The Top 11 Things To Do In Havana With Kids

We loved our time in this city, its retro charm and its people. Every day we were out, about and exploring. It doesn’t take long to fall under this cities spell. We spent 6 days strolling this city, captured by its rustic beauty and chilled vibe. 

The top things to do in Havana with kids

 

1. Forget the Hotel book a Casa Particular

If you want to feel the real heart of Cuba stay with locals. Once we arrived at our apartment (booked via Airbnb) we were greeted by Alfonzo, who made to feel so welcome and we even met our neighbours, (Miguel and Irene) who we would have breakfast with each morning.

We loved our mornings at their place, beautiful food and great conversation. They ended up being Lukas and Sawyer’s adopted Grandparents and when we left tears were shed from both sides. This set the tone for the rest of our stays throughout Cuba. You learn so much about a place when you spend time with locals.

For us, this was one of the best things to do in Havana. Personal I think we picked the perfect area to stay in Habana Viejo, only a couple of blocks from the Museo de la Revolución, views of the Prado from our balcony and 5 minutes walk to either the Malecōn or the Arte Area with its great restaurants and cafes.

While we loved our Airbnb, there are plenty of other great places. Check out these great tips for helping you choose your best Airbnb in Havana.

2. Habana Bus Tours

This is the best way to get your bearings, Habana Bus Tours offers a hop on hop off experience. We have done these in other cites and paid a fair amount for the experience.

Amazingly it cost adults $10us and the kids were free. Wow, a full day of travelling around for just $20.

Round trip is about 3 hours so this is well worth it. We boarded the bus at the starting point, Parque central opposite Hotel Inglaterra.

Make sure you sit upstairs gives you a great view. There is a guide sharing information (only in Spanish) about some of the places you see however it wasn’t very loud or clear.

Some of the places we visited during the journey were;

• Plaza de la Revolucion
• Malecōn
• Centro Habana 
• La Cecilia

We spent the morning just cruising on the bus (main because Sawyer fell asleep), picking out the places we would return to in the afternoon.

Having a map helped, we just circled the spots that interested us and after lunch, back in Habana Viejo, we returned to the bus and visited our circles on our map.

Make this one of the first things to do in Havana.

3. Malecon

The Malecon is an 8km seawall and esplanade stretching from Vedado to Havana Harbour. First started in 1901, the main purpose was to protect the city of the sea. Since then the wall has been added to until 1952.

Nowadays it’s a popular spot for the locals to hang out. We even saw the odd fisherman casting aline.

We spent our time walking around the end of Paseo del Prado.

During the Habana Bus Tour, we had travelled along Malecon so this was a chance to walked around the top part. It was the first time we ran into the ‘music hasslers’ here 4 lads raced up to us, guitars and all and played a couple of songs.

No chance to say no gracias because, before we knew it Lukas had a maraca in his hand.

Luckily we had a couple of coins and sent them on their merry way. Always make sure you carry a few coins in your pockets.

There is also Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta. You also have a great view of Castillo De Los Tres Reyes Del Morro on the other side of the Harbour.

We made our way towards the Maximo Gomez Monument, a chance to teach Lukas a little more history. In 1868 and 1895 Maximo Gomez fought the Spanish for Cuban independence.

Here there is an impressive statue of Maximo Gomez riding a horse as it looks out across the harbour.

4. Museo de la Revolución

One of my favourite places, I love history and here I learnt so much which I could share with Lukas. For me, this was one of my favourite things to do in Havana. 

Give yourself a couple of hours to see everything.

The exhibit is housed in the Presidential Palace, a stunning building, and tells you so much about the Cuban Revolution led by Castro, Che and Cienfuegos.

It’s clearly set out and you are given directions where to start. There is plenty of photos, stories and artefacts.

Don’t miss the exhibitions outside, there are military vehicles, old planes and the Granma Yacht used during the revolution.

It only cost 7 CUC and the kids were free, so well worth it.

I suggest reading up on the Cuban Revolution before you visit, it will help you to understand better as well as explain it clearly to your kids.

5. El Capitolio

Right in the middle of Havana, El Capitolio is not to be missed. In fact, you would have to have your eyes closed not to see this place.

Built by a U.S company in the late 1920s and it does look like the White House in Washington DC.

Currently, this building is under restoration however there are tours in Spanish and English, last for around 45 minutes and cost 10CUC.

The ticket office is to the right of the entrance. The interior and the dome is just spectacular.

6. Plaza de la Catedral

One of the 5 main squares in Havana and the last one to be built. Beautiful buildings surround the square some dating back to the 18th Century. All these buildings were built in a 40 year period.

There is the Catedral de San Cristóbal, the Casa del Conde de Casa Bayona which is home to the Museo de Arte Colonial and La Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada de La Habana I truly grand building.

This plaza was a challenge with our stroller due to the cobblestones but well worth to visit.

Down a small side street, there are several family-run restaurants, we were told the restaurants are owned by 8 families.

While the food was delicious we felt it has a little expensive as we were caught out by a service change and a couple of other extra chances we weren’t aware of.

7. Grab a drink at Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita

Two great bars! Firstly the Bodeguita del Medio, this place claims to be the birthplace of the mojito.

This place is always lively, live music, people dancing and mojitos flowing, often people spill out onto the street where the walls are covered with writing.

Plenty of photo opportunities here with the bar and locals alike.

El Floridita, home of the daiquiri, lies at the end of Obispo. This place too is very popular and it can be a struggle to find a table if you need one.

We were lucky and enjoyed a couple of drinks while watching live music.

The boys both loved the live music, tapping their feet and moving their head. A statue of Ernest Hemingway sits at the end of the bar, a photo opportunity for every tourist.

Both these places are a must, even just for a quick drink. 

8. Paseo del Prado

This stunning promenade runs the length of Paseo Martí, originally designed in 1772 and in 1925 it was lined with trees, marbles benches, sculptures and stone walls.

Our accommodation was just off the Prado and every day we enjoyed walking along it.

Many locals spent their family time here either relaxing, catching up with others with the kids playing games.

On one afternoon there was an amazing art exhibition while local artists displayed their works. Paseo Marti which is either side of the Paseo del Prado is very popular for wedding rides.

Here, brides and grooms cruise up and down the Paseo sitting on the back of a convertible tooting their horn while everyone around waves or toots back. We saw this almost everyday during our stay.

Walking around here is one of the best things to do in Havana. 

9. Obispo

A very busy street for locals and tourists alike. We noticed when the cruise ships were in, the place was very busy.

There are a larger range of restaurants, bars and cafes some even offering free wifi while you dine.

There is a small market about halfway down as well as plenty of shops to buy your tourist gifts, you can haggle a little too.

On this street, there is also a couple of ATM’s in case you need a little extra cash. It’s a pedestrian-only street too.

10. Ride in a Vintage Convertible

If you are coming to Cuba then this is a must. These cars are beautifully maintained, often past down from generation to generation.

Depending on the tourist season and where you want to go, the cost can range from CUC 25 to CUC 50 per hour. However, always try to negotiate.

Alfonzo had booked a taxi to get us to the apartment, the first time I have ever had someone at an airport hold up a card with my name on it (lol).

I recommend this as one of the best things to do in Havana and the greatest way to start your visit to this city.

Carlos pulled up in his 1956 Buick, it had been past down from his Grandfather to his father and now proudly owned by Carlos.

The trip itself is around 35-40 minutes, Carlos was the perfect guide, driving by a few famous monuments as well as a brief history about Havana.

Lukas loved the ride, excited by the fact he could walk around the car of the car.

While no seatbelts made me a little nervous it was something I was going to have to get used to.

There are plenty of beautiful vintage cars around Parque Central, just take your pick.

 

11. Just walk Around

We spent those first few hours after arriving at our accommodation just blown away, around every corner there was something new to see, whether an old building, people working on a car or people just going about everyday life.

The buildings, a mix of dilapidated and restored, both with people living in them. We made sure we walked a different part of the city each day. 

Another great way to see and learn the history is to take City tour through Havana with a local. Here you get the chance to get more of a personal inside inside this beautiful place. 

 

Final Thoughts

Look everyone has different experiences but for us, we felt safe where ever we walked even in the evening when some streets weren’t well lit.

For us, Havana was everything we thought it would be and more. We could easily live there for 6 months.

We felt sad when we left, saying our goodbyes however we know we will return and we can’t wait.

In fact, we have started planning it, looking for new places to visit to add to our top things to do in Havana.

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