Audio walk · Havana
Malecón and La Punta
Put your phone in your pocket and walk. Your phone reads each stop aloud, then waits while you walk to the next one; tap “I've arrived” to carry on. Everything it says is written out below, so the walk works without sound too.
- 3 stops
- about 4 min of listening
- about 15 min between stops
- Cluster guide
3 stops · about 4 min listening · about 15 min between stops
Before you start
Voice and speed
The script is in English. On-device voices keep working with no signal once this page is open or saved.
Transcript
Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.
Before you start
Welcome to the Malecón and La Punta audio walk in Havana. 3 stops: Malecón sea wall and La Punta, Museo de la Revolución and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Cuban Art. Late-afternoon cluster: the sea road, the Punta fortress and the revolution museum; go at golden hour, not at noon.
Castillo de la Punta south to the Museo de la Revolución and the Malecón wall — the sea-road stretch only. Underfoot: paved, sea wall; slope: flat; shade: low.
Havana is a city of long sea walls, crumbling colonnades and quick, warm conversation, and it is one of the few places where five centuries of history are visible from a single street corner. It was a treasure-fleet port, a colonial capital, a casino resort and a revolutionary capital, and it now runs on cash, improvisation and music.
Before you start: Waves splash the Malecón in a north wind: keep off the wall then. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.
1. Malecón sea wall and La Punta
El Malecón
Stop 1 of 3: Malecón sea wall and La Punta. Locally, El Malecón. Arrival point: La Punta, at the end of the Prado.
The long sea wall on the north edge of the city: walk it from La Punta at 17:30–19:00 for sunset and people, and keep away from the road edge when the swell is up.
The Malecón is the sea road that runs about eight kilometres along the north shore, from Habana Vieja through Centro Habana to Vedado. Life in Havana is lived outdoors, on doorsteps, balconies and the Malecón, and conversation is the main entertainment. If you have a slack day, use it to sit on the Malecón or in a plaza and watch the city go by, because much of what makes Havana rewarding happens between the listed sights.
Spray and waves can reach the road in a north swell: do not stand at the wall edge. Locals, fishers and couples from late afternoon; busiest on weekend evenings. Casual.
Walk:Next, stop 2: Museo de la Revolución. It's about 9 minutes on foot, about 350 metres to the south. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
2. Museo de la Revolución
Stop 2 of 3: Museo de la Revolución. Arrival point: Calle Refugio, Old Havana side.
The former presidential palace, now a museum of the 20th-century revolution: 60–90 minutes, indoors; go in the afternoon heat.
Do not photograph where staff say not to. Quiet outside school hours. Smart-casual. Is it good in the afternoon? Yes: it is indoors and shaded, a good midday heat break.
Walk:Next, stop 3: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Cuban Art. It's about 6 minutes on foot, about 150 metres to the south. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
3. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Cuban Art
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Arte Cubano)
Stop 3 of 3: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Cuban Art. Locally, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Arte Cubano). Arrival point: Trocadero Street, Centro Habana.
The best indoor hour in Havana: Cuban painting and sculpture from the colonial period to today, in a shaded building near the revolution museum; go in the afternoon heat and check that it is open.
Follow staff rules on photography. Quiet on weekday mornings; groups late in the day. Casual; cover up. How many buildings are there? Two: this one for Cuban art and a second one for international art near the Parque Central; check which you want. Shoes on.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Cuban Art: hours, tickets and rules →
End of the walk
That's the end of the Malecón and La Punta walk. To carry on, Prado and Capitolio is about 12 minutes away (walk south). To carry on, Habana Vieja is about 20 minutes away (walk south-east).
Built from this site's place pages, walking times and city deep dive; nothing is added that isn't on those pages. Opening hours, prices and rules change: check each place page before you go. Walking times are typical (median) and assume a steady pace.