The best museums Cuba

The former presidential palace is now the Museum of the Revolution. Designed by two architects, the Cuban Rodolfo Maruri and the Belgian Paul Belau, it was built between 1912 and 1919. From 1917 onwards, it was used as a residence for presidents. Between its inauguration in 1920 and the revolution in 1959, twenty-one presidents passed through it. This four-story building is built entirely of white stone. The sober elegance of the exterior contrasts with the luxury of the interior, where marble, columns and salons abound, including the Salón de los Espejos, a replica of the famous Versailles gallery, and the Salón Dorado, all in yellow marble.

On March 13, 1957, a group of young revolutionaries attacked the presidential palace with the aim of assassinating President Fulgencio Batista, who had taken power five years earlier in a coup. The operation failed. Batista managed to escape through a secret door in his office. Most of the attackers were killed, while the president of the Student Federation, José Antonio Echeverría, who had successfully participated in the seizure of Radio Reloj to spread the news, was killed by the police as he tried to reach the university. To honor these young revolutionaries, the park in front of the palace was named Parque Trece de Marzo. Fidel Castro, in January 1959, gave his first big speech in Havana on the terrace of the north wing of the palace. He never lived there, probably wanting to distinguish himself from all the presidents who preceded him. But it was the close relationship of this place with recent history that designated it, in 1974, for its new function, that of the Museum of the Revolution.

With documents, photos, objects, maps, models, etc., the Museum of the Revolution offers, on three levels, a complete and chronological vision of the history of the Cubans' struggle for independence. Don't miss it under any circumstances and plan at least 1 hour and a half because of its richness. You will go from the aboriginal rebellions against the conquistadores to the independence wars of the 19th century against the slavery of the Spanish colonial power. The twentieth century is not to be outdone with the highlighting of social and political demands, naturally. Linger on the fascinating history of the labor movement in the 1920s and 1930s and the emergence of the revolutionary process. Don't miss the sections devoted to guerrilla warfare, including the two life-size sculptures of Camilo Cienfuegos and Che Guevara in the Sierra Maestra. The last part of the museum is dedicated to the consolidation of the gains of the 1959 revolution.

You can also visit the presidential office where the different Cuban presidents succeeded each other until Batista.

Then go outside the museum to visit the Granma memorial, where the eponymous yacht on which Fidel Castro and 81 fighters left Mexico to wage the last revolutionary war is on display. The overloaded boat sailed painfully for a week before running aground in Las Coloradas on December 2, 1956. Spotted by Batista's troops, many of them were killed immediately. However, Fidel Castro and some of them managed to reach the Sierra Maestra mountains, home of the insurrectional struggle that ended in victory on January¹, 1959.

Inaugurated on December 28, 1988, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the battle of Santa Clara, it is the only museum dedicated to Che. Photos, objects, documents and videos evoke his life from his birth to his death. His remains and those of seven companions assassinated in Bolivia on the orders of the United States, were transferred there in 1997, for the 30th anniversary of their death. In the memorial, we can see the coffins of Che and all his companions. It is rather sober but moving.

Built in 1885 (inaugurated on September 8) at the request of Marta Abreu de Estévez, who was also responsible for the construction of the first free clinic in Santa Clara in 1878, the Teatro de la Carida (Theatre of Charity) is decorated with paintings by the Spaniard Camilo Zelaya. It is worth noting that the first temple in the city was located here: the Ermita de la Candelaria. Plays are regularly performed here and every Thursday night at 7 pm a concert is held in the entrance of the theater. The guided tour is interesting and highly recommended.

Housed in an old colonial house, built between 1827 and 1830, the museum features magnificent neoclassical murals by Cuban and Italian artists. It traces the history of Trinidad since its foundation: Indian archeological finds, the slave trade, the development of the sugar industry, the struggle for independence undertaken by the Trinitarios and other significant episodes in the city's culture, society and economy.

Long under renovation, this museum reopened in March 2011 and the inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Princess Napoleon herself, as the museum is largely dedicated to Napoleon. The history of the museum is linked to that of Julio Lobo, a Cuban billionaire nicknamed the Sugar Czar, who lived in a residence in Vedado, now the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture. A great admirer of Napoleon, he was not afraid to claim that he was his reincarnation... His passion for the Emperor led him to buy objects from all over the world that belonged to him or were related to his time. You will see a death mask of the Emperor made by Dr. Antommarchi, who ended his days in the island of Cuba. After the revolution, in 1960, Julio Lobo preferred to leave Cuba. The government decided to exhibit his collection in the former residence of Ferrara, a minister under the Machado regime, and the museum was opened to the public on December 2, 1961.

Architecturally, the residence was inspired by a Florentine Renaissance palace (Medicci Ricardi). In addition to the attractiveness of the exhibits, the museum enjoys a breathtaking view of the entire city. On the first floor, linger over the ancient engravings dating from the time of the French Revolution and Napoleon. The first and second floors contain an office, a bedroom, a dining room, a living room, all furnished with period furniture. Finally, the top floor is occupied by a library, containing all the great classics of universal literature.

The Havana Club Foundation, located in the heart of Habana Vieja, offers through its museum an encounter with the history of Cuban rum from its origins. The lively museum reconstructs the life of a rum factory, from its most traditional origins: planting, harvesting, manufacturing process. Through a model, the spectator is transported to the middle of a plantation for a few moments! Tasting of old rum offered to close the visit!

Founded on June 7, 1983, this very good museum traces the history of the carnival in Santiago de Cuba, considered the most prestigious of the island. There are many musical instruments, photographs, costumes and floats. Every day at 4 pm, the group 19 de Septiembre performs typical dances, such as the tumba francesa or the rumba. The performance, which lasts about 45 minutes, takes place in the patio of the museum. The price of the show is included in the entrance ticket, but if you want to take pictures, it is 5 € per person.

The museum is organized around three eras:

Colonial Era. Originally a religious festival dedicated to Santiago Apostol, patron saint of the city, Carnival became a pagan festival in the 16th century, with the participation of slaves and the creation of cabildos and the tumba francesa. The Spanish power used it to curb revolts or the escape of slaves.

The mercantilist or neocolonial republic. The carnival served as an advertising medium for companies (Bacardi, Hatuey beer...) and politicians who subsidized it. In exchange, the dancers and musicians agree to march, covered with the slogans of the moment.

The triumph of the revolution. Fidel and his men attacked the Moncada military barracks on July 26, in the middle of Carnival. After the victory of the revolution, new slogans praising the power in place appear. A certain return to tradition is also observed. The carnival takes place the last week of July!

Located in the former convent of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the museum recounts the fighting in the 1960s between the national revolutionary militia and the enemies of the revolution, who operated in the mountainous areas of the Escambray (the main theater of counter-revolutionary resistance). Photos and testimonies maintain the myth of the barbudos. On display are a marine launch and part of the U2 (U.S. spy plane) shot down by the Cuban army in 1962.

Good news, the museum, which has been under restoration for a long time, has finally reopened! The city could not fail to honor the memory of one of its most famous natives. A museum was opened in 1973 in the house where Ignacio Agramonte (1841-1873) was born. The latter, a leader of the independence movement in the region, fought 45 battles before being shot in 1873, at the age of 32, by Spanish troops, who in reprisal burned his body.

To know everything about the rum making process, which started in Santiago in 1862 under the impulse of the Catalans and the French. Don't hesitate to ask for a guidebook, always very useful, to understand a little better the world of the Cuban national drink. The Rum Museum is located within the walls of the Taverna del Ron. The tasting is thus foreseen. A still is installed at the entrance of the house, in neoclassical style. A store is also on site. The Taverna is open every day until 9 pm (about 2 € per cocktail).

Built in 1808, the former palace of Nicolás de la Cruz y Brunet, owner of cane plantations ennobled by the king of Spain, is one of the beautiful testimonies of the colonial architecture of the island. It has been beautifully restored. One of the floors has been transformed into a museum, with collections of jewelry, furniture, porcelain and silverware that belonged to the Spanish nobility. You will also see the paintings of Esteban Chartrand, a French-Cuban painter of the 19th century.

Inaugurated in April 1976, for the 15th anniversary of the victory of the Castro troops, the museum retraces the Bay of Pigs affair. The attempted US invasion turned into a fiasco after three days of intense fighting. The artillery of the regular forces will indeed defeat the attackers with the support of the last two fighter planes of the Air Force, one of which still sits at the entrance. A very enlightening film is shown at the end of the visit.

Except for the main rooms dedicated to exhibitions, this palace has not changed much since the last heirs of the Sánchez-Iznaga family left in 1982. During the visit, you will get acquainted with samples of the architectural development of Trinidad. You will also see the Italian porcelain toilet in the interior patio and the American shower of 1912, heated with gas. The urns in the patio (19th century) are from Malaga.

In an old neoclassical palace, probably built between 1806 and 1817, you can discover works of art related to the life of the most famous great man in American history: Simón Bolívar. An art gallery with numerous pieces donated by Venezuelan artists completes the ensemble. In the 19th century, the house was owned by Santiago B. Burnham. The central patio, full of green plants and multicolored birds, is very welcoming.

This magnificent residence, the oldest in the plaza, is also known as the Casa de don Luis Chacón, the military governor who had it built in the very early 18th century. Don Luis Chacón was entrusted three times with the office of military governor of Cuba, an honor and above all a responsibility that was almost never in the hands of criollos, those descendants of Spaniards born in Cuba, whom the crown preferred to be pure Spaniards... The Casa-Bayona palace has one of the most harmonious facades of Cuban colonial architecture. Its red marble floor, its ceilings of precious wood seem to have been destined to higher functions than those that were assigned to it. It was the headquarters of the Chamber of Notaries until 1933, and later became the editorial office of the newspaper La Discusión. It was during this time of republic that it was named Casa-Bayona, to honor the memory of the former noble family to which it never belonged..

Museo de Arte Colonial. After the Cuban revolution and the restoration of the place, the palace became a Museum of Colonial Art. Seven marvelous exhibition halls give a glimpse of the luxury that surrounded the wealthiest classes of the colonial era: precious wood furniture, sumptuous dishes, Sevres vases, Murano crystals, silverware... We should also mention some typical Cuban furniture, such as the taburete, an upholstered chair with a narrow back.

This museum has been repainted in a bright white and blue for the city's bicentennial in 2019.

Built between 1891 and 1893, the building originally housed the Spanish casino. Today, it is primarily dedicated to the decorative arts and preserves archaeological samples from the pre-Columbian era. On Saturdays and Sundays, the place comes alive with concerts of traditional Cuban music. The program can be requested at the reception desk. Every first Saturday of the month, a peña (popular cultural gathering) is held at the museum.

The museum traces the archaeological history of Cuba, from the pre-Columbian period to the Spanish conquest and colonization. Its former owners, Don Juan Andrés Padrón and his family, hosted the famous Alexander von Humboldt in 1801 during his visit to Trinidad. Hernán Cortés is also said to have stayed here before leaving for Mexico in the 16th century. Guamuhaya is the word used by the aborigines to designate the mountain range surrounding Trinidad.

The museum presents a collection of comics, cartoons and cartoons.