Any Cuban journey must start in Havana, – hands-down the most fascinating and seductive city in the Caribbean, with a faded beauty that is legendary. Thanks to a portion of the money earned from tourism being invested into a huge project dedicated to restoring old Havana as well as new laws giving homeowners the possibility to repair and refurbish their own homes, the city is slowly rising up from the ruins.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, old Havana was once fortified against the threat of pirates and colonial rivals by a city wall, still visible in places. Today the immaculately renovated Baroque churches, palaces, and former mansions of wealthy land-owners lining the narrow streets are the testament to the pain-staking work carried out by city historian Dr Eusebio Leal and his team to restore the old town to its former glory. Along the famous seafront of Havana, – the Malecon, – the strains of salsa waft from the re-booted sound systems of vintage Cadillacs and Buicks, and the facades of grandiose seafront buildings are slowly being restored after years of neglect.

Just west of Habana Vieja, the gritty working-class district of Centro Habana and further west again, the well-heeled districts of Vedado and Miramar are a picture of ruined, rutted, beauty. Street life in Havana is all about socializing, – arguably the top Cuban pastime, – whether playing dominoes under flickering street lights at night, gossiping on street corners, or arguing loudly about baseball, there is always something to captivate and beguile.

Havana’s cultural scene also has much to offer: – there are many interesting museums and cultural spaces; the Cuban ballet is considered one of the best in the world, as is their world-famous music of Afro Cuban dance, flamenco, jazz, salsa, and timba. The restaurant scene was once nothing to write home about but with new private paladars (restaurants) opening up every month providing innovative high quality local and international fusion cuisine, the food scene in Havana is fast gaining a good reputation. Nightlife is exuberant, – think alfresco salsa clubs, plentiful live music venues, and troubadour sessions. A short 40-minute drive out of the city to the Playas del Este, Havanas eastern beaches live up to the paradise image of Caribbean turquoise waters and long stretches of white sand beaches.