Plaza Vieja

About this place

Plaza Vieja, the Old Square, is a broad square in Old Havana lined with colourful buildings from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, along with some from the early 20th. Today it is among the liveliest squares in the quarter, with its cafes, arcades and marble fountain. The ward around it shares the name and has about 17,000 residents. It emerged as an open space in 1559, after the Plaza de Armas and San Francisco, and was first called the New Square. In colonial times it was a neighbourhood of the wealthiest Criollo families. It saw executions, processions, bullfights and festivals, which the rich watched from their balconies. Rows of arcades and windows in yellow and blue line its sides, topped by iron balconies and half-round glass windows. At the centre stands a white fountain behind a low fence, on broad paving free of cars, with plant pots and iron balls set around it. The square is calmer in the morning, while cafe noise fills it in the evening. It is about 600 metres from the cathedral in a straight line and about 1 km from the Capitol. Cars stay out, so it is an easy place to walk with children. Cafes may be affected by power cuts and short supplies, so do not count on steady service. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Cuba because of fuel, power and water shortages, so read the current advice before you plan.