Havana...

Though Cuba's capital is a huge city, only one small area is really of interest to tourists: Old Havana. Measuring only about 1 sq mile, it originally developed around a thriving port in the 17th century, which was strategically placed for resupplying sailing ships trading with the Americas before their return journey to Europe. Its narrow streets are full of once-grand buildings, varying in age from the 17th to the start of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the majority have been overoccupied without any maintenance for over 40 years and are now crumbling slums. Though declared a UNESCO World Heritage area, few buildings seem to be undergoing renovation and parts of the Old City look like Beirut during its civil war. It is the strangest possible mix with beautifully restored buildings within yards of ruins and squalor. Once so splendid, now so depressing but potentially a preservable historical gem.

Although not an ideal choice for a stay-put holiday, everyone who gets as far as a Cuban beach resort should visit the country's historic capital, even if only for a day. All resorts offer trips with or without an overnight stay - the more distant ones by air. Two or 3 days should be enough for even the keenest fan of Spanish colonial and ornate early 20th-century architecture, or the merely curious wanting to see the power base of one of the world's last Communist dictatorships. Go now, before it falls down, gets knocked down or is rebuilt.

The most atmospheric places to stay are the hotels within the Old City itself. Most are in old buildings renovated to varying standards. The choice is increasing as more old hotels are being restored/rebuilt. More modern accommodation, varying in age from 1950s to 1990s, is concentrated in a more modern, upmarket area called Vedado to the W of the Old City; these tend to be city business hotels which, while offering higher levels of service, are international in style. Several large, resort-style hotels in the largely upmarket and business district of Miramar 8 mls W of Old City. Some tour operators offer resort-style hotels much farther from the centre, on the NW coast or in the inland W suburbs, but these require organised transport for sightseeing visits. Wherever you choose, unless price is all-important, 4-star accommodation is probably as low as it is sensible to go if disappointment is to be avoided.

The nearest beaches used by locals are at Playas del Este (Eastern Beaches), about 13 mls E on the other side of the bay.

Now that Cuba is no longer subsidised by the former USSR, and since it is boycotted by the USA, the country is effectively bankrupt. There are shortages of nearly everything, including petrol, soap and toiletries; all food is locally produced. Local shops (accepting the local currency, pesos) are there - somewhere - if you can spot them, but often don't have much to sell; shops accepting only US dollars can be found, mainly in or around hotels. Look out for genuine Havana cigars (buy only from approved shops or factories and do not buy at reduced prices on the street - these are illegal fakes and will be confiscated by customs), rum, embroidery and any local souvenir that may appeal. The latter are sold from colourful stalls in the square in front of the cathedral. Calle Obispo, a pedestrianised boulevard connecting Parque Central with Plaza de Armas, has mainly tourist shops and a couple of interesting antique pharmacies.

Daytime: sightseeing in the Old City, including many well-preserved Spanish colonial buildings such as the former Palace of the Captains General (with museum) and others around Plaza de Armas; Castillo de la Real Fuerza (1577), the second oldest fortress in the New World; Central Park and surrounding turn-of-last-century buildings, especially the Capitol (now a museum); Memorial Jose Marti has a 358-ft-high marble lookout tower for panoramic views of the city; various other museums and monuments (both pre- and post-revolution) in the Vedado area; the National Aquarium recreates Cuban marine habitats. Baseball (Cuba's national sport) season is between Nov and March. Nightlife: most hotels and restaurants provide musical entertainment (rumba, salsa and other Latin American music/dance); famous Tropicana nightclub (still with the same dance show as it had in the 50s); a few other nightclubs with cabaret; discos, some at the bigger hotels; ballet, theatre, dance and music. Famous rum-based cocktails served everywhere, including Hemingway's legendary haunts such as El Bodeguita del Medio (an overpriced but still evocative tourist trap) for mojito and La Floridita (wildly expensive) for daiquiris.

Although those with knowledgeable, well-connected or well-off guides may find good food, in general it is of a pretty poor standard and limited choice. Quite a lot of restaurants in the Old City and the Vedado area, as well as in the hotels, with a la carte restaurants in the 5-star hotels probably the best available, but not cheap. Expect every imaginable variation of pork, chicken (some of the toughest ever encountered), rice, black beans and potatoes. Lobster and seafood can be a (relative) bargain, but fish is not common. Ice cream is quite good. Some good coffee shops springing up and a couple of fast-food chains (chicken and burgers, pizza and pasta).

Buses, known as "camels", do run but queues are miles long, they are full to overflowing, not air conditioned and it's hard to know where they are going or where to get off. Best left to long-suffering locals. Taxis are modern, metered and reasonable for short trips. Small modern yellow open "bubble car" taxis ("coco taxis") are good for buzzing about the city. Cycle rickshaws. Horse and trap. Unofficial taxis offered by touts in the street are best avoided.

Several variations of the "city tour", most by bus but some on foot around the Old City, where the streets are too narrow for buses; all are guided and necessarily so. Unless you read and speak Spanish pretty well, doing it yourself is difficult, as the few explanatory notices that do exist are only in the native language. Helicopter tours of Havana. Hemingway tours of city. Cigar factory visits. Ernest Hemingway museum (out of town). Organised trips out to Playas del Este (Eastern Beaches).

Towards the W end of Cuba's long N coast. 87 mls W of the main resort of Varadero. 14 mls NE of Jose Marti international airport.

Set around a large natural harbour, the Bay of Havana, with a narrow channel out into the Florida Straits, effectively at the point where the Atlantic meets the Gulf of Mexico.

Telephone Area Code: 7
Website: www.dtcuba.com

Airport : Jose Marti
Airport Code: HAV
Flight time from ther U.K.: 10 hrs