The raw, un-restored heart between the old town and the sea — Centro Habana, a gritty, crumbling, intensely local quarter of tenement streets, laundry-strung balconies, salsa spilling from doorways and everyday Cuban life, along the famous Malecón seawall. Authentic, atmospheric and central (if rough around the edges), walkable to both the old town and Vedado; the base for travellers who want the real, un-touristy Havana. The city at its most vivid and unvarnished. Gritty and genuine.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
$25–45
typical per night in Cuba
Easy on the wallet
Among the cheapest areas to sleep in Havana.
Where it sits
The circle is Centro Habana and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- El Capitolio & Paseo del Prado9 min walk710 m
- Rum, mojitos & Hemingway's bars16 min walk1.3 km
- Habana Vieja (Old Havana)17 min walk1.4 km
- Havana Cathedral & Plaza18 min walk1.5 km
- The Malecón19 min walk1.6 km
- The colonial plazas20 min walk1.7 km
- Live salsa & son21 min walk1.7 km
- Plaza de la Revolución9 min taxi2.9 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 2.A vintage car ride — Nothing says Havana like its fleet of gleaming 1950s American classic cars — bright-pink Chevys, turquoise Buicks and Cadillacs cruising the streets, relics of the pre-revolution era lovingly kept running for decades. Hire one (a convertible is best) for a tour along the Malecón, past the sights and out to the grand plazas; riding in an open-top vintage Cadillac with the sea breeze and the city sliding by is pure, joyful, only-in-Havana magic. An iconic, unmissable and photogenic experience. A quintessential Havana thrill. Simply fabulous.
- 3.The Malecón — The soul of the city by the sea — the Malecón, an eight-kilometre seawall and promenade curving along the coast, where all of Havana comes to gather at sunset: lovers, fishermen, musicians, families and friends, sharing rum and music as waves crash over the wall and the sun sinks into the Straits of Florida. Stroll it in the golden evening, watch the classic cars cruise past and the life unfold; it's the city's beating, open-air living room. A magical, free and quintessential Havana experience, especially at dusk. Utterly atmospheric and unmissable.
- 13.Callejón de Hamel — A riot of colour and Afro-Cuban culture in Centro Habana — the Callejón de Hamel, a narrow alley transformed by artist Salvador González into a vivid open-air gallery of murals, mosaics, sculptures and found-object art celebrating Santería and Afro-Cuban traditions. On Sunday afternoons it comes alive with pulsating live rumba music and dancing. Wander the psychedelic lane any day for the art, or come Sunday for the raw, joyous rumba; it's a fascinating, vibrant window into Afro-Cuban spirituality and creativity. A colourful, atmospheric highlight. Vivid and unique.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Centro Habana; flights via Google Flights.