Havana With Kids
Classic cars, music in every plaza, a cannon fired at nine every night and a seawall the whole city sits on.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Havana good for kids?
Yes, for families who are flexible. The music, cars, forts and plazas are a big hit, and Cubans are warm with children. Comforts are simpler than at home.
How many days?
Three days for Havana, and more if you want Viñales or a beach.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
The Cañonazo at La Cabaña at nine at night, after a sunset on the Malecón.
Can Americans go?
Yes, under one of the authorized travel categories, with rules on where you stay and spend. Check the current rules before booking.
When should we go?
November to April, the dry season. Summer is hot and hurricane season runs June to November.
A City You Feel More Than See
Old Havana is a grid of four big plazas and the streets between them, all within walking distance. Music spills out of doorways, kids play baseball in the street and the buildings are every color you can think of.
Outside the old city is the Malecón, the long seawall where families come out in the evening, and Vedado, the neighborhood of big old mansions and the famous ice cream park. Base yourself in Old Havana or Vedado and walk.
Getting Around
Walk Old Havana, and use taxis or a classic car for everything else. A ride in an open top classic car along the Malecón is one of the best things to do with kids here. Arrange a driver ahead for the airport and for day trips.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Old Havana
The heart of it all, inside the old city. You walk out into the plazas and the music. Busy and full of life.
Vedado
A leafy neighborhood of old mansions, wide streets and the Malecón at the end of the block. Calmer at night and easy by taxi.
Miramar
West of Vedado, with bigger houses and gardens. Good for families who want space and a pool.
A restored colonial casa
The nicest casas particulares in Old Havana are restored colonial homes with courtyards, rooftop terraces and breakfast cooked by the family.
A Vedado casa with a host family
Big rooms in an old mansion, a host who knows the city and a short walk to the Malecón.
A simple casa near the Malecón
Simple private rooms with a Cuban family, breakfast included, for a lot less.
The Three I Build Every Havana Trip Around
The four plazas of Old Havana
Walk from Plaza de Armas with its book market to Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de San Francisco and Plaza Vieja. Every plaza has music, a cafe and something for kids to look at. This is the history lesson, and it is all outside.
El Morro and the Cañonazo
Cross the bay to the old Spanish fortresses. Climb El Morro for the view, then stay for the Cañonazo at La Cabaña, when soldiers in old uniforms fire a cannon at nine every night. The kids will talk about it for days.
The Malecón and a classic car ride
The seawall runs for miles along the water. Take a ride in an open top classic car in the late afternoon, then walk the Malecón at sunset with everyone else in the city.
Family Time, Built In: Havana With Kids
Havana is a city where kids are part of everything. Baseball in the park, music in every plaza, a cannon at night and an ice cream park the size of a city block.
The Cañonazo at nine
Coppelia ice cream
Baseball at Parque Central
Fusterlandia’s mosaic houses
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
Parque Central, at the edge of Old Havana. Shade trees, benches and the Esquina Caliente, where fans gather to argue about baseball. Kids pick up a game anywhere nearby.
Five Things To Eat In Havana
Ropa vieja
Moros y cristianos
Tostones
Coppelia ice cream
Guava pastelitosNicole’s Perspective
Ninety miles away and a whole world apart
I taught American and world history for eight years, and Cuba sits right in the middle of so much of it. Spanish forts, the Cold War, the music and baseball we share. Kids get a lot out of seeing a place that close to home that is so different.
Stay in a casa particular, walk the plazas in the morning, rest in the heat of the day, and go out again in the evening when the city comes alive. Do the classic car ride and the Cañonazo. Bring cash and patience.
The Day Trip: Viñales
About two and a half hours west of Havana is the Viñales Valley, where limestone hills rise out of red earth and tobacco fields. Ride horses through the valley, visit a tobacco farm to see how the leaves are dried, and take a boat into the Cueva del Indio cave. Many families stay a night in a casa in the village.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
Three days covers Havana with kids. Four gives you a night in Viñales or a beach day.
Day one for the plazas of Old Havana. Day two for a classic car ride, Vedado and Coppelia. Day three for El Morro and the Cañonazo.
Add a day or a night in Viñales.
Havana pairs with Trinidad on the south coast or the beaches of Varadero.
Havana With Kids, Answered
Is Havana good for kids?
Yes, for families who are flexible. The music, cars, forts and plazas are a big hit, and Cubans are warm with children. Comforts are simpler than at home.
How many days?
Three days for Havana, and more if you want Viñales or a beach.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
The Cañonazo at La Cabaña at nine at night, after a sunset on the Malecón.
Can Americans go?
Yes, under one of the authorized travel categories, with rules on where you stay and spend. Check the current rules before booking.
When should we go?
November to April, the dry season. Summer is hot and hurricane season runs June to November.
Ready To Put Havana On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will sort out the travel rules, pick the right casa and line up the classic car and the fort.
Keep exploring from Havana
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