Ultimate Havana Nightlife Guide From A Local (2024)
Although Havana offers a plethora of things to do while the sun is up, there is no by-passing the sizzle of Havana’s diverse nightlife. This is why you need the ultimate Havana nightlife guide to navigate.
I have traveled to Cuba regularly for five years, staying for long periods, and I have visited lots of nightly establishments in Havana.
Including places for dancing salsa, reggeaton, and twerking (the latter not my strongest skill), as well as quiet bars and rooftops with wonderful tranquil ambiances.
The dark hours of Havana have almost more sass & buzz on the dance floor than the bright sunny days, with everything from clubs with DJs to live performances and live band bars.
Havana Nightlife Guide By District
Normally, Mondays and Tuesdays are “resting days” for the Havana night scene. That does not mean “dead,” but a variety of places are closed on Mondays and/or Tuesdays.
You will still find bars and some clubs open, though, so don’t panic.
Must Do: Go Dancing In Havana!
Havana Nightlife Guide In Old Havana
Old Havana, or La Habana Vieja, is the district of Havana where you go strolling, even when it comes to nightlife.
From restaurant-and-bar bars to small intimate bars, nightclubs, outdoor seating bars, jazz clubs, and music venues with traditional Cuban music. I stayed in a typical colonial house in this part of the city for two years, and I love the ambiance here!
Old Havana is not the place for the clubbing scene, although there are a few places to go out dancing salsa, like Bar Salsa Habana.
Walking around in the evenings, you will see little watering holes, bars everywhere, and plenty of bars/restaurants.
- Bar Salsa Havana
- El Floridita
- Bodeguita del Medio
- El del Frente
- Orhshas de Prado
- Santo Angel
- Café Taberna
- El Patio Bar Restaurant
- Café Paris
- Bosque Bologna
- Mojito Mojito
- Los Dos Hermanos
- Bar La Dichosa
- El Chanchullero
- Bar Monserrate
- El Polvorin
- O`Reilly 304
- Sloppy Joes bar
EpicNomadLife Tip: 5 Top-Rated Tours In Havana
Don’t forget Havana in the daytime! Here are 5 of the top-rated tours of Havana you probably will enjoy!
Central Havana Nightlife Guide
Central Havana really is not the first place you go for Cuban club nightlife. This is mostly a residential area with small shops and some really great paladares (privately owned restaurants), and the district is pretty quiet after dark.
Central Havana is also where the El Malecon boardwalk runs alongside the whole city district, where lots of young Cubans hang out in the evenings.
Along the Malecon is the Malecon 663, a perfect place to go for happy hour with a great ambiance, reggaeton, and spectacular views.
There are a few places to go here as well, hidden in the conglomerate of narrow streets. Especially in the first pedestrian part of Avenida San Rafael in Centro Havana (Spanish), there is also evening life.
- Boulebar66
- Bembé Tapas & Bar
- Sia-kara Bar
- Industria 8
- Galiano 212 Bar
- La Guarida Rooftop Bar
- Malecon 663 rooftop bar
If you do go into “Centro Habana,” it is smart to know exactly where you are going to make sure you have a great time (and don’t get lost). Or, take a bici taxi that knows the way through the maze of streets!
Not all are open every day, so check out the links for more information about each one.
Normally, Mondays and Tuesdays are generally “resting days” for the Havana night scene, while Wednesdays through Sundays are party nights.
In Central Havana, you also find some of the best restaurants in Havana hidden away.
Havana’s Nightlife In The Vedado
Vedado is the high-end shopping and party-scene area of Havana, in a way. The history of Vedado shows that this is where the rich and famous from all over the world came to ravish in a luxurious lifestyle in the old days.
There are still great places here that make for an unforgettable night, with a cocktail menu, great music, and even Cuban art.
Today, it is a little paler, but there still is an aura of grandeur over the larger colonial houses, wider streets, bright restaurants, and clubs in Vedado.
There are numerous establishments in El Vedado, all with different flavors and forms (which means forbidden in Spanish).
While Old Havana offers several places to do salsa to live music, Vedado is generally more of a clubbing and reggaeton zone.
- Bar Salsa Rio Cuba
- La Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Club
- La Casa de la Bombilla Verde
- PaZillo
- Madrigal
- King Bar
- La Esencia
- Piano Bar Delirio Habanero
- Habana Café
- Café Cantante Mi Habana
- El Gato Tuerto
- Jazz Café
- Pico Blanco
- Cabaret Turquino
- Cabaret Parisién
- Copa Room
- Club La Red
- Madrigal Bar Café
Havana Nightlife In Miramar And Playa
Miramar is mainly a very upscale residential area, with a lot of large colonial houses and wide avenues, some of the best hotels in Cuba, and is also home to many embassies and their staff.
As for the evenings, Miramar boasts the best salsa clubs in Havana, lively discos, and good restaurants in the district.
Being a high-end area, accordingly, there are mainly high-end establishments here. Although not the party-scene district quite like Vedado, you may find elegant places in Miramar.
If dancing is not your cup of tea, you might still enjoy watching others do it! In that case, check out this full evening of wine and dining at the Tropicana Cabaret show!
- LM Bar in Playa
- La Fabrika de Arte Cubano FAC
- Casa de la Musica de Miramar
- Espacios Tapas Restaurant & Bar
- Mio y Tuyo
- Don Cangrejo Restaurant & Bar
- Tropicana Cabaret
Havana Rooftop Bars
Scattered around the whole of Havana, there are several stunning rooftop bars and restaurants with breathtaking views of the night city.
Often, you find them on the top floors of large hotels, but you do not have to be a staying guest to spend some time there.
Mostly, these top-of-the-city places will give you an elegant and chill evening with soft music and less “steam,” if I can use that word to describe Cuban nightclubs.
Yet some, like the Inglaterra, are more of an outdoor salsa club with live music and dancing.
There is something about staring into the horizon lit up by all the sparkling distant city lights. It never gets old for me, at least!
- El Surtidor Pool Terrace and Bar at Manzana Kempinski
- Mirabana Bar at Iberostar Parque Central
- La Inglaterra
- Hotel Nacional de Cuba
- Hotel Ambos Mundos
- Hotel Paseo del Prado
- Malecon663
- Roma Rooftop Bar
- Morro 52
- La Guarida rooftop bar
- Galiano Bar 212
Check Out The FREE Guided Havana Night Tour!
This FREE tour of the Havana nights of Old Havana is a few hours of guided bar-hopping in the old city’s narrow streets to get you the initial overview – and you can venture off on your own afterward!
You will stop at various places, try a variety of Cuban drinks, and end the guided tour at a tranquil rooftop terrace for a nightcap (or before heading out for the real night out until the small hours)!
El Ojo Del Ciclón in Old Havana
El Ojo del Ciclón in Old Havana really is more of a museum than a nightlife establishment. But, some nights you can go there to dance the tango!
I do not know the tango, but I was fortunate enough to watch those who do for a little while.
Entering El Ojo Del Ciclón, a fascinating place on the corner of Calle O`Reilly and Calle Villegas, is like entering an eclectic, elegant little world.
There are artsy floor tiles and artifacts everywhere depicting local culture and music, bringing you back to the first half of the 20th Century. It occasionally is a place for people to dance the tango!
The slow, controlled pasos and movements of the dancing couples dancing the Tango here are incredibly graceful, and the surroundings are simply magnificent.
Several other rooms are packed with memorabilia, photos, and strange things from all the different decades of the century.
After the sun sets, Old Havana is where you go to soak up the ambiance and walk the cobblestoned streets in slow motion, absorbing all the sounds, music, and details around you.
If you are in a hurry (day or night), you will miss many little details in Old Havana. There are little plaques, half-hidden sculptures, a mural on the wall, or a small, magnificently crafted doorway everywhere.
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FAQs Cuba Travel
Credit Cards And Money In Cuba
Due to the ongoing sanction, every kind of American credit card (or debit card) is not accepted in Cuba, so US citizens with US credit cards can not use them in Cuba.
Also, the United States has issued the Cuba restricted list, which dictates where US citizens can spend their money in Cuba.
In short, it says that Americans can not stay in hotels or shop in stores that the Cuban government owns.
These regulations only apply to US citizens. I have a comprehensive article about money in Cuba that explains it all, and how you spend your money helping the Cuban people.
Travel Requirements For Cuba
Due to the ongoing sanctions, US citizens need to make sure they travel to Cuba within the regulations set by the US government.
All other nationalities travel to Cuba normally, with the travel documents required by Cuban authorities.
American nationals can not legally travel to Cuba as tourists, BUT, the US Government has set a list of 12 preapproved reasons to travel to Cuba that does not require any paperwork or application process in the US.
The most popular and widely used one is “travel to help the Cuban people.” There is no paperwork or application connected to this, you just at state your reason for travel if anyone asks.
How To Get The Cuban Tourist Card
US travelers need to get a pink Cuban tourist card or tourist visa for Cuba. The rest of the world’s nationals use the green tourist card for Cuba.
The exception is for anyone traveling via the US, and a US airport is the last airport before you land in Cuba. Travelers having the last leg of the journey from a US airport also need a pink tourist card or visa.
You can buy a Cuban tourist visa from the Cuban consulate or embassy in your country and from selected airlines and travel agencies.
The easiest way to get a tourist card is from an online provider like Easy Tourist Card. The tourist card is valid for one single entry into Cuba, and you can stay in Cuba for 90+90 days, a total of 180 days, with one tourist card.
Special Visas For Cuba
If you want to travel to Cuba for other reasons, there are a variety of special visas you can apply for.
US nationals who would like assistance in planning their Cuba travel can contact a US travel agency or tour operator specializing in Cuba travel, which will make sure you travel within the regulations.
Cuban citizens, or Cubans with other citizenships, will still be considered Cuban nationals when entering Cuba and showing their Cuban passports.
Entry Requirements To Cuba
In addition to having a tourist card, whether a green or pink one, there are a few more entry requirements for traveling to Cuba.
The first thing is that you need to register your entry beforehand on the d’viajeros page online form. And you need a valid passport.
You also need valid travel insurance, which includes health insurance coverage, when you enter Cuba.
The maximum quantity of cash you can bring into Cuba without disclosing anything in customs is $5000. This is nice to know for US citizens who will not be able to use US credit cards in Cuba.
American Airlines and Delta Airlines have daily departures for direct flights from Miami International Airport to Cuba.
Wrap-Up Havana Nightlife Guide
Even if you have never been to the capital of Cuba before, you should be well equipped by now to navigate the nightlife in the most popular districts of Havana!
Whether you like a calm, zen night ambiance or a heavy clubbing environment, Havana has somewhere for you to be sparkling happy.
Some of the clubs have both dress codes and cover charges and more or less functioning air conditioning.
Last point: the historic venue that is also well-known for tourists now is the Floridita because it is famous for being one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite places back in the day, along with La Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana, close to Calle (street) Obispo.
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