El Torreón

CA3
General sightseeing
CA Ranking: 3
Malecón y Victoria
Also included in Hemingway section
  • Recently restored, El Torreón or as locals call it Castillito (literally, small castle), built in 1649 with blocks from the San Lázaro Quarry (where José Martí was sentenced to forced labor), was part of the city’s defensive complex. This tower is best known for having neutralized the reportedly last pirate attack in history and to have prevented the English to land on the beaches of Cojímar. Local students have requested that El Torreón, which has already been given the status of National Monument, be transformed into a museum.

    
  • Convento e Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Belén

    Convento e Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Belén  LH 4

    Made up of a church, a convent and a peculiar vaulted arch, this religious complex is the most extensive of those surviving in Old Havana. After the arrival in Havana of the first members of the Order …

    Universidad de La Habana

    Universidad de La Habana  LH 4

    With Brother Tomás Linares del Castillo as its first rector, the first university in Cuba, the Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Gerónimo de La Habana, was created in 1728. After several reforms, t …

    Casa del Conde de Casa Lombillo

    Casa del Conde de Casa Lombillo  LH 4

    A beautiful façade with a huge arched portal, a loggia supported by thick columns on pedestals, and beautiful mediopunto stained-glass windows above define this two-story 18th-century building on Plaz …

    Avenida de los Presidentes (Calle G)

    Avenida de los Presidentes (Calle G)  LH 4

    This avenue takes its name, Avenida de los Presidentes (Avenue of the Presidents), from the monuments that have been placed on its wide promenade to honor some of Cuba’s former presidents as well as o …

    Palacio Cueto

    Palacio Cueto  LH 4

    Rising over the plaza off the southeast corner is Palacio Cueto. Built in 1906 with an elaborately adorned façade featuring griffins, satyrs and other mythical figures, it’s reminiscent of the moderni …

    Parque Temático Isla del Coco

    Parque Temático Isla del Coco  LH 4

    Cuba’s first theme park opened in 2008 on the site of Havana’s former Coney Island Park. The very old park was razed to the ground to give way to the new attractions. There are rides for kids of all a …

    Lonja del Comercio

    Lonja del Comercio  LH 4

    The Lonja del Comercio, which first opened on March 1909, is angled obliquely to the square on its northern side. It was built in eclectic-style by the architectural firm of Purdy and Henderson as a c …

    Seminario San Carlos y San Ambrosio (Real y Conciliar Colegio Seminario de San Carlos)

    Seminario San Carlos y San Ambrosio (Real y Conciliar Colegio Seminario de San Carlos)  LH 4

    In 1689, Bishop Diego Evelino de Compostela founded San Ambrosio, an unpretentious school for boys, located on Tejadillo Street and adjacent to the Jesuit church under construction at the time. When t …

    Monumento a José Miguel Gómez

    Monumento a José Miguel Gómez  LH 4

    Located on Avenida de los Presidentes, this is one of the most lavish monuments in the city. Its bas-reliefs show important moments in the life of José Miguel Gómez, president of the Republic of Cuba …

    El Floridita

    El Floridita  LH 5

    While the Floridita has its detractors, it is probably worth stopping in for a daiquiri just because it is there. It has certainly been around the block since it first opened its doors over 200 years …

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