Take your time to enjoy Havana. Let's feel it, let's walk it back in time!

Excursion details:

After a first foundation in the south coast of Cuba, probably near to present day Batabano, the village of Havana was moved north in 1519 to its today location next to the bay of the same name.
The templete (small temple) commemorates the mass which innaugurated the former town and a silk-cotton tree marks the exact place where the mass was celebrated.
The Spaniards started building fortifications and in 1553 the Spanish governor's residence was transferred from Santiago to Havana making the city the de facto capital.
Since then, government and public life was made around Havana's most important squares that we will show you during this excursion.

The first square we will show you will be the Plaza de Armas (arms squared) which replaced in the 1600s the old Plaza Mayor with the construction of the Castillo de la Real Fuerza and was used until 1771 for open air religious ceremonies and military exercises to which the square owes its name. The almost one century transformation until 1838 made the Plaza de Armas a favourite of rich Havana citizens for their carriage rides. Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the Templete, Castillo de la Real Fuerza and Hotel Santa Isabel are some of the important buildings located around this square.

The second square to visit will be the San Francisco square, named after the Basilica de San Francisco de Asis located there since the 1500s. Public buildings were built in the surroundings until they were move to the Plaza de Armas in 1791. In that century, he tower of the San Francisco convent was built. The Lonja del Comercio (stock market) and the Aduana (Customs house) were built early in the 20th century giving the square a commercial character to the point of using the already abandoned convent as a warehouse. Now the old convent houses a concert hall and a museum and the square is a meeting point for Cuban families.

The next square in this tour will be the Plaza Vieja (Old Square), initially Plaza Nueva (New Square) until the Plaza del Cristo was built. At the end of the 1600s, this square was a center of commerce and public life and in early the 1800s the Mercado de Cristina (Cristina market), named after the Spanish queen, was built there. The market was substituted by an underground parking place in 1908 and later by a park. Late in the 20th century the square was restored with a replica of the original fountain that was there by the times of the market.

The last square to visit will be the Plaza de la Catedral (cathedral square), the last one to be built. It was originally know as Plaza de la Cienaga (square of the swamp)because the water brought by the Zanja Real from the Almendares river flooded the area. In the following centuries the swamp was drained and houses of rich merchants were built there. When the order of the Jesuits was suppressed in the 1700s their oratory was given to the bishop as Cathedral of Havana. In the 20th century, the square, the cathedral and the surroundings were full restored.

The tour will be private.
All visits with specialised English speaking guide.