A Local’s Guide to tHavana's Best-Kept Secrets

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COOL THINGS IN JAPAN YOU MUST SEE

There is another side of a Hidden Havana that remains concealed unless you know where to look. Magical, mystical, mysterious, pulsating and always fascinating.

Cuba off the beaten path is at its best and Havana is its epicenter. Here are seven of Havana’s most surprising hidden secrets.

A new mosque in Habana Vieja serves a long-established, vibrant Muslim community. Beautiful churches in prime locations serve the Russian Orthodox congregations.

Havana’s many religious denominations are alive and well.

You can also travel back in time at the city’s many colonial museums. Or enjoy one of the finest collections of Napoleonic art outside of France at the Museo Napoleonico.

Explore Havana’s lesser-known museums

My absolute favorite museum is one that even many Cuban don’t know about, The National Museum of Decorative Arts..a true hidden Havana gem. This museum is in the former home of one of the wealthiest Havana residents, the Gomez-Mena family who owned huge swaths of the city.

There are two breathtakenly beautiful cemeteries in Latin America that are a cut above others in terms of funerary artestry, landscaping and legends. One is the Recoleta in Buenos Aires, and the other is the Cementerio de Colon in Havana.

Stroll through the Colon Cemetery

The best places to stay in Havana or, indeed, anywhere else in Cuba is in a “casa particular,” the Cuban equivalent of an Airb&b or guesthouse.

Where to stay in Havana

This is the best way to interact with the local Cuban people. Stay in their home, have a coffee in their living room, play with their kids and pets. Really engage and immerse yourself in the culture.

Swipe up to learn more!

Travels with Talek