Old Palaces Walking Tour (Self Guided), Havana

Havana has been the seat of Cuba’s ruling gentry for centuries. Today, you can walk the streets of Old Havana and explore its palaces to get a glimpse into the city’s royal past. Although these structures now serve Havana’s citizens and visitors, they still catch your eye (and your camera lens!) with their architecture and history.

Start your trip with the ornate Presidential Palace, whose interior decoration was entrusted in the 1920s to Tiffany’s of New York. Following the Cuban Revolution, the three-story palace was converted into a museum still commemorating the event.

The somber yet stately Palace of the Captains-Generals was completed in 1791 and became the early seat of the Cuban government, as well as Havana’s city hall. Now housing the City of Havana Museum, the structure contains the breathtaking Throne Room, made for the king of Spain but never used, as well as a statue of Christopher Columbus in its courtyard.

Don’t miss the quintessentially Cuban-colonial facade of Palacio del Conde de Santovenia, which boasts large stained-glass windows called ‘mediopuntos’.

To ensure your trips ends on a high note, visit the distinctive Palacio Cueto – Havana's finest example of Art Nouveau, dating from the early 1900s.

Take this self-guided walk and find out why Havana's palaces are one of the greatest cultural legacies that the Spanish Empire left in Cuba!