The Palacio del Segundo Cabo (Segundo Cabo Palace) is located on the north side of Plaza de Armas Square, Old Havana. This majestic palace is Neoclassical in style and was built in 1772 with local limestone full of holes and calcareous marine incrustations. This building was first built as headquarters of the Spanish vice-governor. Currently, and after several reworkings during which it functioned as Post office, Senate Palace, Supreme Court, National Academy of Arts and Letters, or the Cuba Academy of Science, nowaday it belongs to the Cuban Ministry of Culture, and it hosts the Centre for the Interpretation of Cuba-Europa Relationship.

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.

The Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje Church is a simple yet charming church. It is located in Plaza del Cristo Square, on the western side of Old Havana, away from the city center and tourist areas. The structure of the church is intriguing because of the simplicity of its towers and of its lateral façades, in complete harmony with the character of the works of the 17th century. The church was built in 1732 in the same place where previously there was a Franciscan shrine. Nowadays it has only partially been restored, with its beautiful stained glass windows and brightly colored ceiling being very noteworthy qualities. Inside the church, the image of Jesus on the Cross among travelers and sailors became very popular because it was thought to keep people from harm. On Good Fridays the processions left from the Convento de San Francisco de Asís and ended at the Iglesia del Cristo. The dimensions of the plaza were planned according to the processions that were to take place in it, marking the end of the fourteen crosses or Stations of the Cross. The Plaza del Cristo Square is an ideal place if you want to get far from touristy areas and to witness what real Cuban life is like.

The vast Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, known as ‘La Cabaña’, running beside the harbor, was constructed after the English capture of Havana in 1763. The largest of the military structures built by Spain in the Americas, this fortress was completed in 1774 and its presence formed an effective complete deterrent against the country's enemies. The polygon, occupying an area of around 10 hectares, consists of bastions, ravelins, moats, covered walkways, barracks, squares and stores.  It is impressively well preserved, and the gardens and ramparts are romantically lit in the evening. This fortress hosts the spectacular nightly ceremony of El Cañonazo de las Nueve (cannon fire at 9), the firing of a cannon that marked the closing of the city gates, one of Havana's longest-held and most attractive traditions.