Marina Hemingway, 15 kilometres west of central Havana in the Playa municipality, is Cuba's main international marina and one of the few places where foreign yachts can legally enter Cuban waters. The complex — built in the 1950s around a series of canals cut into the coastline — contains docking facilities, a small hotel, restaurants, and shops catering primarily to the sailing community.
For non-sailors, the marina is worth a visit for its atmosphere: a pocket of relative informality on the edge of the city where Cubans and foreigners mix easily, and where the seafood restaurants along the canal docks serve fresh catch at prices lower than Havana's more tourist-facing establishments. The canals make for a pleasant walk in the late afternoon, with pelicans on the dockside and the occasional glimpse of a well-travelled ocean yacht from Europe or North America.