What to see, where to go, and what to know.
According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, 2.9 million people visited last year, and more people went to Cuba in the first nine months of 2014 than any Caribbean island except the Dominican Republic. While recent steps by the U.S. government to open relations with Cuba aren't providing carte blanche for tourism, it's likely that, for the first time in five decades, it will soon be easier for Americans to go and legally spend money there.
But the political and ethical considerations of traveling to Cuba are complicated and personal. If you choose to visit, it's important to be informed about the country's history, respectful of the people who live there, and aware of how you spend your money. What follows is a list of things to see and do.
Stay up all night on The Malecón.
The Malecón is to Havana what the strip is to Vegas, the place to be from sunset to sunrise. For five miles, the Malecón seawall runs along Havana's Atlantic-facing coast. At night, musicians, gallivanting teenagers, lovers, and street vendors take to the Malecón for a chill hang or to drink rum and party to a mashup of breaking waves and eclectic beats.
Visit University of Havana.
Founded in 1728, University of Havana and its 60,000 students occupy a good chunk of central Havana. In the 1950s, the university, which is the Castro brothers' alma mater, was the site of major anti-government protests. It remains a site of political and social organization and the city's nexus of contemporary youth culture today.
See live music — everywhere.
Ask any Cuban which countries contributed most to the democratization of music and they'll tell you, "the United States, Brazil, and Cuba." Visit the famous club La Zorra y El Cuervo, or just stop into the Association of Cuban Writers and Artists, and you might find a Grammy winner on the sax. Beyond jazz, there's also amazing son music (think Buena Vista Social Club), trova (nuevo trova Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez is the Bob Dylan of every Latin American lefty's heart), danzón, and more. Ask a local where you can find those styles of music and GO.
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