Havana

Understand

thumb|400px|The Catedral de San Cristobal, La Habana Vieja (Old Havana). Before the Communist revolution, Havana was one of the vacation hot-spots of the Caribbean, and since Cuba reopened to tourism in the 1990s, it has become a popular destination once again, albeit with many fewer U.S. citizens, due to an almost total ban on travel maintained by the U.S. federal government. However, there will be lots of tourists at any time of year, so expect huge crowds and long lines in places.

Get around

thumb|300px|Tourists in a 1951 Chevrolet convertible. thumb|300px|Coco Taxi. Coco taxis are cheap transport.

See

thumb|250px|The impressive El Capitolio, an iconic government building housing the Cuban National Assembly.

thumb|250px|Even if Fidel gave up smoking, production of top quality cigars at the Fábrica de Tabaco Partagas are ongoing. A must-visit for any tobacco connoisseur.

thumb|250px|Cannon of Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña in Havana

The Old Town of Havana, La Habana Vieja, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and strolling along its streets and enjoying the beautiful buildings is a must for any visitor. Some parts of the Old Town are quite dilapidated with crumbling buildings but many others have been restored to their former glory.

An evening walk along the Prado is a great way to sip in the street life and enjoying the hums of numerous cafes and restaurants. The street is however not illuminated at night. Another favorite stroll for tourists and locals is along El Malecón, Havana's waterfront with stunning views of the city.

Do

thumb|The Malecón, a great place for a stroll.|alt=|288x288px

Buy

Havana is a surprisingly expensive city to stay in; if you stay in hotels and eat in restaurants it can work out to be nearly as expensive as other popular international destinations. If you are on any kind of a budget, stay in casas particulares; it is much cheaper, often more comfortable, and the food (a recurring theme in Cuba) is almost invariably better.

Although prices may be shown here in US dollars, you will pay in pesos (CUP).

ATMs are not too hard to find in downtown Havana, but American credit- and debit-cards cannot be used in Havana. Credit cards issued in countries other than the United States may be issued by a bank whose parent company is a U.S. corporation. In this case, the card will not work as the parent company is bound by U.S. law. Even banks wholly owned by non-American companies may have a policy on blocking Cuban transactions in order not to compromise their US business. Always check with your bank or credit card company before leaving home to see if your card will work in Havana. Also, the ATMs do not accept MasterCard/Maestro but are marked to accept Visa.

You can withdraw money from your MasterCard in a couple of exchange offices. There is one in the basement of the Hotel Nacional, but expect quite steep service fees.

The current unofficial exchange rate can be checked at eltoque.com. Near the airport a place with a good exchange rate is located near GPS 23.0055,-82.4142. In the city center, many money exchangers can be found at the intersectio…

Eat

thumb|450px|Parque Central from Hotel Inglaterra, Havana Vieja (Old Havana). Whilst restaurants can be quite expensive at the top end for rather mediocre food, some such as the Café de Oriente have a splendid ambiance. The average government-run restaurants are about US$20 for two.

Drink

thumb|right|300px|A local bar in Havana.

There are two types of establishments you can go to drink in Havana: Western-style bars with near-Western prices, good selection of quality drinks (and sometimes food), nice decorations, semi-motivated staff and often live music, typically found around tourist hot-spots such as Old Havana and tourist hotels. Here you will mostly meet other tourists, expats and a few Cubans with access to hard currency, but don't expect a 'local' experience. Bars with a sign saying "Hemingway drank here" will be pricier than others.

The alternative is to seek out local neighborhood bars where you can choose from a quality, but limited, selection of drinks (mainly locally produced rum by the bottle, beer and soft drinks, very rarely will you be able to get cocktails such as mojitos), cigars of dubious and cigarettes of only slightly better quality, and sometimes snacks. These bars are also a good way to meet locals who may even open up a bit and talk about their lives after a couple of drinks.

Local bars are not that hard to find despite typically having no prominent signs displayed outside. Just ask or walk around a local neighborhood and look out for a bare-walled, neon-lit run-down room without any decorations or furniture, save for a bar and a few rickety chairs and tables, sullen staff and depressed/bored/drunk-looking customers, almost always men. Contrary to Cuba's reputation as a music and fun loving nation, these places are not boisterous aff…

Sleep

There are 3 main areas that travelers generally stay in: Old Havana is the liveliest (some would say hectic and dirty), Central Havana is slightly quieter and parts can be a bit seedy, and Vedado is the quietest with more greenery, and is the place to find the large hotels and nicer casas particulares.

Hotels vary. Do not be surprised if you have no hot water and bad TV-reception in a hotel that still goes to the effort of having an in-hotel doctor and hosting extravagant shows of synchronized swimming in the hotel pool.

List of casas particulares

Connect

Diario de Cuba and Tribuna de La Habana are the local periodicals. The H Magazine + Guide is an interesting publication about Havana beyond common stereotypes.

The city code for Havana is 7. Prefix with 0 or 01 when calling from within Cuba.

Internet cafes can be found at ETESCA (the state telephone company) offices, in Hotel Habana Libre, Hotel Inglatera (cheapest but slowest), Hotel Nacional and at the Capitolio.

Wireless Internet access - some high-end hotels such as Hotel Parque Central sells wi-fi scratch cards at the rate, which can be used inside the hotel and works well with iPhone/iPod Touch.

The emergency number is 116. The information number is 113.

Stay safe

Havana is quite safe for a large city. Heavily dependent on tourism, Cuban police are everywhere and pay particular attention to spots where travelers congregate (Habana Vieja, El Malecón, etc.), so you don't have to be afraid of being accosted in the daytime. Prison sentences for crimes involving tourists are extremely harsh, a fact which residents are well aware of, which adds an extra layer of deterrence. At night, however, there have been muggings in the dark streets of Centro Habana. While this part of town is perfectly safe to explore in the daytime, and can be crossed safely while going to Habana Vieja or Vedado, it's best not go there at night. If you are going to walk, do so along El Malecón, where there are lights and a lot more people.

Be wary of hustlers (jinteros/jinteras) offering to show you a nice bar or restaurant, or offering a tour of the city, as you'll be stuck paying hefty prices to cover their commission. Just walk away and continue walking—soon enough they will leave you alone. There are a few well established scams you should learn about in order to be prepared.

In local restaurants, ask for menus or prices before ordering anything; there can be special 'tourist price menus' that get pulled out after you have consumed food or drink.

When paying, it is recommended to give the exact amount of cash. If you don't have it, it is wise to state clearly how much money you are giving and how much you should get back. Otherwise, they might try not to give yo…