Partagas
Cigar Factory
Calle Industria 524
Behind the Capitolio
Centro Habana
7/862-4604
Founded
in 1845, this is Cuba's largest and perhaps most renowned
cigar factory, producing around 5 million cigars a year.
The off-yellow and rust-trimmed neoclassical facade is resplendent
in the Havana morning sunlight. (You can take your best
photos of it from the west-side windows of El Capitolio.)
Official tours are only offered at 10am and 2pm daily, although
you can sometimes work your way into one of the many tour
groups that come through all day long. Throughout the day,
you can stop in and buy cigars from their well-stocked shop,
La Casa del Habano.
Plaza
de Armas
Habana Vieja
La Habana
The
Plaza de Armas Park is a large park and centre of local
and tourist activities located in the heart of Old Havana.
There is a beautiful water fountain in the middle of the
square, some benches, trees from different parts of Cuba,
including palm trees and a large variety of flowers. In
the centre there is a statue of the Cuban patriot hero Cespedes.
The
park is well lit by many gas lamps. In the daytime there
are people selling Spanish books, many of which pertain
to the Cuban revolution of 1959. In the evenings the park
fills with life as many locals and tourists go to the restaurants
and bars that surround the park and is a nice place to sit
and enjoy the evening perhaps with a bottle of rum. The
square is very safe as there are many police walking around
24 hours a day to provide assistance.
Disabled access is available.
El
Templete
Plaza de Armas
Habana Vieja
La Habana
The
people of 19th century Havana, inspired by the concept of
origins and beginnings, erected the Templete, which is a
monument that pays homage to the place where the foundation
of the town of San Cristóbal de la Habana was celebrated
in 1519. The monument consists of bust of Christopher Colombus
and three canvases painted by Juan Bautista Vermay. It is
Neoclassic building, typical example of colonial architecture.
Close
to the Templete, there is a column which replaces a silk-cotton
tree, under which the first mass and the first Council of
Havana were celebrated.
Disabled access is available.
La
Muralla de La Habana Originally
intended to afford Havana's citizens protection from marauding
pirates and bandits, they were constructed with several
gates which were closed at night. With the expansion of
the city, however, parts of the walls were demolished, starting
as early as 1603, until only those sections standing today
remained intact.
Address: La Habana Vieja, La Habana.
Disabled access is available.
Parque
La Maestranza
Calle Cuarteles
between Calle Tacón and Av. del Puerto
La Habana Vieja
Located
right in Habana Vieja, this 2-block stretch of city park
is dedicated to the little ones. There are pony rides and
a little train ride, as well as jungle gyms and inflatable
rooms for romping around in. There are usually some clowns
or mimes on hand, and balloons, popcorn, and soft drinks
are for sale. This place is decidedly low-key and low-tech
by Western standards, but the mix of mostly Cuban and some
foreign kids never seem to mind
