Hostal Conde de Villanueva

CA4
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Spanish colonial
CA Ranking: 4
Admission: n-a
Mercaderes #202, e/ Lamparilla y Amargura, Habana Vieja
  • The former 18th-century mansion of Claudio Martínez de Pinillos, Count of Villanueva, leader of Cuban Creole society in the 19th century, was restored in the 1990s to create a charming and comfortable nine-bedroom boutique hotel run by Habaguanex. The hotel also boasts one of Old Havana’s best cigar shops with private humidors to boot.

    The exterior is painted in sienna red and bulges outward from the base, giving the impression of impending collapse. It has an attractive and soothing inner courtyard while the upstairs suites contain stained-glass windows, chandeliers and arty sculptures.

    
  • Museo Yoruba de Cuba

    Museo Yoruba de Cuba  LH 2

    Created by, and housed in the headquarters of, the Asociación Cultural Yoruba de Cuba, this museum is dedicated to santería and features sculptures representing the different Afro-Cuban orishas (saint …

    Cementerio de Espada

    Cementerio de Espada  LH 2

    First called Cementerio General de La Habana, the Cementerio de Espada was built after the Spanish authorities issued a Royal Edict banning burials in temples because it was considered unhygienic. The …

    Parque Arqueológico de la Maestranza

    Parque Arqueológico de la Maestranza  LH 2

    By the 1700s, Havana boasted an artillery factory for the manufacture and repair of weapons and ammunition. The factory was demolished and a “castle” was the built for the Police. This archeological s …

    Avenida de Carlos III (Ave. Salvador Allende)

    Avenida de Carlos III (Ave. Salvador Allende)  LH 2

    This street was built by order of Governor Miguel de Tacón in 1836 and connects the intersection of Reina and Belascoaín streets to the Castillo del Príncipe. It was originally named Paseo de Tacón. L …

    Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín

    Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín  LH 2

    This institution honors Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919-1999), a dedicated socialist, supporter of the Cuban Revolution, and close friend to Fidel Castro. It’s located in an 18th-century m …

    Casa Cubana del Perfume

    Casa Cubana del Perfume  LH 2

    This quaint and lovely shop sells perfumes from the Cuban Suchel brand, and prepares personalized fragrances on site according to patrons’ tastes. It also doubles as a small museum, with a 19th-centur …

    Hotel Presidente

    Hotel Presidente  LH 2

    This is Havana’s first skyscraper and was inaugurated on December 28, 1928. It took its name from the street it is situated in and is the only hotel that features Cuba’s coat of arms on its façade. It …

    Clock Tower

    Clock Tower  LH 2

    Between 1921 and 1924, a clock tower was built on Fifth Avenue. It was designed by New Yorker John H. Duncan, one of the architects that contributed to the layout of the avenue and who also designed t …

    Museo del Naipe Marqués de Prado Ameno

    Museo del Naipe Marqués de Prado Ameno  LH 2

    Opened on May 2, 2001, the small yet immensely impressive Playing Card Museum occupies the ground floor of the Casa del Marqués de Prado Amero, dating from the 17th century and the oldest building in …

    Iglesia y Convento de Santa Catalina de Siena

    Iglesia y Convento de Santa Catalina de Siena  LH 2

    The Convent of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena moved from its former site in Old Havana to a new and prime location in El Vedado on May 13, 1918. The construction of the convent and …

    « 19 of 22 pages »