new era for the Island of Liberty.
Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
Walking along the coast of the Havana bay under the scorching Cuban sun, you will suddenly see the gilded onions of an Orthodox church and think that this is a mirage. Don't be in a hurry to worry, there really is an Orthodox church in the capital of Cuba. It was built at the beginning of the XXI century.
The initiator of the construction was Fidel, who decided to leave behind a monument of Russian-Cuban friendship. The first stone in the construction was laid by Patriarch Kirill personally, and the project of the temple was developed by the architect Vorontsov. The money for the construction of the church was allocated by the Cuban government.
The five-domed church with a hipped-roof bell tower was built in the traditions of Russian Orthodox architecture and resembles the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin. The temple plays an important role in the life of Russian emigrants and diplomats, representing a cultural and educational center.
