![]() |
City Guide - Havana - Nightlife | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nightlife Havana is a dynamic place for nightlife and the choice of venues is endless. It is also a great place for live music and you do not even to go to a club to hear it, as there is plenty on the streets. The social scene does not get going until about 2200 and, as there are no official licensing hours, clubs and bars tend to close when the last customer leaves, normally between 0200 and 0300. The free city listings paper, Cartelera, has a list of what's on around the city, including any gigs for famous bands such as the Buena Vista Social Club or Los Van Van. Generally Cubans expect to dress up when going out and most clubs have a rule of no shorts, T-shirts or jeans. Many clubs charge an entrance fee and this can be as little as US$1 or up to US$10 and more. Bars: Two of Havana's bars are a must-see on any visit to the city. La Bodeguita del Medio, 207 Empedrado Street, in the old city, was popular with many famous personalities in the 1950s, such as Ernest Hemingway and Errol Flynn, and many left signed autographs that now paper the walls. Hemingway also frequented El Floridita, 557Obispo, where he was partial to a daiquiri. A more modern but chic setting is El Gato Tuero, Malecon y O, a café-bar with live music at the weekends. Casinos: These are illegal in Cuba. Clubs: Techno has arrived in Havana at La Red, Calle 19 between K and L, in Vedado, but live music is also played by some of the best Cuban musicians currently around. Below the Teatro Nacional, Paseo y Calle 39, is Café Cantante Mi Habana, a disco popular with the young trendies of Havana as well as a salsa club. Habana Cafe in the Hotel Melia Cohiba, Paseo, between Calles 1 and 3 is the place to be seen in Havana and the major retro venue in town. Live music: A trip to Havana is not complete without a visit to the world-famous open-air Tropicana, Linea del Ferrocarril y 72, Marianao, with nightly extravaganzas featuring scantily dressed dancers in sequins and feathers with outrageous headdresses. Be warned that tickets are very expensive. La Zorra y el Cuervo, Calle 23 between N and O, has live jazz nightly, offering an alternative to salsa. Cuba's best salsa bands regularly perform at El Palacio de la Salsa in the Riviera Hotel on Paseo y Malecon. |
|