Summary

The guided tour of colonial Havana is also known as the 4 squares tour. Four emblematic places that perfectly summarize the founding history of the capital of Cuba.

Plaza de Armas (“Parade Square”)

“Main Square”, the foundational site of the city in 1519 it was the first and most important plaza of the old city. This green space in front of the sea host some of the most important buildings with high cultural importance. In our tour through colonial Havana you will discover all the emblematic places of this great historical center.

• The “Castillo de la Real Fuerza” “Fortress of the Royal Army” first fort builds in Havana finished in 1558, crowned by “La Giraldilla” a small statue that is the official symbol of the city and Habana Club rum brand. “La Giraldilla” takes its name from a sculpture located in Seville, “El Giraldillo”
• “Palacio de los capitanes generales” “Palace of the General Captain” the residence of 65 Spanish rulers it is the first example of Cuban baroque.
• “La Antigua casona de los condes de Santovenia” build in the beginns of the XVIII century it is today the Hotel Santa Isabel, one of the most exquisite five stars of old Havana.

Plaza Vieja (“Old Square”)

The “Old Square” is a colonial plaza created in 1559, it would be the first civilian plaza of the city, detached from any church or military.

It was built surrounded by residences, such as: the palace of Count Cañongo, Palace of the Count of Jaruco, and the Cueto Palace today a Hotel and the main example of “art noveu” in Cuba. A must-see on our tour of colonial Havana, today we can see it adorned with the sculptures of Antonio Grediaga.

The neighbors entrepreneur spirit has allowed for the creation of an enviroment filled with food drinks and music where small businesses grant an opportunity to seat at the margins of the square an enjoy the life of old havana.

Plaza de San Francisco (“San Francisco Square”)

Saint Francis square was build in 1628 and it was always favored by its proximity to the port witch led to its establishment as the city’s main market. It was for a while the international commerce hub of the area.

In the tour through Old Havana we will contemplate the bell tower of the witch was the highest point in the country for more than a century. The church host today a classical music hall, and a permanent exposition in the “museum of sacred art”.

Plaza de La Catedral (“Cathedral Square”)

The cathedral square is the last one of the main plazas of the old city. The cathedral that names it is an odd shaped though magnificent church with despaired towers on both sides and its considered the main exponent of Cuban baroque.

The square is surrounded by the homes of what used to be the political an economical dominant class of colonial Cuba counts, duques nobility in general making of this area the most expensive real state of the city.

If you visit colonial Havana with us we will discover the “Callejon del Agua” “water alley”. It is now a place with some of the best gastronomy offers in the city. A relatively small space with no modern buildings in sight. For this reason, it really is a transporting experience to stand in the middle of it an imagine how life used to look like in colonial era.

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