This square dates back to the first half of the 17th century. Its location, just a few metres from the bay, led to it becoming an important trading square over the years. It is said that around the year 1600 the first fountain of the city could be seen at this square. In 1836 it was replaced by a beautiful fountain made of white Carrara marble by Giuseppe Gaggini, under the good auspices of the Villanueva Count. This fountain is called Fuente de los Leones (Lions Fountain). On its paved area stand two noteworthy buildings: the Monastery and Basilica of San Francisco de Asís, which today houses the Museum of Religious Art and a concert hall. It is also where the Lonja del Comercio (Chamber of Commerce) is located, inspired by Spanish Renaissance architecture and topped by a dome on which a sculpture of the god Mercury stands. Among the houses built around the plaza, the house of the Arostegui family, residence of the Captain Generals until the completion of the City Hall at the end of the 18th century, was erected.

The Simón Bolívar Museum is situated within an old Neoclassical palace dating back to between 1806 and 1817., right in front of the bronze statue of Latin America’s liberator, in Old Havana. This museum in honor of Simón Bolívar was opened July 24th 1993, coinciding with the anniversary of his birth. It has permanent exhibitions dealing with the history of the Bolivarian nation and its main figures of independence. The museum also houses a great library with important book collections and Latin-American documents.

The Cathedral of Havana is an iconic work of what is known as Cuban Baroque and the most remarkable of our colonial churches. The glorious baroque facade and asymmetrical bell-towers of the late 18th-century cathedral are the square’s top attraction. Its interior is surprisingly plain, but it once held the remains­ of Christopher Columbus. Religious services are held here. It has been declared a National Monument.

Plaza de Armas surrounds a statue of the patriot Céspedes and is ringed by shaded marble benches and second-hand bookstalls. This square, founding in 1519, was the city's first open space, around which the most important political, military, religious and civil institutions were located. The palaces that surrounded it during the 18th century are worthy exponents of Cuban Baroque architecture. On the square’s eastern side a small neoclassical temple, El Templete, marks the spot where the first Catholic mass was celebrated in 1519. Next door is one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, Hotel Santa Isabel. To the north, the squat but angular and moated Castillo de la Real Fuerza (Fort of the Royal Forces) is one of the oldest forts in the Americas.