It’s hard to put the essence of Havana into words. The colourful capital city is a place that has to be felt in order to truly understand what makes it tick. There’s just something about it. Havana has a vibe, and a feeling, like no other place we’ve ever experienced. It has officially become our new favourite city.
(Awesome 5 minute Havana video at the bottom of this post!)
We stayed in the center of Havana and felt that by doing so, we were able to experience the “real” side of the capital. We saw no foreigners in our area, just locals going about their day-to-day lives, which I have to say is quite different from anywhere else we’ve been.
Spontaneous soccer games commenced in the streets, pausing only for passing cars. Adults sat around on small chairs chatting with neighbours and anyone who walked by. Constant cleaning seemed to be happening in all of the homes that lined the road – meaning we had to watch out for buckets of water being thrown onto the streets. The sounds of rumba and salsa music could be heard from most homes and from the windows of passing cars, or from pedestrians with little speakers in their pockets. Men did bodywork on their cars, while others were welding and doing construction on the streets. Crumbling buildings sat in contrast to well-restored UNESCO sites, while cycle taxis and 1950’s taxi cars plowed the streets alongside brand-new Peugeots.
Needless to say, there was a lot going on!
The Malecon is one of the most iconic places in the country, and since our casa was situated in the Centro part of Havana, we were only 5 blocks away from the water. This famous ocean-front promenade spans 8 kms from the Havana Harbor to the Vedado neighbourhood. Our eyes were constantly darting back and forth trying to take in all of the unique and interesting sights. Classic Ford and Chevy cars of varying colours with shiny chrome trim whizzed by, while local musicians played trumpets and guitars on the sidewalks for tips from passers-by. Fishermen cast their rods out to sea in hopes of pulling in dinner for the night, while others just sat on the cement retaining wall enjoying the salty air and sea views.
(Don’t forget to watch the Havana video at the end of the article!)
Our days in this lively city were spent walking and exploring. I swear we walked down practically every street possible. We visited some of the important museums, as well as the fort and relaxed in beautiful plazas and parks. The nightlife here was fantastic with world-class live music, amazing dancing, excellent meals and perfect mojitos!
Adding to the appeal of Havana is Playas del Este. Located just 20 minutes away from the city, this chain of beaches (spanning 24kms) is the perfect place to relax and get away from the big city for the day.
We found ourselves at the beach on the weekend, which allowed us to see how the locals spend their days off. Families, couples and groups of friends hungout in the shade on the sandy shores and swam in the stunning Atlantic Ocean. Before setting off from Havana to visit this slice of sand, we weren’t sure how nice the beach would actually be. We didn’t expect much – since it’s just outside of the sprawling city – but when we arrived we were blown away by its beauty
Havana rejuvenated our love for travelling. The colonial buildings, the history, the cars, and the street life were all incredible. The city was alive, at all hours of the day. Live music on the streets and in the restaurants was the norm, with people spontaneously dancing anywhere and everywhere. The narrow alleyways around the center of the city gave us an eye-opening glimpse into the Cuban city life, while the restored, UNESCO area of Vieja and the upscale Vedado offered excellent nightlife, pedestrian streets and beautiful architecture.
This is a city of contrasts and we loved all shades of it.
Here’s a video of the awesome things we got up to during our week in Havana. Check it out and let us know what you think!
For more information on Cuba, check out:
Planning a Trip to Cuba: To-Do List Before Travel
Goodbye Guatemala, Hello Cuba: Our Journey from Lake Atitlan to Havana
A special thanks to Hostelsclub.com and Casa Daniel y Fina for hosting us during our stay in Havana. As always, all thoughts, opinions and reviews remain our own, despite any complimentary services received.
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Loved the video guys! Havana looks awesome, Cuba has been on my bucket list for way too long now. Glad you both enjoyed it so much, can’t wait to see more!
Good post, Do you feel with Cuba opening up to the states will that change Cuba to the bad? Yes tourist are great but some places are really loosing their magic from being over traveled…. Toughs?
Hey David,
We just hope that the change is good for the Cuban people. We wanted to go and see Cuba before it moved towards modernization and we’re glad that we had the opportunity, but whatever happens, we should hope that it goes well for Cubans. Hopefully investors help local businesses in the country, rather than squash them, and hopefully a new influx of travellers motivates them and doesn’t taint their views.
I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see! For now, Cuba is an incredible place and I think it’s a shame that Americans aren’t able to go because they’re missing out! It’s a wonderful country that everyone should be permitted to enjoy 🙂
I’ve wanted to go to Cuba for such a long time – watching your video has made me even more desperate to go! It looks absolutely spectacular. Everyone seemed so friendly too. Hopefully, we will get there some day soon!
I will get to Cuba someday! I’ve had a few friends go there over the years but I still have not made it. Hopefully when the inevitable influx of Americans comes the local people will be better of from the new tourist money. It’s always sad to see things change, but they have a great opportunity to do it the right way.
Good to see you guys had a great time!
You guys really captured some of the atmosphere of the city with your words and the video, I felt like I was there!
Need to see this place before it is swamped with tourism … thanks for stoking my desire to go to Cuba!
I was waiting to hear about your trip to Cuba! I am loving the video you created as well, which makes me want to upgrade from iMovie lol 😀
Thanks Lauren 🙂
It’s such a vibrant city with so much going on!
Hi Karianne!
We loved it there. The people were awesome (some hassle, but nothing bad), the sights were great and the vibe was incredible!
Thank you for commenting.
Agreed 🙂 I really hope the trade and tourism helps the country and its people.
Thanks for the comment.
That’s so nice to hear Camille! We felt like it was really hard to put Havana into words and really hoped that the video did it justice! Thanks for watching and for commenting 🙂
Cuba is awesome 🙂
haha, ya Final Cut is pretty sweet! Thanks for watching and for commenting, we really appreciate it 🙂
Havana looks great! Can’t access the video right now (I’m travelling) but will watch soon!! Could this be a replacement for Guanajuato? 😉
A really interesting video. You gotta love all the old cars and buildings. I think we should go there too.
This has made me ridiculously excited to go in September! It’s been one of my dream destinations for so long, can’t believe I’m actually going! Beautiful shots 🙂
It is a replacement!! Which is saying a lot, because we absolutely love Guanajuato! Hopefully you can watch the video soon 🙂
Cheers.
Thanks for watching 🙂
Definitely recommend you check out Cuba!
That’s so exciting!! Have a great trip 🙂
Loved your video and they’ve got epic buildings. Would be good to add this on our bucket list! 🙂
I am so excited that you guys loved Havana as much as I did. I first went there in 2006 and it is still my favorite city on earth. Now that’s saying something! I still dream of one day living there. Maybe someday 🙂 Your video totally brings me back. I want to be there right now!
Thanks Hannah!
Cuba is amazing, and Havana is so unique 🙂
Wow, lucky that you went in 2006! Havana is our favourite city, and like you said, that’s saying a lot!
Cheers 🙂
We’re going to Cuba!!!! New rules make it that I can return to see family that I haven’t seen since I was three. I’ll get to see where I was born, my parents married, my great grandmothers home! Staying at casa particulates in Havana, Viñales and Trinidad. Your videos have made my day. I can’t wait until next June. It’s a long way away, but it’ll be great planning! Loved your blog and the videos!
Wow! That’s so exciting! I can’t even imagine that feeling. All the best to you 🙂
Hi! Which beach did you go to when you visited Havana? 🙂
We visited Playas del Este