257 Mercaderes St.. between Amargura St. & Brasil St. (Teniente Rey) ,
Havana, Cuba
(+53) 78633838
yes
About
Meson de la Flota
The Meson de la Flota is not strictly speaking a hotel but a bar with a few rooms above it which are more than occasionally used, one suspects, by clients of the hostelry who find the prospect of walking a straight line to their more distant accommodation a little too challenging to contemplate.
The establishment is designed around a maritime theme in celebration of Havana’s salty, swashbuckling history and is liberally decorated with signal flags, model ships, barrels, ships’ wheels, lanterns and other seagoing paraphernalia.
There’s a good selection of wines and some excellent tapas at the bar, along with exuberant performances of Cubano-Flamenco music every day.
Calle Mercaderes esq. Lamparilla, Habana Vieja, La Habana
Firefighters Museum
The Museo de Bomberos (Firefighters Museum) is located in the same place where more than 20 firemen died during a great fire. The purpose of this museum is to promote fire prevention throughout the population and to recognize the great work firemen do. The museum contains a bronze sculpture of a fireman, several water tanks, firefighter uniforms, and other related items. It also has an auditorium and offers guided tours and fire prevention courses for children and teenagers.
Calle Brasil esq. Compostela, Habana Vieja, La Habana
Farmacia Habanera Museum
A few steps towards Calle Brasil from Plaza del Cristo Square is where the 1886 Museo de la Farmacia Habanera is located. Founded by the Catalonian José Sarrá, it is a shop-museum and nowadays still functions as a pharmacy. The museum displays the history of pharmacies in Havana and their evolution in Cuba. This Pharmacy preserves its original Neo-gothic furniture with Moorish influences, and host a large collection of medicine bottles and medical tools, extracted from archeological excavations in the old city, as well as a book collection with valuable prescriptions for the study of Cuban pharmacopoeia. The museum also exhibits an elegant scale model of an old pharmacy with captivating historical explanations.
Tacon e/ Obispo y ORelly, Habana Vieja
Palace of the Captains-General (City Museum)
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.
Oficios, e/ Amargura y Churruca, Habana Vieja
San Francisco de Asís Square
This square dates back to the first half of the 17th century. Its location, just a few metres from the bay, led to it becoming an important trading square over the years. It is said that around the year 1600 the first fountain of the city could be seen at this square. In 1836 it was replaced by a beautiful fountain made of white Carrara marble by Giuseppe Gaggini, under the good auspices of the Villanueva Count. This fountain is called Fuente de los Leones (Lions Fountain). On its paved area stand two noteworthy buildings: the Monastery and Basilica of San Francisco de Asís, which today houses the Museum of Religious Art and a concert hall. It is also where the Lonja del Comercio (Chamber of Commerce) is located, inspired by Spanish Renaissance architecture and topped by a dome on which a sculpture of the god Mercury stands. Among the houses built around the plaza, the house of the Arostegui family, residence of the Captain Generals until the completion of the City Hall at the end of the 18th century, was erected.