Havana (La Habana) is the second largest city in the Caribbean and the center of all things Cuban.
Despite its turbulent history, Havana suffered little damage in the country's wars and revolutions,
and stands today much as it was built 100 years ago or more. There's an air of faded glory about
the city, as big '50s and '60s American automobiles still dominate the streets and paint and plaster
peel off everywhere. The city is peppered with glorious Spanish colonial architecture, much of which
is under restoration.

Havana has a swinging nightlife, with cinemas, historic theatres, cabarets, nightclubs and music venues
that will exhaust even the most hardened campaigner. There's less traffic and less commercialization
than choke your average Latin American city. But from the rough brilliance of Old Havana to residential
areas ranging from shabby to demanding demolition, the exuberant friendliness of Havana's inhabitants
is what shines through.

The most famous of the hotels here is the Nacional, still visited by Hollywood film stars. Dating from the
same period is Miramar, the leafy embassy district reminiscent of Miami. The sea wall, known as the
Malecón extends for 8 km and is a popular meeting point for locals, especially after dusk. Havana’s best
beaches, the Playas del Este, are about 20 km from the center. Havana is closely associated with the US
writer, Ernest Hemmingway. One of his favorite haunts was the bar, la Bodeguita del Medio, only a stone’s
throw from the city’s magnificent 18th-century cathedral.