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Taking the ferry at the the end of Calle Santa Clara and crossing the bay will bring you to Casablanca. The crossing costs 1 cuban peso and be prepared: your bags will be searched (a result of the attempts to hijack these worn down ferries and take them to Miami. PS the perpetrators were executed).
Alternatively, you can take the bus that runs through the Túnel de Havana or take a taxi.
At Casablanca, at the entrance of the bay, the Spanish built a third castle, named Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro (1630), to protect the harbour against the pirates. In times of threat the Spanish linked El Morro with La Punta with an iron chain to prevent any enemies entering the bay. For about 150 years the castle remained impregnable, but in 1762 the English took over El Morro castle and with that Havana.
Later in the 18th century Cuba was returned to Spain. The Spanish then built the Fortaleza de San Carlos de La Cabaña, a fortress on the hills east of the castle to prevent a successful siege like in 1762 from happening again.
On the harbor side of the fort, built directly next to it, lies La Bateria de los Doce Apostoles (Battery of the 12 Apostles), a crescent shaped fortification equipped with 12 large cannons, each named after an apostle.
In the 20th century El Morro castle was used as a prison. At present it houses art galleries and cultural happenings as well as two restaurants (The Twelve Apostles and La Divina Pastora) and a bar in the old batteries, all offering extraordinary views at the coastline of Havana.
Next, www.househostelcuba.com is going to present you the beautiful places of this city:
Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro, Casablanca, Notable building
El Morro castle is a fortress guarding the entrance to the bay of Havana. It was designed by the Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli and built between 1589 and 1630. It protected the city from pirate attacks as well as invasions from the French, the Dutch and the English. Between El Morro castle and La Punta castle on the other side of the bay a chain was laid which could be drawn tight in times of menacing invasions.
El Morro castle resisted attacks for more than 100 years, but in 1762, after a 44-day siege, a 14,000-strong British force captured El Morro by attacking from the landward side.
Nowadays El Morro castle houses art galleries and cultural happenings. There are two restaurants (The Twelve Apostles and La Divina Pastora) and a bar in the old batteries, all offering extraordinary views at the coastline of Havana Vieja.
There is also a lighthouse next to it, added in 1844. It is still functioning, one of the few lighthouses that is not fully automated yet. Its flash light is visible 30kms out to sea. The lighthouse is open for visits as well, worth a visit to get one of the best views over the city.
Address: El Morro-Cabaña Park in the municipality of Habana del Este
Open: Monday to Sunday, 9:00am to 5:30pm
Entrance: castle 4.00CUC, +2.00CUC to take your camara – lighthouse 2.00CUC
Castillo San Carlos de la Cabaña, Casablanca, Notable building
A 5-minute walk from El Morro castle will take you to the Castillo San Carlos de la Cabaña. This impressive fortress of the Spanish colonists was built next to the El Morro castle, to prevent a second invasion. Constructions started when the Spanish got back in power in 1763 and lasted until 1774, with its wall constructed at the end of the 18th century.
At the same time the Castillo de Príncipe and Castillo de Atarés where constructed as part of the new fortification system.
The result was the largest fortress in the Americas and a city that has not been attacked since. This means that La Cabaña castle, with its capacity of 1300 men, to be increased to 6000 in the event of war, its 120 cannons and a storage enough to resist a year of blockade, without receiving supplies from the exterior, never got into action.
After the Revolution Che Guevara used the castle as headquarters and today it is home to a museum dedicated to the guerrilla, displaying mainly personal objects.
Every night at nine, a cannon shot is fired by soldiers dressed in the traditional uniform, in colonial times the signal used to warn El Morro and La Punta castles to close the bay and tighten the chain.
Address: El Morro-Cabaña Park in the municipality of Habana del Este
Open: Monday to Sunday, 10:00am to 10:00pm
Cristo de Havana, Casablanca, Notable site
Havana's 20-meter marble statue of Christ overlooks the city from the east hillside of the bay, much like the famous Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro. It is the work of the Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera. Placed there in 1958, during the dictatorship of Battista, only 15 days later it got damaged when Fidel Castro invaded Havana during the Cuban Revolution.
The material used are 67 blocks of carrara marble with a total weight of around 320 tons, brought from Italy and blessed by Pope Pius XII.
It is a 10-minute walk to get to the statue from La Cabaña castle and it is worth the walk just to enjoy skyline from the panoramic viewpoint.
La Triada & the world´s longest cigar, Casablanca
The world's longest cigar measures 81.80 meters and was made by Jose "Cueto" Castelarat in 2011. It took him over a week to make it but he got his reward: A place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Address: located next to Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabaña
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