Cuba Guide
Havana
Habana del Este
While many people omit the sights in Habana del Este, across the bay from Habana Vieja, from their itinerary, erroneously believing them to be inconveniently located, those visitors who do make it this far are rewarded by uncrowded sights that are a telling link in the city's history. The ordered surrounds of the military Parque Morro-Cabana provide a particularly fascinating insight into Havana's fortified past, while a climb up to the gargantuan statue of Christ denotes the city's latter-day religious devotion. The easiest way to get to Habana del Este is to take a metered taxi ($5CUC) or a private one ($4CUC) from Habana Vieja. It's also possible to take a bus (40¢) from the stop near the Monumento a Máximo Gómez – get off at the first stop after the tunnel. Once in Habana del Este, it's a brisk half-hour walk east from the fortifications to the Cristo de La Habana. If you're heading directly to the statue from Habana Vieja, consider taking the pleasant foot-and-bicycle ferry (1 peso) that leaves every thirty minutes from Avenida del Puerto e/ Sol y Luz, ten minutes' walk south from Plaza San Francisco and the main Sierra Maestra Terminal.