Hola / ¿Qué bola? (informal)
How locals say hello in Havana
Dry season (Nov–April)
Cuba has two types of restaurants — state-run (mediocre) and paladares (private, family-run, excellent). Always find a paladar.
Diego Velázquez founded Havana in 1519 after two failed earlier locations. Its extraordinary natural harbour quickly made it the assembly point for Spain's treasure fleet: every year, galleons loaded with Aztec gold and Incan silver gathered here before crossing the Atlantic. For 300 years, virtually all New World wealth flowed through this port. The British captured it briefly in 1762, using it to trade 10,000 enslaved Africans into Cuba — permanently transforming the island's culture.
Havana has the world's largest collection of classic American cars — 1940s and 50s Chevrolets and Buicks still used as taxis.
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