Old Havana Walking Tour

Description

A guided walking tour in the old city of Havana is the best way to explore its main attractions. The main sites of interest in the old city of Havana include the four main squares that have shaped the urban layout of the city during the Spanish rule – Arms Square, Cathedral Square, San Fransisco Square and Old Square along with the first streets of the city.

Sites and attractions in Old Havana:

System of Squares

Five different squares define the appearance of the old city: Arms Square, San Fransisco Square, Cathedral Square, the Old Square and Christ of the Good Voyage Square. All of them, with the exception of the Old Square, are related by origin or transcendence to a church.

The First Streets of Havana

The primitive city of Havana, that was founded by the Spanish, had narrow streets for the circulation of draught animals, carts and soldiers on horseback. Different axis began to form parallel to the sea and in the direction of the land wall. Their names reflect their most frequent use or their environment.

Oficios Street (Calle Oficios)

Oficios Street owes its name to the location of scribes. In a similar way were christened, among others, ‘de los Mercaderes’ (of the merchants),  ‘de la Muralla’ (of the City Wall), ‘del Basurero’ (of the Garbage Dump), ‘de Lamparilla’ (of the Small Lamp), and ‘de la Obrapia’ (of the Good Deed).

Merchants Street (Calle Mercaderes)

Along with Oficios street this is one of the most important lanes of the Historic Center, where restaurants and shops converge. Its name derives from the fact that during Havana’s first years almost all merchants (mercaderes in Spanish) had set their shop on this street.