Seeing the Best of Havana

As Cuba opens to the world, an increasing amount of tourists are flooding the Caribbean island.

Havana, the Cuban capital, has a long and storied history, running from Mafia bosses to Communist revolutionaries. The city is home to some amazing colonial architecture which is crumbling due to disrepair, and the same can be said of the classic American cars.

A photo posted by Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (@bellasartesargentina) on Jun 20, 2016 at 11:00am PDT

Within the city, there are a host of amazing sites, beyond what you can see from simply wandering around town. Cuba is famous for its art scene, which has flowered in spite, or perhaps thanks to, the repressive government. You can see the best of Cuban art at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and Zona Franca.

Before the Cuban Revolution, the island was a veritable playground for wealthy North Americans, some of whom had questionable sources of income. Take a peek into the Mafia connection at the Hotel Nacional, which has largely been preserved as it was in the days when shady backroom deals were made to a soundtrack of salsa.

A photo posted by Stephanie Domingo (@stephanie_domingo) on Jun 23, 2016 at 8:26am PDT

Everywhere you go in Cuba, you are likely to find some sort of commemoration of the revolution. To get an idea of the history of the country, take a peek inside the Museo de la Revolucion in Havana, housed in what used to be the Presidential Palace.

You may have been told not to expect much from the food in Cuba, but that is not necessarily true given the relaxation of rules on private enterprises in the past few years. The culinary scene exploded, especially in Havana, where venues such as Paladar Los Mercaderes offer a chance to sample some well-thoughtout dishes that go beyond the rice, beans and meat combo you might be expecting.