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Cuba is still a long way from being the playground of the rich, famous, and notorious that it was prior to the 1950s, but it has undergone some significant changes since it began welcoming international tourists once again in the 1990s. One of the major benefits of Cuba's efforts is that the city of Havana is now a World Heritage Site, and has been the recipient of some major restoration efforts. A visit to Havana in the 21st century is like being transported back half a century, because many of the cars which were on the road in pre-Revolutionary days remain on the road today.

One unforeseen advantage of the economic sanctions placed on Cuba over the past five decadesis that there has been none of the development along its beaches which has destroyed the natural beauty of so many other Caribbean coastlines, and tourists have their pick of dozens of unspoiled beaches and coves to enjoy.

Any time spent in Old Havana will be time spent in the shadows of some of the great names of the 20th century, from Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to Ernest Hemingway and Che Guevara. Relax with a drink at national Museum of Natural History's rooftop bar, from where the entire Havana cityscape is visible. Or get a taste of the privileged life of the representatives of the Spanish crown in their colonial residence, the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales at the Plaza de Armas.

Go back to Havana's beginnings by touring the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the earliest of its Spanish forts. Finished in 1577, the fort is the oldest stone fortress in the Americas and survived largely because its location made it virtually useless in protecting the Havana harbor from pirates, and eventually became the home of Havana's governors.

A tour of Havana's Capitolio Nacional will be eerily reminiscent of a tour of the US capitol building in Washington, D.C, because it was built by Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista to mimic that building and be the seat of his puppet regime. For a grasp of the events which led to Batista's downfall, visit the Museo de la Revolucion

Follow a visit to the Museo de Revolutions with a drink at Castillo de Farnes, where the revolutions leaders Che Guevara and Fidel castor raised a glass to their own success, and follow that drink with a roll-it-yourself cigar at the Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagas.

Experience some of Havana's sea breezes during a walk along the Malecon which connects Old Havana to the Vedado district, with its Hotel Nacional atop a rocky outcrop overlooking the harbor. The hotel was the favorite late night haunt of pre-revolutionary gangsters and celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner.

Only a 20-minute taxi jaunt from Old Havana are the city's East beaches, the white sand and clear blue waters of which are still free of the shadows of tourist hotels. Beach chairs and umbrellas are available for rent, as are kayaks and catamarans. The beaches have lots of restaurants and bars to keep visitors sustained as they swim and sunbathe.

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