Havana is both creative and colourful, and that’s well-expressed in the works of local artists, whose work doesn’t necessarily hang in galleries. Article content Old Havana is full of small wonders and big smiles Photo by Tim Johnson Appreciate weird and whimsical art This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And they’ll share their local knowledge with you-a recent tour included stops at a microbrewery, a chocolate museum, a café with what could be the best coffee in the city-and another where the music and dancing rages into the night. Walking with a local, you can pop into a bodega and learn about day-to-day life in this country, including Cuba’s ration system, where families take their libreta-a ration book-and receive staples like bread, rice, chicken, eggs, salt and sugar. The back lanes of Old Havana are a fabulous place to get lost, but if you want to unlock their secrets, you’re best to do so with a guide. Then hang around to browse in the on-site shop or, even better, order a mojito or Cuba Libre at the bar and hang out in the courtyard, where local musicians show up to play salsa music. Best of all, the tour finishes with a tasting of their sugary, dark Havana Club 7.

Take a tour at their Museo del Ron, where guides take you through the entire production process, from growing and transporting sugar cane, to distillation, to aging the liquor in white oak barrels. Article content Mix up some rumĪ brand seen all over the world since 1878, Havana Club is headquartered here in its namesake city.

The dark heart of old havana