Cuba St. on the corner of Peña Pobre St., Old Havana ,
Havana, Cuba
(+53) 78627656
yes
About
Palacio San Miguel
Clients are always appreciative of the service at the Hotel San Miguel, where the staff members are particularly helpful and welcoming. This grand nineteenth century mansion was restored and is now run by the Office of the City Historian of Havana, so all its profits are reinvested in the restoration of the city’s historical centre.
The establishment is named after Antonio San Miguel y Segalá, an important member of Havana society who acquired it in 1913. Its interiors combine grandeur with intimacy, sometimes to slightly eccentric effect, as in the sweeping marble stair which seems to have ideas above its station, shoehorned as it is into a rather small hallway. The rooms at the San Miguel are very comfortable, though, and from the roof terrace there’s a wonderful view of the entrance to the harbour and the lighthouse of the Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magos del Morro.
The San Miguel is excellently placed for exploration of Old Havana.
Fortaleza de San Carlos de La Cabaña, Carretera de La Cabana, Habana del Este
The Cannon Blast Ceremony
The Cannon Blast ceremony (El Cañonazo de las Nueve) is one of the oldest and attractive traditions of Havana. In colonial days, the shots signalled the closing of the gates of the walled city and the rising of the chain across the entrance to the harbour. The tradition of firing a cannon every night at 9:00 pm was kept even after the wall was torn down and is still used for checking your watch.
Calle Mercaderes No.120, Habana Vieja, La Habana
Tobacco Museum
The Museo del Tabaco (Tobacco Museum) is located within an 18th century building that belonged to the Bartolomé Luque family, in Calle Mercaderes Street, Old Havana. This museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of collections related to the plantations, production and commercialization of Cuban tobacco. It exhibits a large collection of pipes, leaves and other related items, as well as a collection of lithographic stones and machines of important cigar companies. The museum has a small shop where you’ll be able to get different Havana cigars and items for smokers.
Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja
The Templete
The Templete, a small neo-classical style construction, was built in the second half of the 18th Century. It is located in Plaza de Armas. This was the site where the first public mass was celebrated and also the site of the first town council of the nascent town of San Cristóbal de La Habana. The Templete resembles a Doric temple and houses three commemorative canvasses by the famous French painter Juan Bautista Vermey. One of the walls exhibits the plate that declares Old Havana a World Heritage Site.
Carretera de La Cabana, Habana del Este
San Carlos de La Cabaña Fortress
The vast Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, known as ‘La Cabaña’, running beside the harbor, was constructed after the English capture of Havana in 1763. The largest of the military structures built by Spain in the Americas, this fortress was completed in 1774 and its presence formed an effective complete deterrent against the country's enemies. The polygon, occupying an area of around 10 hectares, consists of bastions, ravelins, moats, covered walkways, barracks, squares and stores. It is impressively well preserved, and the gardens and ramparts are romantically lit in the evening. This fortress hosts the spectacular nightly ceremony of El Cañonazo de las Nueve (cannon fire at 9), the firing of a cannon that marked the closing of the city gates, one of Havana's longest-held and most attractive traditions.
English 
