IFLY tips Havana
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Obispo Street (1-3 hrs)
Calle Obispo is a very colourful street and the main commercial street in Havana. In this street you will find many tiny shops, restaurants, bars, cafeterias and a small market.
During daytime you will get wonderful picturesque moments in this street and at the market you can buy your souvenirs. At night you can enjoy lovely local delights in the restaurants and luscious Cuban cocktails in one of the numerous bars while enjoying live music.
Don't forget to look inside Drogeria Johnson. This completely renovated old drugstore has one of the most beautiful interiors in the street. You will find this shop at the corner of Obispo and Aguiar.
Museo del Ron Havana Club (1 hr)
Visit the Havana Club Museum and learn all about rum, one of the main export products of Cuba. After a 25-minute tour you will end up in the bar to taste this liquid gold.
They will show you how they produce rum and they tell some wonderful nice-to-know things as well. Nice things to know. Did you know the main ingredient for rum, sugar cane, originally comes from Asia?
The address of the museum is Avenida del Puerto 262 and the entrance fee is 7 cuc. You can visit the museum from Monday to Thursday from 9 am to 5:30 pm and from Friday to Sunday from 9 am to 4:30 pm. On Monday, Thursday and Sunday there is a night show from 9:45 till midnight.
Museum of the revolution (1-2 hrs)
The best place to learn something about the history of the Republic of Cuba is the Museum of the Revolution. But, we have to honest; this is probably one of the most boring museums as well, so if you are limited in time, skip it. Otherwise it is a good option for a rainy day.
The museum is is housed in what was the Presidential Palace of the Cuban presidents. It became a museum during the years following the Cuban revolution. It is located in the old centre at Avenue de las Misiones. The entrance fee is 8 cuc and the opening hours are daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
Beach Playa del Este (1 day)
If you had enough of the city for a day and like to enjoy the sun and the sea, go to Playa del Este.
A bus to Playa del Este is departing in front of Hotel Inglaterra at Parque Central. Look for bus T3 to Playa del Este. Busses are leaving every 40 minutes. Tickets costs 5 cuc and keep your ticket, as it is a return ticket.
There are several stops at Playa del Este. A good one is Tropicoco Beach, which is a police protected area and is relatively safe. The busses run every 40 minutes from 9 am to 6 pm. The bus stop back to Havana is in front of hotel Tropicoco.
At the beach you can rent a beach chair for 2 cuc. There are several small bars, which serve food as well. Order a lobster or a seafood platter with a local beer or a coconut with rum. And even at the beach, you’ll find music everywhere.
Drive around in a vintage car (½ day)
A visit to Havana is not complete without renting an old timer. Drive around the old city in a vintage car and go to the other side of the bay to Casablanca. Drive along the Malecon to New Havana, visit Hotel Nacional, and of course you have to make a stop at Revolution Square.
You'll these vintage cars everywhere in the old centre, especially around Parque Central. You can rent them for 30 cuc per hour per car (not per person!). Three hours driving around should be enough to see the whole city. Make sure your driver speaks English if u doesn't speak Spanish. A car can carry maximum four passengers.
Hotel Nacional New Havana (1-2 hrs)
New Havana is considered to look like Miami 1950's. It is great to visit New Havana while you make a tour with an old timer.
If you go to this area for sure you have to visit Hotel Nacional de Cuba. It is the most beautiful hotel in Havana. Have a drink at the bar in this hotel where the American-mafia gathered in the 1940's.
Cigar factory Tabacuba (1 hr)
Another unique Cuban product is the cigar. In one of the cigar factories you can see how they roll them and you can try a real Cuban Cigar.
A great one in the old centre is Tabacuba at the corner of San Carlos and Panalver. They produce 20000 cigars a day inter alia the famous Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo cigars.
The factory is open from Monday to Friday from 9:30 am and 1 pm. The entrance fee is 10 cuc. A tour through the factory takes approximately 30 minutes. You have to buy a ticket from one of the tourist offices in the old centre in advance. It is not possible to buy them at the factory.
The workers get five free cigars a day. But be careful for people trying to sell cigars from the factory in the street. They all say they work in the factory and these are their free cigars. In real these cigars are made of banana leafs.
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Language of the world
Of course you like to speak a few words of the local language onboard the plane or at your destination. Here you find some simple basics of the main language spoken in Havana.