Thinking about taking a free walking tour in Havana? You won’t be disappointed. From the towering and narrow streets painted with vibrant colors, to the history that helped shape this unique nation – you’ll see it all by taking a Havana free walking tour!
As Havana is a diverse city with plenty of history, there are multiple walking tours you can take. In this post, I will talk about two different options: Old Havana Walking Tour and the Central Havana Walking Tour.
Personally, I love walking tours. They are my favorite way to get acquainted with a new city. Exploring Havana was the first item on my 2-week itinerary of Cuba – and what better way to explore the nation’s capital city than by a free walking tour through Havana!
What is a free walking tour?
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First up, what exactly is a free walking tour?
If you’ve never taken a free walking tour before, here’s what you can expect. You pay nothing upfront to the guide. While it’s not mandatory, you’re asked to pay what you think the tour was worth to the guide at the end.
I’ve seen shoestring backpackers give as little as a dollar, and families give up to $50. It all depends on what you think the tour was worth and your budget.
Just remember, these guides don’t get any other income from the tour company, and in some cases, pay the company per person that attends their walking tour.
Of course, there are options to have a private walking tour of Havana – but these come at a price. If you would like to save some money, and meet some fellow travelers along the way, read on!
Which company to do the Havana free walking tour with
There are multiple free walking tour companies in Havana, so which one to go with? I went through the company Free Walking Tour Havana and honestly, I wouldn’t recommend any others. Not to say the other options are bad, but my experience was just that good.
You can book your spot directly through their online portal through the link above. Make sure you’re able to access the internet in Cuba if you need it.
Free Walking tour Havana offers multiple tours around the city. On my first full day in Havana (and Cuba) I went on two tours with Free Walking Tours Havana.
In the morning, the Old Havana Walking Tour and in the afternoon (after the heat had settled a little) was the Central Havana free walking tour. They are both unforgettable experiences of Havana and teach guests a lot about the history of Cuba and the nation itself.
What will I see on a Havana free walking tour?
Depending on what tour you choose (or you can do both as I did) you will see vastly different sights around Havana. Whether you’re after the more pristine Old Havana free walking tour, that covers multiple squares, castle and museums, or the much less visited Central Havana – exploring the streets such as Callejon de Hamel.
You won’t be disappointed by either walking tour around Havana – but if you’re short on time, read on to discover which one suits your interests better!
When do these free walking tours of Havana leave?
Free Walking Tours Havana operates multiple tours a day. The tours leave at 9am and 4pm – be there a few minutes early so you’re not rushed or miss the beginning.
You will meet at the same location to start, Plaza del Angel (also known as angel square) and de divided into different groups, depending on what tour you’re taking.
What is the Old Havana free walking tour?
Havana’s Old Quarter Free Walking Tour lasts around 2 to 2.5 hours and invokes a bit of walking, not as much as the Central Havana option, but still a decent amount.
The Old Quarter of Havana free walking tour begins in the same location Plaza del Angel or Angel Square. This is the highest point of Havana and is home to the cathedral, Iglesia del Santo Angel and Statue of Escultura de Cecilia Valdes – the Cuban equivalent love story of Romeo and Juliet.
Our tour guide of Havana, Cecilia, or “snow” as she looked to be called, told us she likes to do a quick loop outside the wall, outside of the Havana’s old quarter to begin this tour.
The first few stops on the Old Havana free walking tour are the same as the Central Havana tour. Walking passed the ruins of Havana’s old wall, the Revolution Museum, and the modern art gallery.
After these few hits (that are about a minute walk from Angel Square), we headed back into the Old Quarter of Havana.
The first stop inside Havana’s Old Quarter was Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar (you’ll hear a lot of that guy in Cuba). This bright blue doorway is covered in signatures and was a favorite drinking hole of the prolific writer.
Winding our way through the backstreet of Havana, we came to the massive Cathedral Square, with the beautiful and towering Cathedral de San Cristobal. Getting all of this immense building in one photo was impossible, at least with my camera!
Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of time in Cuba, so he had his favorites of everything. Hotel Ambos Mundos, was his hotel of choice. This almost fluorescent pink building is home to one of Havana’s most renowned mojito and a beautiful view over the Havana skyline, especially at sunset. You don’t have time to visit inside the building, but it’s well worth coming back after the tour for a drink and/or a view.
From here, another short walk through more typical Havana backstreet found us in Plaza de Armas. With a historical wooden road, beautiful gardens and statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, it makes for a memorable stop on Havana’s OL D Quater walking tour. You stop and talk about a lot of the sights, with time to let it all sink in.
Just one block away is the river and inlet into the Bay of Havana. Walking along this shoreline gives plenty of opportunities to see el-classico style cars. For a great backdrop, the 18th century San Carlo de la Cabana Fort is in view.
One of the final stops is known as Pigeon Square. And is known for lots of sleeping dogs (and pigeons too). This is a very visited square for tourists as the gold statue out front of the Cathedral is thought to bring you good luck – as long as the 4 points of contact are correct. It’s easier to get your guide to show you if you want to give it a shot.
Directly across from the Cathedral is a blue building, it’s an art Museum, with interesting works from local artists and a quiet garden out the back that gives a nice shot of the Cathedral Bell Tower. It’s worthwhile coming back to spend a few minutes looking around if your tour doesn’t give enough time to take in the beautiful location.
The final stop of Havana’s Old Havana free walking tour is Plaza Vieja. Around the fountain you’ll see a fence, to stop school kids playing and bathing in the water. But the most interesting part of this square it’s the artwork of Roberto Fabelo. Now, I’m not sure if my guide knew what she was saying, but she described this as a “lady riding the cock”. She isn’t wrong. It’s a naked woman, holding a fork, riding a rooster (A.K.A. ‘cock’). This artist wanted to speak out against sexism in Cuba, and the fork (resembling the kitchen) is poised like a weapon while riding an animal seen as masculine in Cuba. It’s full of interesting and bold gestures toward equality. It definitely is worth a look at!
This is where the guided tour of Old Havana ended. It wasn’t that much Walking, but it was tiring enough. From here, you can re-visit the places you’d like to spend more time at, or ask your guide for suggestions of what to do, see and eat.
What is the Central Havana free walking tour like?
Compared to the Old Quarter, the Central Havana Walking Tour is a little bit longer, taking three hours, and seeing the sights on the tour aren’t as compact, there is quite a bit more walking.
Central Havana is considered everything outside the Old wall (that very little remains of).
You begin the free walking tour of Central Havana from Plaza del Angel Square and immediately set off outside where the Old wall of Havana used to be.
The first stop is the small amount of wall left in Havana today. It was destroyed as the city needed to expand outside this boundary. There’s not too much there other than a nice little photo opportunity.
Right next to this wall, is Havana Revolution Museum. You don’t go inside the museum on the tour (it costs 8 CUC to get in, and takes 1-2 hours inside to read everything). With that same ticket, you get access to the open air museum of vehicles used in the revolution, including the famous Granma Yacht, that Fidel Castro sailed from Mexico to reignite the revolution.
As we continued the walking tour of Havana, we were shown the outside of the modern art gallery, and had a small tour of one of Havana’s high-end bars, ‘mekede’. The building was typical of the architecture of Havana – high ceilings, open spaces, and vibrant colors.
Edifico Bacardi was our next point of interest in Havana, where Bacardi Rum once distilled their popular rum. Once Cuba made it illegal for foreign companies to operate inside the country, Bacardi moved its production. They left their original recipe of Bacardi Rum in Cuba as the rich sugar cane would make the drink impossible to craft elsewhere. You can try this original rum, keep an eye out for Santiago de Cuba – it isn’t cheap.
A short amount of walking found us at Havana’s Capitol Building. While it was still under construction, these giant slabs of white marble are a memorable sight of Havana.
Next, Hotel Saratoga, well known around the city for where Beyonce and Jay-Z stayed while in Havana. While this didn’t excite me too much, the building was grand and a shade of green you wouldn’t find outside of Cuba.
Just across the road is Parque de la Fraternidad, where one large tree sits as the centerpiece. Around It, soil from different countries was presented by world leaders in 1927 to promote unity.
Chinatown was next. There were no other highlights other the main entrance gate. Chinatown in Havana is very small, but still a unique sight of Havana.
As the free walking tour of Central Havana wore down, one of the last stops was Callejon de Hamel. This short and popular alleyway is interesting. Full of unique shapes and styles of art, for example, you’ll see bathtubs sliced in half and decorated. While Callejon de Hamel is a great place to visit in Havana, I don’t recommend eating here – very expensive!
The final stop of the Central Havana free walking tour is Hotel Nacional de Cuba. I’m not personally one for sight seeing hotels, but this building was amazing to look at. The tour finishes in the courtyard of the hotel, with a beachfront view. This is one of the most expensive places to stay in all Havana.
All up, the Central Havana walking tour is full of walking for all 3 hours. While there are plenty of memorable stops I’ve mentioned here, part of the charm about walking around in Havana is a personal experience – the cars and buildings showing their signs of age but still functioning, the friendly locals and street buskers – the vibe of Havana itself is what makes this Central Havana free walking tour a great activity!
That’s all you need to know about the Havana free walking tours!
Whether you choose the Old Havana free walking tour or the guided tour around central Havana, you’re in for an unforgettable memory of this unique and colorful city.
Make sure you know how to book a Casa Particular in Cuba before you fly out.
Have you been on a walking tour of Havana, free or not? I’d love to hear about your experience! Leave me a comment below!
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Thanks for reading!
Happy and safe travels,
Ben – Horizon Unknown
