Especial Havana
Where to watch the sun set on Havana's Malecón
Sunset over Havana's seawall is a matter of position. One rooftop sits on the Malecón itself, and across the harbour a free hilltop puts the lit city in front of you.
Por Oliver NashReading Havana barrio by barrio
Sunset in Havana comes around 5:45 p.m. through November and as late as 8:20 p.m. in early July. Only one rooftop bar is on the Malecón itself, and it opens at 5 p.m. every day, so you can catch the light in any month. Everywhere else worth sitting looks at the seawall from a few streets back, or from high above it.
The rooftop on the seawall
Rooftop No te Bañes en el Malecón is the top floor of a narrow townhouse at Malecón 663, in Centro Habana, right on the seawall. The terrace is open to the air, with the curve of the Malecón and the Atlantic straight ahead. It's open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily, with live music every night: Latin jazz on Mondays, Cuban fusion on Wednesdays, a set called "Gozando en La Habana" on Fridays and Afro chill tropical on Sundays. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays get a tropical DJ.
The kitchen does cocktails, tapas and plates off the plancha and the grill. It takes Visa and Mastercard as well as cash, which is unusual in Havana, so you don't have to carry the whole evening in notes. If you want a seat at the front, get there when it opens.
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Hotel Nacional gardens
Hotel Nacional de Cuba stands on a limestone bluff just above the Malecón, with palms and a sloping lawn running down towards the water. Its garden terrace is the sunset seat, and the wicker chairs face the sea. Coffee, rum and cocktails are brought out to you, and nothing needs booking.
Two of the hotel's bars are shut this season, including the Churchill Bar, which is being renovated. The courtyard restaurant, La Barraca, is open from midday to midnight and cooks traditional Cuban dishes and a grill. If you'd sooner drink once the light has gone, Rooftop Bar Capablanca opens at 7 p.m. and runs to 2 a.m.
Havana from the FOCSA tower
Restaurante-Bar La Torre is on the 33rd floor of the FOCSA building, about 121 metres up. It's the one room where you see the Malecón as a shape, a pale line drawn along the dark sea. The walls are glass, so you can sit through the whole change of light and then watch the city lights come on. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, midday to midnight, at Calle 17 No. 55 between M and N in Vedado, a 10-minute walk up from the seawall.
The cooking is international, and a main course runs 2,640 to 3,360 CUP. It takes cash in Cuban pesos only, so bring notes.
The free view from Casablanca
Across the harbour, Cristo de La Habana is the cheapest big view in the city. The white marble Christ stands on a hilltop above the fishing village of Casablanca, looking back at Old Havana with the Malecón running west into the haze. Because you're facing the city, the setting sun lights it up instead of shining into your eyes. The lookout is free, open-air and never closes, and there's a small Che Guevara museum beside it.
You get there on the little passenger ferry from the Muelle de Luz in Old Havana, about a 10-minute crossing, then a short walk uphill. Only one of the bay's boats is running at the moment, so gaps between departures can stretch to an hour. Allow a couple of hours door to door, and leave it for another day if your evening is tight.
La Guarida's roof terrace
La Guarida is the hardest table to get in Havana. It's in the mansion from the film Fresa y Chocolate, at Concordia 418 in Centro Habana. The panoramic roof terrace above the tiled rooftops is the sunset seat, and you have to ask for it by name when you reserve. It's booked out weeks ahead, so don't expect to walk in. Reckon on 3,480 CUP a head and up, in cash, in pesos, euros or dollars. The stairwell and the front of the building look derelict. That's just the building. The restaurant is open every day, midday to 4 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to just before midnight.
One terrace to leave out of a sunset evening is El Surtidor, the pool bar on top of the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski in Old Havana. It's the most comfortable roof in the city and the priciest, and it's open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. The view runs over the domes of the old city, with no sea in front of you. Go for one cocktail another afternoon.
After dark in Vedado
When the light's gone, the evening moves to Calle 26, at the western end of the seafront. El Cocinero is an old peanut-oil factory at Calle 26 No. 57 between 11 and 13, by the mouth of the Almendares river. There's a planted roof terrace strung with bulbs, and a spiral stair up the brick chimney to a small lookout bar. The menu changes with the season, with ropa vieja, lobster and prawns in garlic as the constants. Reserve through the website or by WhatsApp, and confirm the hour while you're at it.
Next door, Fábrica de Arte Cubano opens at 7 p.m. and runs to 2 a.m., Thursday to Sunday, at Calle 26 on the corner of 11. The halls of the old factory connect, so you walk from the galleries to live music to the bars in one visit. Spending inside runs up to 840 CUP, and it takes Cuban pesos in cash. On Fridays and Saturdays it fills up and they stop letting people in, so come early on those two nights. Give it the rest of the evening.
Before you go
The Fábrica is shut Monday to Wednesday and La Torre on Mondays, so pick your night before you plan the end of it. Book La Guarida well ahead and ask for the terrace. The Hotel Nacional terrace and the Casablanca lookout need nothing at all.
See the Havana guide and the Havana hotel search.
Antes de ir
What time does the sun set in Havana?
Around 5:45 p.m. through November, and as late as 8:20 p.m. in early July. The rooftop at Malecón 663 opens at 5 p.m. all year, so you can be in place before the light goes.
Is there a bar actually on the Malecón?
Rooftop No te Bañes en el Malecón, the top-floor terrace at Malecón 663 in Centro Habana. It opens 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily with live music nightly, and no other rooftop sits on the seawall itself.
Where can I watch the sunset for free?
The Cristo de La Habana lookout in Casablanca is open-air and free, with no ticket. The only cost is the passenger ferry from the Muelle de Luz in Old Havana, about a 10-minute crossing, then a short walk uphill.
Which places take cards and which are cash only?
The Malecón 663 rooftop takes TropiPay, Mastercard and Visa as well as cash. La Torre and the Fábrica de Arte Cubano are cash in Cuban pesos only; La Guarida takes cash in pesos, euros or dollars.
Do I need to book for sunset?
Not at the Hotel Nacional garden terrace or the Casablanca lookout. La Guarida needs booking weeks ahead, and ask for the roof terrace by name. El Cocinero takes reservations by website or WhatsApp, and the Malecón rooftop is arranged through the restaurant.
