Havana

🌟 Hodophs insider tipBook well in advance — the hardest reservation in Havana. Ask for a table on the upper terrace at sunset. The ropa vieja and the lobster are both exceptional.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipGo at dusk when the light over Old Havana is extraordinary. Order the house daiquiri and tuna tartare — then stay for the live music that starts around 9pm.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipObama ate here on his historic 2016 visit — the photos are on the wall. Come hungry — portions are enormous and everything is cooked to order.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipEven if you're not staying, come for a mojito in the garden bar at sunset. The view of the Straits of Florida from the terrace is one of the great travel moments.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipSkip the big state hotels entirely. A casa particular puts you in a real neighbourhood, costs a fraction of the price, and your money goes directly to a Cuban family. Ask your host for restaurant recommendations — always better than the guidebook.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipWalk it at 7am before the tour groups arrive. The light on the colonial facades in the early morning is extraordinary. Plaza Vieja and Plaza de la Catedral are the anchors — the best Havana is in the streets between them.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipBring rum. Buy a bottle of Havana Club, sit on the seawall, and join the Cubans. The vintage American cars rolling past complete the picture. This is Havana at its most real and most beautiful.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipOnly open Thursday–Sunday from 8pm. Arrive early — the queues get long by 10pm. The art inside is genuinely extraordinary and the energy unlike anywhere else in Cuba.

🌟 Hodophs insider tipNegotiate around $30–40/hour for the whole car. Ask your driver to take you through Vedado and past the Hotel Nacional. The best photo of your trip will happen in the first five minutes.