The Top Museums in Havana, Cuba

The vast majority of the objects on display at the Museum of the Revolution celebrate Cuba’s struggle against the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship that controlled the country for most of the 1950s, especially the history and the actions of the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro. From torture gear to vehicles, planes and weapons that reflect the cruelty and might of the dictator, to uniforms and personal objects that speak of an opposition with less resources and more resolution, the collection tells a story of a confrontation of unequal forces. In addition to the indoor collection, housed by Cuba’s former Presidential Palace, there’s an outdoor exhibition that, among other large pieces, includes the Granma Yacht used by Fidel Castro and his men to return to Cuba from exile in Mexico in 1952.

While the Museum of the Revolution tells a good part of Cuban history, the Museum of the City treasures an important number of pieces linked to the colonial period and Cuba’s struggle for independence during those years. Housed by the palace that was home to the Captain General (the Spanish Crown’s highest representative on the island), the museum includes 40 rooms devoted to Cuba’s Spanish heritage and the origins of the Cuban identity. From ballrooms and offices, to stables and administrative facilities, the museum conveys very well the idea of how the powerful and the rich used to live in the 18th and 19th centuries in the New World.

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Havana is a lavish mansion that belonged to one of Cuba’s richest families in the 1950s, and which was turned into a museum in 1964. Each room of the museum is a masterclass in interior decoration. Luxurious furniture, sculptures, and all kinds of pieces dating back to the 16th century are tastefully combined and grouped into different rooms devoted to individual styles. The Art Nouveau and Art Deco rooms, for instance, include pieces by the most important manufacturers for these styles, such as Louis Confort Tiffany, Emile Gallé, René Lalique and Demetre Chiparus. The collection is made up by over 33,000 pieces, by the most exclusive brands and manufacturer in the world, including France’s Sèvres, Paris, Chantilly, Limoges, and England’s Derby, Chelsea, Wedgwood, Worcester and Staffordshire.

This typical distillery museum offers guided tours where you’ll become familiar with the production process of Cuban rum, from the very beginning at sugar plantations to production, and consumption (the tour ends at the bar, with rum shots). Tours take some 30 minutes and cost around US$5. The museum is mainly devoted to Havana Club, the country’s top band of rum.