HAVANA

ARTS & CULTURE

Since Barack Obama and Raúl Castro shook hands at a summit in Panama, Cuba is getting ready for a new American invasion - a peaceful one this time. It won’t be too long before the Caribbean island is flooded with American tourists. For now, Cuba is still a wonderful time capsule where progress seems to have stood still for half a century. Visit now, before it is too late.

ARTS & CULTURE

Ernest Hemingway instantly fell in love with Cuba when he sailed there in 1932 to go on a fishing trip. The American Pulitzer and Noble Prize winner roamed the world, from Chicago and Milan to Paris and Key West, but nowhere did he spend as much time as he did here: he lived in Cuba for almost quarter of a century. Following in the trail of the most famous Cuban import.

ARTS & CULTURE

Thanks to recent reforms, Cubans have gained many newfound freedoms: they can go on holidays abroad, buy a new car or... start their own company. Many are taking full advantage of the latter: recently overhauled private restaurants, hip cocktail bars and creative boutique hotels are blossoming in Havana.

NIGHTLIFE

Everyone is familiar with the contagious sounds of the Buena Vista Social Club. The hot-blooded musical culture of Cuba can be encountered on virtually every street corner. Whether in the old night clubs of Havana, the swinging music cafés of Santiago de Cuba or during Carnival in Trinidad de Cuba, you will always find music and dancing throughout the entire island.

ARTS & CULTURE

The impressive building on the Plaza de la Revolución was once the Presidential Palace of Cuba. It now houses the Museo de la Revolución. The palace, which has a turbulent past, was world news in 1957 when a group of students rose up in rebellion against the former regime.