| Mysterious, beguiling Havana has been charming | | | | the Catedral de San Cristobal. Make sure you finish up |
| visitors for decades, and remains the one essential | | | | with a walk along the Malecon, the harbour wall that |
| place to visit on a Cuba holiday. Havana is a city that | | | | provides breathtaking coastal vistas to accompany |
| sometimes seems frozen in time - the old colonial | | | | the colonial architecture. The Malecon comes alive at |
| architecture, ancient cars on the streets and the | | | | night, and is a great place to sit, sip cocktails and |
| traditional warmth and hospitality weave a charming | | | | watch the crowds go by. |
| spell on everyone who visits. | | | | Take in a Cuban Festival |
| You could spend weeks on holiday in Havana and still | | | | Havana plays host to a variety of different festivals |
| not feel like you'd scratched the surface, but if you | | | | all throughout the year, and it is well worth trying to |
| are looking for inspiration for things to see and do, | | | | time your visit to take one in on your holiday to |
| here are four suggestions to get you started... | | | | Havana; you'll see the city at its most exciting and |
| Drink Like Ernest Hemingway | | | | vibrant. Jazz fans shouldn't miss out on the |
| Of course, I'd advise against actually drinking like | | | | International Jazz Festival held each February, while |
| Hemingway - the Nobel winning author was famed | | | | the Ballet Festival in October has played host to |
| for a prodigious, liver withering rate of consumption! | | | | many world premieres. If you neither jazz nor ballet is |
| But if you are on holiday in Havana, you should | | | | your thing, come along to the Havana Carnival in |
| certainly raise a glass to Cuba's most famous ex pat | | | | June, where the entire city becomes one giant street |
| in one of his old haunts. The Floridita is the most | | | | party. Be aware that accommodation books up fast |
| famous, with the Daiquiri being Hemingway's drink of | | | | in festival time, so plan well in advance if you want to |
| choice. He also liked to drink Mojitos at another | | | | include a festival visit during your Havana holiday. |
| nearby bar - La Bodeguita del Medio. | | | | Dance the Night Away |
| If you want to complete the Hemingway circuit in | | | | Nothing embodies the spirit of the city like dance and |
| style, make sure you stop off at the hotel bar at | | | | music. From salsa to son, jazz to reggae, it is a |
| Ambos Mundos, where the great man stayed and | | | | culture of music and movement, and everyone on a |
| wrote the opening to For Whom the Bell Tolls. | | | | Havana holiday should take the time to explore the |
| Stroll Through the Old Town | | | | music clubs and dance venues. Music lovers shouldn't |
| It is the best preserved colonial city in Latin America, | | | | miss out on the Irakere Jazz Club, founded by |
| with over four centuries of architectural delights kept | | | | Chucho Valdes, one of the country's most famous |
| in remarkable condition. Exploring the Old Town on a | | | | jazz musicians. If you'd rather strut your funky stuff |
| holiday to Havana can keep you occupied you hours, | | | | on a night out, Casa de la Música de Centro |
| wandering from one grand plaza to the next, and | | | | Habana is where the bright young things practise |
| enjoying historic sites such as the Gran Teatro and | | | | their salsa steps and listen to the best bands. |