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Cuba Old Havana Vieja Photo Gallery

Many of the baroque and neoclassic style buildings in Old Havana Vieja have been beautifully restored in the past few years. The Plaza de Armas is the most important Old Havana plaza with the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales now housing the Museo de la Ciudad (City Museum), and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza nearby. Other plazas to explore include the Plaza de la Catedral, the Plaza de San Francisco, and the Old Plaza Vieja. Ernest Hemingway famous places include the El Floridita bar for a Daiquiri, the Bodeguita del Medio for a mojito, and the Hotel Amdos Mundos.

11 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Edificio Bacardi Edificio Bacardi is the coral limestone and pink granite Art Deco building, located near Parque Central in Old Havana Vieja, dating from 1929. It was the former headquarters of Bacardí, the famous rum company, and one of the first skyscrapers in Havana. The granite used in this construction was imported from Bavaria and Norway.

11 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Edificio Bacardi

12 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Edificio Bacardi - Upper Floors Close Up

13 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - El Floridita bar - birthplace of Daiquiri The famous El Floridita bar, near Parque Central in Old Havana Vieja, is the birthplace of the world famous Daiquiri cocktail and a favourite bar of Ernest Hemingway.

13 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - El Floridita bar - birthplace of Daiquiri

14 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - El Floridita bar - Ernest Hemingway statue A life-size bronze statue of Ernest Hemingway by Santiago sculptor Jose Villa can be seen tucked into his favourite corner of El Floridita bar, near Parque Central in Old Havana Vieja. He is casually dressed, wearing sandals, with a book by his side.

14 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - El Floridita bar - Ernest Hemingway statue

15 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - El Floridita bar - Musicians, Charlotte Ryan, Peter Ryan, Ernest Hemingway statue Havana and Cuba is known for music. It’s everywhere. One of the best we enjoyed in Cuba was in the El Floridita bar in Old Havana Vieja.

15 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - El Floridita bar - Musicians, Charlotte Ryan, Peter Ryan, Ernest Hemingway statue

16 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Bodeguita del Medio - Ernest Hemmingway Drank Mojitos Bodeguita del Medio is a bar and restaurant in Old Havana Vieja, famous for Ernest Hemmingway supposedly remarking:

16 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Bodeguita del Medio - Ernest Hemmingway Drank Mojitos

17 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Hotel Ambos Mundos - Ernest Hemingway wrote the first chapters of For Whom the Bell Tolls Hotel Ambos Mundos is the pink colonial-style hotel in Old Havana Vieja where Ernest Hemingway wrote the first chapters of For Whom the Bell Tolls.

17 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Hotel Ambos Mundos - Ernest Hemingway wrote the first chapters of For Whom the Bell Tolls

18 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Hotel Ambos Mundos - roof terrace bar The roof terrace bar in the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana Vieja has an excellent view of the old city colonial houses.

18 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Hotel Ambos Mundos - roof terrace bar

19 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Museo de la Ciudad, Plaza de Armas, Cabana fort, Christ Statue The roof terrace bar in the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana Vieja has an excellent view of Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (Museo de la Ciudad – City Museum) and Plaza de Armas, the most important plaza in Old Havana Vieja. Across the water of the Havana Bay is the Forteleza de San Carlos de la Cabana and the Estatua de Cristo Christ statue.

19 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Museo de la Ciudad, Plaza de Armas, Cabana fort, Christ Statue

21 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas The Plaza de Armas is the most important plaza in Old Havana Habana Vieja laid out in 1519, and now filled with colourful stalls, many with used books and magazines. In the centre of the Plaza de Armas is Parque Cespedes shaded by palms and tall trees, with a white marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, one of the leaders of the Ten Years War, the first attempt for independence from Spain. The Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (Museo de la Ciudad – City Museum) is across the Plaza with the Cuban flag, and the pink colonial-style building on the left is the Hotel Ambos Mundos.

21 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas

22 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Museo de la Ciudad, Havana City Museum, Christopher Columbus statue, Throne Room, Bathtubs The Palacio de los Capitanes Generales in Old Havana Vieja was constructed from coral limestone embedded with marine fossils between 1776 and 1791. This former palace now houses the Museo de la Ciudad (Havana City Museum), set around a central courtyard with a white marble statue of Christopher Columbus. The Throne Room was originally built for a visit of a Spanish monarch, but was never used. A bathroom boasts seashell-shaped Carrara marble baths.

22 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Museo de la Ciudad, Havana City Museum, Christopher Columbus statue, Throne Room, Bathtubs

23 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, Museo de la Ciudad, Havana City Museum - Salon de los Espejos, Hall of Mirrors The Salon de los Espejos (Hall of Mirrors) in the Museo de la Ciudad (Havana City Museum) in Old Havana Vieja has beautiful 19th century Venetian mirrors, and was where the official end of Spanish rule was proclaimed in 1899.

23 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, Museo de la Ciudad, Havana City Museum - Salon de los Espejos, Hall of Mirrors

24 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, Museo de la Ciudad, Havana City Museum - gold Ceremonial Maces of Cabildo The gold Ceremonial Maces of Cabildo (1631) were made by Juan Diaz, and are located in the Museo de la Ciudad (Havana City Museum) in Old Havana Vieja.

24 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, Museo de la Ciudad, Havana City Museum - gold Ceremonial Maces of Cabildo

25 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas - Castillo de la Real Fuerza The Castillo de la Real Fuerza is a fortress ringed by a moat on the western side of the harbour in Old Havana Vieja bordering the Plaza de Armas. It was built between 1558 and 1577, making it the oldest in the Americas.

25 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas - Castillo de la Real Fuerza

26 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas - Castillo de la Real Fuerza - La Giraldilla weather vane close up The west tower of the Castillo de la Real Fuerza in Old Havana Vieja is crowned by a copy of a famous bronze weather vane called La Giraldilla.

26 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas - Castillo de la Real Fuerza - La Giraldilla weather vane close up

27 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas - El Templete El Templete is a tiny neoclassical Doric chapel in Plaza de Armas in Old Havana Vieja, erected in 1828 at the point where Havana's first Mass was held beneath a ceiba tree in November 1519.

27 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de Armas - El Templete

31 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Casa de la Obra Pia Casa de la Obra Pia is a typical Havana aristocratic residence built originally in 1665, and rebuilt in 1780, located just around the corner from the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana Vieja. Baroque decoration, including an intricate portico which was made in Cádiz, Spain, covers the exterior facade.

31 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Casa de la Obra Pia

32 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de la Catedral - Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana The Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana, overlooking the Plaza de la Catedral in Old Havana Vieja, was built between 1748 and 1777 and is dominated by two unequal towers and framed by a baroque facade.

32 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de la Catedral - Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana

33 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de San Francisco - Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis The Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis in the Plaza de San Francisco in Old Havana Vieja has a 42m high bell tower, and was built from 1580-91. It has recently been turned into a concert hall for choral and chamber music.

33 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza de San Francisco - Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis

34 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Estatua de Cristo Christ statue From the Plaza de San Francisco there was a very good view across the water of the Havana Bay to the 18m high white marble Estatua de Cristo Christ statue, commissioned by the wife of Batista and sculpted by Jilma Madera in 1958.

34 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Estatua de Cristo Christ statue

35 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza Veija Laid out in 1559 and initially known as Plaza Neuva (New Square), Plaza Vieja (Old Square) has no church but does have a replica of an 18th century fountain in the middle.

35 Cuba - Old Havana Vieja - Plaza Veija