Currently the venue of the Office of the Historian of Havana, the palace was built in 1776 and has been given several functions: official residence of the Spanish governors of the island from 1781 to 1899 and of the presidency of the republic from 1902 to 1920. The City Museum currently occupies part of the sumptuous halls with permanent exhibition of arts and history of the colonial times and of the beginnings of the 20 th century. The museum exhibits valuable treasures such as: the first Cuban flag, personal effects of the heroes of Cuba: Jose Martí, Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo together with a priceless collection of colonial furniture, carriages and other works of art.

The sumptuous Cathedral Square isthe focus of Old Havana life. Of particular interest in the Cathedral Square are the Cathedral, a baroque church, and the Museo de Arte Colonial, housed in a handsome pal­ace dating from 1622. Tourists linger at El Patio’s outdoor café, sipping coffee or mojitos and tapping their toes to Cuban son.

The Simón Bolívar Museum is situated within an old Neoclassical palace dating back to between 1806 and 1817., right in front of the bronze statue of Latin America’s liberator, in Old Havana. This museum in honor of Simón Bolívar was opened July 24th 1993, coinciding with the anniversary of his birth. It has permanent exhibitions dealing with the history of the Bolivarian nation and its main figures of independence. The museum also houses a great library with important book collections and Latin-American documents.

The Museo Maqueta de La Habana Vieja (Maqueta Museum of Old Havana) (Scale Model Museum) hosts a 1:500 scale model of Old Havana, one of the most important of these models in all of Cuba, and is considered as a place of great interest, knowledge and entertainment by its inhabitants. It is continuously updated and is rather impressive due to the incredible attention to detail in its works in regards to some of the most important buildings of Old Havana. This is one of Old Havana’s must-visit museums, as it allows you to imagine what the historical center of Havana is like as a whole, and therefore being able to get a better look at it when walking its streets.