Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Easily recognisable by its Art Deco architecture, a rare sight in Vedado, the Hotel Nacional de Cuba carries a legendary reputation. Opened in 1930 on the site of the 18th-century Santa Clara fortress, this iconic hotel captures the elegance and luxury of 1930s Cuban culture. With its high standards and flawless service, it attracted the world’s elite. Over the years, countless famous figures have passed through its grand doors — from artists like Frank Sinatra and Walt Disney, to pioneers like Yuri Gagarin and Alexander Fleming, and politicians including Winston Churchill and Jimmy Carter. One of its most infamous chapters came in December 1946, when the hotel hosted a secret meeting of the Italian-American mafia — an event that inspired Francis Ford Coppola’s classic film, The Godfather. Fully renovated by the Communist Party in 1992, the hotel was recognised as a UNESCO Memory of the World site in 1982 and declared a Cuban national monument in 1988.