Refreshed: September 2026
Cuba was one of those places I had wanted to experience for myself. I wanted to see Havana, hear the music, watch the dancing and find out whether the country really did have that indefinable magic people talked about.
It certainly did.
For me, the best place to start was Old Havana, and the best way to explore it was on foot. I wandered through its streets and alleyways, past cafés, bars and colourful old buildings, stopping whenever something caught my attention. Havana was fascinating because there always seemed to be something happening around the next corner.
But some of my favourite memories of Cuba came from the people I met along the way.
The woman I met in the park
One morning, I sat beside a local Cuban woman on a bench in a park. She did not speak a word of English and I didn’t speak Spanish, but somehow that didn’t matter. We became friends.
She lived outside the city centre and, quite unexpectedly, meeting her became part of my morning routine. We would sit together in the park for about an hour, watching the world go by, before I eventually made my excuses and headed off to explore Havana.
We could hardly communicate in words, yet we enjoyed each other’s company. It remains one of those lovely little travel memories that couldn’t possibly have been planned.
Losing at chess in a Havana side street
Another day, while wandering through the back streets, I came across some local men playing chess. They invited me to join them. In my exuberance, I think I might have suggested that I could actually play! Well, I lost miserably.
They were very cool about my terrible performance, though, and we all had great fun. It was another reminder of why I enjoy walking when I travel. You never quite know who you are going to meet or what you will end up doing.
Exploring Old Havana
Sitting on Havana's "longest sofa"
Of course, I had to visit El Malecón, Havana’s famous seafront.
The promenade stretches for several kilometres along the coast and is sometimes described as the world’s longest sofa because so many people gather along the sea wall to talk, meet friends, watch the sunset or simply sit and watch the world go by. Naturally, I joined them.
Sitting there looking out across the water was a lovely way to take a break from sightseeing — although I wouldn’t recommend sitting too close when the waves are crashing over the wall!
The Museum of the Revolution
I also visited the Museo de la Revolución, which, I have to admit, I found rather disappointing.
There was information in both Spanish and English, but the museum itself felt a little tired when I visited and I came away feeling that such an important and complicated part of Cuba’s history could have been presented much better.
It was still interesting to visit, but it wasn’t one of the highlights of my time in Havana.
A night at the fortress
One of my new Cuban friends was keen to take me to a huge fortress overlooking Havana harbour. He told me it wasn’t particularly high on the tourist trail but was very popular with local people.
He was right. There were very few tourists when we visited.
We went for the traditional 9pm cannon ceremony, when performers dressed in 18th-century military uniforms reenacted the firing of a cannon over the harbour.
But the ceremony was only part of the evening. There were bars, restaurants and small museums, and we spent several hours there.
I particularly enjoyed being somewhere that felt much more popular with Cubans than tourists. Having a local person take me there also gave me an opportunity to hear a different perspective on everyday life in Cuba.
A tourist attraction in a cemetery?
One of the more unusual places I visited was Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón, Havana’s enormous cemetery and a national monument.
I couldn’t quite believe I was visiting a cemetery as a tourist attraction!
But the elaborate marble statues, tombs and religious monuments were impressive, and the graves tell something of Cuba’s history. You could even buy a map at the entrance showing where some of the country’s notable people were buried.
Interesting? Definitely.
Did I linger for hours?
Absolutely not!
It wasn’t particularly eerie, but I was quite happy to continue my sightseeing elsewhere.
A night at the Tropicana
There was no way I was going to Havana and missing the world-famous Tropicana.
I managed to get a ticket through my hotel and, as so often happens when travelling alone, I soon made friends with the other people at my table.
The show was magnificent — colourful, lively and full of music and dancing. It was exactly the sort of Cuban experience I had hoped for before I arrived.
From Havana to Varadero
After the energy of Havana, Varadero was completely different.
There wasn’t much I wanted to do there other than enjoy the beautiful beach, the sunshine and the hotel facilities which was precisely the point.
So that is what I did.
I relaxed, swam, made more new friends and drank mojitos. Until Cuba, I hadn’t really drunk mojitos. Cuba soon corrected that!
One of my funniest photographs from Varadero came courtesy of a complete stranger who offered to take my photograph and then insisted that I take one with him in return.
Looking back at the photograph now, all I can say is that his Speedos certainly made an impression!
I also made several American friends while staying there, which added another interesting dimension to the trip.
What stayed with me about Cuba
I loved Havana. I loved the café culture, the music, the dancing and, above all, the people I met. There were plenty of things I didn’t manage to see, including some of the places associated with Hemingway and Havana’s famous ballet, but I didn’t leave feeling that my trip had been incomplete.
What stayed with me wasn’t a checklist of attractions.
It was sitting silently on a park bench with a Cuban woman who became my friend. It was losing spectacularly at chess in a side street. It was being taken to the fortress by someone who wanted to show me a part of his city that he thought I should see. It was sitting on the Malecón and simply watching Havana go about its business.
Cuba wasn’t polished when I visited, and that was part of the experience. It could be beautiful and crumbling, lively and frustrating, all at the same time.
Perhaps that is what people mean when they talk about Cuba’s “indefinable magic”.
I certainly found mine.
You may be interested in my post:
Have you visited Cuba? What stayed with you most — the places you saw or the people you met along the way?
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Wow. One of the fun places to visit. I absolutely loved my time in Cuba. So special, such a beautiful, place and people. Go Molly, that fella in the speedos looked happy too.
Yes absolutely. I had a great time. I had to include the stranger in speedo! Such fun!
Happy I saw Cuba many years ago, even as a tourist with a group, not spending much time in Havana. The country people were friendly, welcoming and delightful, providing at that time you were not American. There was no public transportation so few had visited the cities. Just knew you would find it fascinating.
I too am glad you have visited Cuba. I doubt if it has changed very much since you were last there. Prince Charles and his wife, Her Royal Highness Camilla, must have read my blog and are visiting Cuba and are causing s bit of a storm with the Americans!!!
Congratulations on your blog. It is terrific. I am jealous of your IT skills to produce something so professional !
Have you recently visited Cuba? I was there a few years ago before Fidel’s death. I enjoyed the spirit of the people who remained ever hopeful that things would improve. I loved the street corner dances on Friday evenings. I remember a dreadful storm that flooded our bedroom and bathroom whilst we were having a siesta!!!! Lots of stories to share.
Thank you Urszula. I visited Cuba a few years ago and it was an unforgettable experience. Building the website was a personal achievement but I must give a shout to my young nephew, Adeola, who did the initial research for me and patiently answered my questions, some of which were as basic as “what is a blog”! 😀 I learnt a lot from reading, watching YouTube and not giving up even when things went wrong. I am still learning and having a great time with it. My next challenge is to increase my audience. So help me to spread the word.
Hi Molly how are you doing! I visited Cuba in 2007 I agree with all your comments. Please visit as soon as you can now that the cruise ships are calling there .It is going to change and not for the better I am afraid to say! Did you learn to Salsa? happy travels
Love Peterx
Thanks Peter. Yes – people should go now if they can. No I did not get the chance to learn salsa but I had a go at dancing it. Great fun.x