Paseo del Prado

The Paseo del Prado (officially Paseo de Martí) is Havana's main promenade — a tree-lined marble boulevard running from the Parque Central down to the Malecón, flanked by some of the finest 19th and early 20th century buildings in the city. The central walkway is separated from traffic by decorative ironwork and has marble benches at intervals, bronze lions at the main intersections, and very old trees providing dense shade.

The Prado is best visited in the late afternoon, when the light turns gold on the building facades, schoolchildren are let out, boxing gyms on the side streets open their doors, and the whole boulevard comes alive with a domestic energy completely unlike the tourist areas of Old Havana. Walk the full length from Parque Central to the Malecón — it takes about fifteen minutes and rewards close attention to the architectural details.

things to do sight centro habana
A story
The Prado was Havana's first suburban promenade, built in 1772 at the edge of the colonial city and lined with shade trees that made it the preferred evening walk of the Havana bourgeoisie. By the early 20th century it had been redesigned in the style of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, with a central pedestrian boulevard flanked by marble benches and bronze lions. Today the lions are polished smooth by generations of children sitting on them, and the boulevard has been taken over by skateboarders and boxers sparring in the open air.

Other places in Centro Habana