| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
It's hard to convey the wonder, sensuality, and odd fallen beauty of Havana. Hard to imagine a city with such rhythm and verve. A city at once so tremendously vibrant and at the same time laid-back. Until you've taken a lazy stroll along the Malecón, gotten lost in the time warp of Habana Vieja's colonial cobblestone streets, ridden in a 1940 Dodge taxi through crumbling Centro Habana, danced salsa until dawn after catching the Tropicana floor show, or witnessed Afro-Cuban religious rituals on the street, anything I write will simply not suffice. Originally established in 1514 on Cuba's southern coast, by November 1519, San Cristóbal de la Habana had been moved to and rechristened in its present-day location on the island's north coast, at the mouth of a deep and spacious harbor with a narrow and protected harbor channel. Before long, Havana had become the most important port in the Spanish colonial empire, a natural final gathering place for the resupply and embarkation of the Spanish fleet before returning to the Old Country laden with bounty. By 1607, Havana had been declared the capital of colonial Cuba, and by the early 1700s, it was the third-largest city in the Spanish empire, behind Mexico City and Lima. Subsequent centuries saw Havana grow steadily in wealth, size, and prominence. Havana was luckily spared the bulk of the violence and fighting that occurred in Cuba's Wars of Independence, and later revolutionary war. Following the mysterious sinking of the
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| History (Source: WCities) | Top | The port of Havana was originally known as Carenas, until 1519 when the Villa de San Cristóbal, founded to the south by Diego Velásquez in 1514, was moved to the present site of Havana and subsequently given its present name. This story is told on the walls of the Templete , a tiny temple on one side of the Plaza de las Armas . In the beginning, Havana served mainly as a base for the Spanish conquista of the New World as it was poor in the resources that the Spanish considered valuable such as gold, precious stones and silver, so a large number of the settlers and Conquistadors moved on to other places like Mexico. Serving as a base for the conquista turned Havana into a trading port, with goods going from Spain to the New World and vice versa. However, this made Havana a target for Pirates and the first attack on Havana occurred in 1555, when French corsairs sacked and burned the city. This vulnerability led to the construction of Havana's first fortress. Another problem with pirates was their attacks on Spanish ships, so beginning in 1561, all ships bound for Spain were ordered to assemble in Havana Bay to travel together, which gave a large boost to the commerce in the city. Proof that Havana had grown into an important world port is the fact that in 1563 the Spanish Governor of Cuba moved his residence to Havana, making it the unofficial capital. On December 20, 1592, King Phillip II made Havana an official city, which led to even more development. Thre
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| How To Get There (Source: Frommers) | Top | Arriving international passengers clear Customs on the ground level of Terminal 3 at the José Martí International Airport (tel. 7/266-4133; airport code HAV). All of the major car-rental agencies have kiosks or booths just outside of Customs. There's also an Infotur kiosk (tel. 7/866-3333; www.infotur.cu), where you can buy a map and pick up some brochures, and they should even be able to help with reservations. There's an ATM among all the booths and kiosks on the ground floor, and another on the second floor, where departing passengers check in. Etecsa, the national phone company, has booths with card-operated pay phones on this level, as well as on the second floor. You can either buy a card from them, if their booth is manned, or from one of the souvenir vendors on the second floor. Taxis wait in a long line just outside the ground floor exit. Unfortunately, all the different taxi companies are thrust into the lineup and are assigned to clients in order. Thus it's luck of the draw if you get one of the more expensive cab companies, such as Taxi OK , or one of the more economical ones, such as Panataxi or Havanautos . If you're really trying to save a few bucks, you can try demanding a Panataxi or Havanautos taxi or you could try negotiating a flat rate. A good rate to any hotel in downtown Havana is CUC$10 to CUC$15, although it's not uncommon for the meter or arranged fee to top out at CUC$20 to CUC$25. Some charter flights and all national fl
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | Whatever you are looking for in Havana, whether it is tropical sunshine, salsa, or a particular style and philosophy of life, you are sure to enjoy yourself here. Art lovers will discover a rich art scene, which has taken and developed ideas from all over the world and blended them with its own. If your idea of happiness is simply having a laugh in a bar or nightclub, you have come to the right place: Cubans are famous for their open and fun-loving character. If it's music and dancing you’re after, you will be spoiled for choice. Theater Havana has long had a reputation for having world-class theater and theater venues. You can catch new and old shows from companies such as Buendía , with its excellent reputation for physical theatre, El Público, which regularly fills the city’s biggest theatres and Hubert de Blanck , which in the last few years has staged major works by Lorca and Cuban playwright Abelardo Estorino. One of the most important venues for dance and drama is the Gran Teatro de la Habana in Old Havana, whether the main García Lorca auditorium or the Antonin Artaud and Alejo Carpentier studio theatres. In the Vedado there are a number of theaters: the National Theater ( Nacional ), which has two main auditoriums, the Avellaneda and Covarrubias, and a smaller one on the ninth floor; the Teatro Hubert de Blanck , home of the theater group of the same name; and El Sótano , home of the Rita Montaner Company. These last two also put on productions
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| Getting Around (Source: Frommers) | Top | There are a host of different taxi companies with modern fleets geared toward the tourist trade. Almost all tourist taxis have meters. Rates vary somewhat, but most of the meters start at CUC$1.75 for the first kilometer and then charge between CUC50¢ and CUC85¢ for each additional kilometer. The most economical cabs are the Panataxi (tel. 7/55-5555), Micar (tel. 7/204-2719), Habanataxi (tel. 7/832-3232), and Havanautos Taxis (tel. 7/832-3232) lines. Taxi OK (tel. 7/204-0000) and Fénix (tel. 7/863-3149) are the most expensive companies. Transtur (tel. 7/208-6666) and Transgaviota (tel. 7/203-7000) seem to fall in the middle. Other options include horse-drawn carriages; the so-called Coco Taxis (tel. 7/873-1411 ), round open-air two-seaters powered by a motorcycle; and antique cars that range from a Ford Model T to a 1957 Chevy. Both the horse-drawn carriages and Coco Taxis run around CUC$5 to CUC$10 per hour, with around a CUC$3 minimum. Gran Car (tel. 7/33-5647 ) is the most reputable agent for antique car rentals. Gran Car rates, with a driver, run CUC$15 per hour or CUC$100 per day, with discounts for multiday rentals. Peso taxis and freelance taxis are lesser options for most tourists. Both are either outright illegal or marginally illegal for tourists, although it's the driver, not the rider, who is at risk. If you opt for either one of the options, be sure to fix your price beforehand, and don't be surprised if the driver is somewhat para
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