Plaza de Armas surrounds a statue of the patriot Céspedes and is ringed by shaded marble benches and second-hand bookstalls. This square, founding in 1519, was the city's first open space, around which the most important political, military, religious and civil institutions were located. The palaces that surrounded it during the 18th century are worthy exponents of Cuban Baroque architecture. On the square’s eastern side a small neoclassical temple, El Templete, marks the spot where the first Catholic mass was celebrated in 1519. Next door is one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, Hotel Santa Isabel. To the north, the squat but angular and moated Castillo de la Real Fuerza (Fort of the Royal Forces) is one of the oldest forts in the Americas.  

Perhaps the most iconic of all Cuban fortresses. Its construction began in 1589 and was completed in 1630, playing a key role in the defence of Havana against raids by corsairs and pirates.  When the English attacked and captured Havana in the year 1762, the castle was damaged and later as soon as Spain took power again it was rebuilt and modernized. A lighthouse was added to the Morro in 1764. Standing 45 metres above sea level, it has become an unmistakeable symbol of Havana.

Situated in the former Presidential Palace (1920-1960), the Museum of the Revolution is a colorful building of a large dome and a mixture of styles. A detailed panorama of the struggle undertaken by the Cuban people in order to obtain its freedom is available in its 38 rooms. Its outdoor areas feature the Granma Memorial, where visitors can see, protected by an enormous glass case, the boat on which Fidel Castro and more than eighty combatants returned to Cuba from exile in Mexico to recommence the fight for the country's independence.

The National Museum of Fine Arts houses Cuba's most important art collections, as well as paintings dating from the 18th to the 21st century and ancient art. The exhibition areas treasure collections of Cuban and European painting, which harmonize with works of art of ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome. Its valuable assets are divided into two buildings: Cuban Art, just a short walk from the Museum of the Revolution, and Universal Art, in the magnificent building that was once occupied by the Asturian Centre, opposite the Central Park.