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Like every Latin American city, Havana also has markets. However, there are a few major differences. One thing is that the Mercado San Rafael is not nearly as large as other Latin American markets tend to be, but rather small and more like a daily or weekly market in Europe. At the same time, I actually hardly saw any markets, but rather isolated stalls where something was being sold. My theory: Cuba is quite cut off from the world and imports many of its foodstuffs, as well as other items such as hygiene products and electrical appliances, from abroad. This means that everything has to be shipped over. Cuba's history naturally makes supply difficult. As a result, when you go to a Cuban restaurant for example, you don't order what you feel like, but first ask what is available. Therefore, I suspect that the size of the market, as well as the amount of markets, is strongly related to that. Go or not? I would leave that up to each person, but if you want to get something cheaper than at the supermarket, experience a bit of local life and have an incredibly delicious guava or mango or something similar, then the market is probably the better address.

Authentic and simply Havana. I actually ended up in Havana Centro more by coincidence. Immediately after arriving at the airport, I met another backpacker on the bus to Havana city centre, who told me about the hostel where she had already booked a few nights. Since we got along really well right away and I hadn't booked anything, I simply threw my plans overboard and went with her to the hostel. It was one of the best decisions I could have made. The hostel was cool, I made a real friend with whom I spent the next three weeks exploring Cuba, and I got to know Havana Centro, which is still my absolute favourite part of Havana. What makes Havana Centro so special? It simply has everything. You'll find tourists and locals here, a few cafés and the usual cityscape and life of Havana. For me, Havana Centro is the part of Havana that reflects everything that makes up Cuban life in Havana. Whether it's the typical Cuban life on the streets with dominoes, children playing marbles, the stalls and markets, or the salsa music. Or the vibe, of course. It's all there. Go or not? Definitely! If you want to see real and authentic life in Havana, go to Havana Centro and just go with the flow.

Tall, big and proud. The National Hotel of Cuba is probably the most famous hotel in entire Cuba and really does have some very cool things to show off with. Apart from that it is incredibly chic and, in my personal opinion, really beautiful as well. It has plaques and certificates hanging on the walls that attest to its status of an epitome of Cuban culture and history. Not excessively, but in places where they cannot be overlooked. Apart from that, the hotel has a really beautiful garden terrace and a truly great view of the Malecón. And yes of course I would have loved to see what the rooms and the dining room look like, but I guess a night in this hotel is outrageously expensive, so I let it be with a short free sightseeing tour. However, I did see some highly polished cars driving away from the hotel. Meaning it's posh :D Go or not? Yes. In theory it is “just” a hotel, but somehow it has something special, and Havana is one of those places where the more you see and walk around, the better you get to know the city. I mean you get to know every place better the more you explore, but Havana doesn't have just one face, but many faces. So you always add a new aspect to the place you’re at.

Havana is a very large city, and Casco Viejo – the tourist centre – basically only a very small part of it. Since I stayed in a hostel in Havana Centro during my time in Havana my first impression of Havana was not exactly what most tourists probably see at first. But as I really liked it I knew I wanted to see more. More of the Havana that I personally call the real Havana. For me, the real Havana consists of beautiful as well as not-so-beautiful corners. There are great house facades and at the same time ruins and/or half-rotten houses and holes in the ground. You also see dirty to clean cars mostly from former eras. Children play with marbles or other things on the street and people relax outside or play dominoes with their neighbours. And salsa music seems to somehow be always coming from somewhere. The real Havana is not always necessarily shiny and pretty, but it is very honest, authentic, beautiful and filled with incredible openness and joy of life. Of course you can see that time has stood still in Cuba on the streets of Havana and in its people – in both negative and positive ways – but that is simply what makes the country and the atmosphere so special. Go or not? Personally, I think that if you only see Casco Viejo, you haven't really got to know or see Havana. It's as simple as that. And Havana is really safe. That's why I think you should definitely take a walk through the streets outside Casco Viejo.

A pharmacy that is both a museum and a functioning pharmacy. I think that's really cool :D It means you can see how pharmacies used to work and operate in the past. It's simply a piece of history that is still alive. In addition to the really long counter and the possibility to sit down on a bench, there is also a staircase leading to another floor. I don't know what's up there, but I'm guessing it's the stock. Go or not? Maybe not everyone finds old-fashioned pharmacies exciting. But you practically nowhere else in the world can find something like this. And I think that makes it very special. And also totally cool. So I would definitely include Farmacia Taquechel in my plans 😊

The most famous bar in Havana, and possibly even in entire Cuba. This is where the daiquiri is said to have been invented. On top Ernest Hemingway was a regular here, made the bar famous and always drank his own special version of the daiquiri. As a result, the place is naturally packed and a major tourist hotspot. Interestingly, the bar itself is not particularly large. But maybe I just expected a larger space, or maybe there were just a lot of people there. Go or not? I don't drink alcohol, but I still went in for a quick look. That's why I think La Floridita is one of those things you should just experience. And if you drink alcohol, you can enjoy that experience on top. However, I can't tell you how long you'll have to wait for a drink or a seat. :D Only that there may be a little show with Cuban music while you wait 😊

Casco Viejo is Havana's proud and ancient city centre, and thus also the old town, which has been polished to a high shine for tourists. At the same time, Havana also has a natural and authentic beauty that is hard to overlook.  The Casco Viejo has many squares. The 13 de Marzo and the Plaza de la Catedrál are the ones that I remember best and are also among the most beautiful in Casco Viejo. They are both located at different points and proudly present the city with a statue and a cathedral. Go or not? Yes, definitely. Both are quite different, but really beautiful places that you should take in 😊

The Capitol and the Post Office in Havana are both magnificent, proud, elegant and beautiful buildings. They are both located in the tourist centre – Casco Viejo – and truly shine like two diamonds in the sun. The Capitol – el Capitolio – is the most famous building in Havana. It is large, imposing and entirely white, decorated with ornaments and a lion's head door knocker made of gold. It is a truly magnificent building to pose in front of or simply admire for a moment. I don't know if you can go inside because I personally couldn't find an entrance. Considering you can't go inside, there were a lot of people there. So I'm guessing you can visit it via a tour. The post office – Correos – is a somewhat simpler building than the Capitol from the outside, but very tall, with a golded lift and very ornate ‘Correos’ lettering inside. Above the lift, you can see a half-sun in gold, with hands pointing to the respective floors. Really majestic and really beautiful. I actually find the post office less impressive from the outside, but inside it's really beautiful and the shadows created by the special doors are also something. Go or not? Yes, definitely. Either way, you'll be taking a stroll through Casco Viejo, so you should stop by both buildings and take a quick look at them 😊 And I think the Capitol is the most famous building in Havana – and, to be honest, one of the most beautiful too :D

Beautiful, touristy and, to be honest, a bit expensive. :D The Casco Viejo is the centre of tourism in Havana. Here you will find most of the beautiful and chic buildings (e.g. Capitolio and Correos), as well as the most impressive and beautiful squares, famous hotels, bars and cafés, and most of the sights. I'm not usually a big fan of places where there are lots of tourists or I find them overrated. Casco Viejo however is really beautiful. Of course you notice a difference to the rest of Havana when you leave Casco Viejo, but even so, Casco Viejo still has the Cuban vibe of Havana – even though it's the tourist zone. The differences here are more that Casco Viejo is much better maintained and, especially close to the sights, really polished to almost shiny. Accordingly, it is also more expensive. Therefore, Casco Viejo is not overrated, but simply less the ‘real’ Havana with the authentic Cuban life that you see when for example walking through Havana Centro. Go or not? Definitely go. Casco Viejo is really beautiful and has an incredible number of cool things to discover. From viewpoints to the hotel where Ernest Hemingway always stayed, the super famous bar ‘La Floridita’ and so much more. Don't miss any of it. I would still recommend also exploring outside of Casco Viejo, because all of Havana has beautiful and interesting corners. Not to forget the authentic Cuban life happening on the streets. Also you can sleep and eat there way cheaper than in Casco Viejo. You'll save a lot of money trust me :D

Incredibly lively and large, beautiful and at the same time half-ruined, and insanely exciting and at the same time relaxing :D Havana is the capital of Cuba and the place where, I suspect, most tourists and locals arrive by plane. Before flying to Havana, I had heard all kinds of stories about Cuba from all sides. Whether it was about the two currencies, how expensive or cheap Cuba is, that you have to be careful because everyone wants to rip you off, that time stands still in Cuba, the cars, the internet, and so on and so forth. All I know is that from the very first second, I felt at home in Havana. And I didn't feel that way anywhere else in Central America and Mexico – except for Guanajuato. To clean up with a few preconceptions and stereotypes: the two currencies are quite easy to tell apart, both visually and by touch. Cuba is incredibly cheap if you don't spend all your time at the tourist hotspots and take a short time to get to know the Cuban currency CUP (24 CUP was worth 1 dollar when I was there), and not just the CUC (1 to 1 with the dollar). Furthermore, Cubans are incredibly nice and friendly people. Of course, you have to haggle a bit (and it helps if you speak Spanish), but you have to haggle everywhere in Latin America. In terms of cars, Cuba actually really has mostly cars from ages ago – very cute and very pretty cars. However, most of the ones you see on photos are only found in tourist areas for tourist trips. Otherwise, they look just like any other car in Latin America – except that they come from a bygone era. Which, of course, doesn't take away anything from their coolness factor. And the internet situation isn't quite as dramatic as it's often portrayed. Because, yes, it's not quite as easy to connect as in the rest of the world, that's true, but you can connect. There are just a few hurdles. But hey, free detox :D The only stereotype that I personally found to be 100% true is that time seems to stand still in Cuba. Cuba is a world in itself, and I won't claim to be able to describe this vibe because, in my opinion, it's impossible. I even think that only those who have been there can understand it. But it's really crazy, fascinating and, to be honest, extremely relaxing :D So, now let's talk about the streets of Havana. I wandered around Havana Centro, Casco Viejo – yes, these are different neighbourhoods – and other neighbourhoods more than once and soaked up the vibe. Firstly, because Havana is incredibly big and also because I felt incredibly safe even at 4 a.m in the morning. And that's despite the fact that Havana is full of areas where not everything is intact. Large rubbish bins on the streets, half-ruins, holes in the ground... except in the tourist district of Casco Viejo. There, everything is clean and shiny for the tourists. It doesn’t make Havana ugly though, because it has this ‘vintage’ touch, is a bit edgy and at the same time so incredibly genuine, authentic and real that it doesn't need gloss to be beautiful. Apart from that, you can constantly hear music somewhere – mostly Salsa Cubana – see people on the streets, often playing dominoes, children playing in the streets and, especially towards evening, people dancing. And above all, there is an incredible joy for and of life and a relaxed attitude that is contagious. Havana is simply... I hadn't seen anything yet and still fell in love instantly. Just a quick note about dominoes... It's like Cuba's national board game. It's played by four people, with two players always playing towards each other. All four sit together – often on the street – place a board, usually the size of a small table, between them on their thighs and play. And salsa and dancing: Cubans are gifted dancers. I had a great time learning a few dance steps :D Go or not? Absolutely one hundred thousand per cent. Havana is... absolutely fantastic and a great place where you can experience, do and see an incredible amount, switch off and let yourself be carried away by the Cuban vibe.