Havana (La Habana in Spanish), the capital city of Cuba was founded in 1519 by the Spanish. Especially the old city, Habana Vieja, is full of colonial style buildings from bygone centuries. Habana Vieja and its fortifications are a UNESCO Word Heritage Site. As Cuba is an extremely poor country, only a small part of the buildings have been restored. Most of them are in an absolutely decayed state, some of them nearly ready to collapse.

Because of the U.S. commercial blockade almost no cruise ships visit Havana. Thus there are no tourist crowds in the streets and the atmosphere is more authentic than in most Caribbean harbour cities.

In addition to the sights in the Old Town, other parts of the town are worth visiting too. In Centro Habana you can experience modern Havana and in Vedado there are really marvellous old hotels to go in and have a look around, even if you are not staying in them.

Cabaret Parisien in Hotel Nacional is a stylish and rather expensive nightclub. A more suitable place for back­packers to see a cabaret show in the company of Havana people is Cabaret Nacional on San Rafael street.

People in Havana, like Cubans in common, are very eager to get acquainted with foreigners. Most of them come to talk to you out of pure interest. Of course, also peddlers of forged cigars and other colourful characters fit into the crowd. However, the atmosphere is light and feels safe, and the peddlers are not aggressive. A firm “no” is usually enough. There are also at least enough policemen in Cuba and violent crime is very rare.