Havana Feature

Architecture: Havana has many outstanding examples of Spanish colonial architecture. The UNESCO restoration project currently underway will, over the next decade, transform La Habana Vieja (Old Havana)—a World Heritage Site—into a living museum of colonial architecture.

Music: Havana is almost literally made of music. Musicians, musicologists, and music lovers are the rule rather than the exception in Cuba. In the city's plethora of bars, café, patios, restaurants, rooftops, terraces, and clubs, dozens of sounds and rhythms pulsate nearly around the clock.

Museums: The bustling streets of Havana form a living museum that reveal much about its modern history. The Museo de la Revolución, Museo de Arte Colonial, and the Museo de la Ciudad de la Habana are sources of insight into why the city looks as it does.

History: A walk around Havana offers as much about the city's modern history as it does about its past. Because of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, the city has remained in a bizarre historical time warp for almost 50 years, a unique circumstance that is very much evident in the capital.

Beaches: The residents of Havana catch their rays on the Playas del Este, a string of white-sand beaches 20 km (12 mi) east of Havana on the Straits of Florida. The strands themselves are fine, shoaling off into brilliant aquamarine waters over coral reefs; the resorts, however, may disappoint.