Have a ball in vintage Havana

Last year the United States restored diplomatic relations with Cuba after a 50-year Cold War. Since then this Carribean island which lies a mere 90 miles away from Key West and Florida has flung open its doors beckoning cruise ships to stop by its capital, Havana, and holiday makers to fly into its José Marti Airport. You can enjoy a perfectly good beach holiday in Cuba, the Caribbean's largest island, and be as lazy as you like, but it would be a shame not to explore.

Its streets are lined with grand, colourful colonial buildings once home to pirates, poets and gamblers who brought with them rum, cigars and the Rumba. Cobbled streets host Chevrolets, Bucks and Fords, classic cars that are revered elsewhere but are everyday cars here.

All this is testament to a complicated past yet an exuberant modern-day culture. It's a potent mix - especially in Havana.

Where to start: Old Havana (Havana Vieja)

This former Spanish naval port dates back to the 16th century. Now a Unesco world heritage site, the defensive walls built by pirates still line the narrow streets and lead to five broad European-style plazas. It's quite lovely to mill around the markets and spend lazy afternoons sipping coffee at a myriad of cafes. Hemming these are Cuban Baroque facades such as the Plaza de la Catedral and soaring spires.

Getting there

Virgin Atlantic currently flies directly from Gatwick to Havana, twice weekly on Monday and Thursday and returning on the same days. Fares from £708 return.

Take a stroll along
the seawall

Five miles of seawall and esplanade divides Old Havana's harbour and the Vedado district and is prime walking territory if you want to get a feel for the city through the ages. Pass by the pastel facades of the Old Havana sea front and revolutionary monuments of Máximo Gomez and Calixto García to the high-rise skyline of Vedado, traditionally a Russian area. Sunsets out on Havana bay are not to be missed.

Explore a historical monument

Clearly influenced by Washington's US Capitol building, the Capitolio is nonetheless imposing with its huge stone steps, classical wings and rising dome. Prior to the 1959 revolution the building was once the seat of Cuban Congress. Today it is home to a planetarium, the National Library and the Academy of Sciences, along with vast halls and ceilings filled with beautiful Neoclassical decoration.

Surround yourself in fauna and flora

Along the river of the same name, Parque Almendares is a welcome burst of green and fresh air, a world away from the heady pace of the city. Beneath the Calle 23 bridge, you'll find abundant plants, a miniature golf course, riverside eateries and an outdoor theatre space if you're lucky enough to catch a performance.

Old Havana's Parque Central is a local meeting point as well as an attraction and offers some superb people-watching opportunities among the exotic landscaped gardens.

Add a touch of culture at the Hemingway museum

Renowned traveller and writer Ernest Hemingway spent 20 years of his life in Cuba and his connection to the place went far beyond mere residence.

So, it's fitting that the home where he once wrote some of his most famous works is now open as a museum.

Just outside Havana at Finca Vigia (which means "lookout house"), you can view the typewriter he used to produce The Old Man and the Sea, as well as the 8,000 books in his library.

Drink in Ernest

A plaque hanging in La Floridita bar says "My mojito in the Bodequita del Medio and my daiquiri in the Floridtia".

You can drink at both. La Bodequita on Calle Empedrado is somewhat edgy with walls covered in graffiti - mostly in homage to Hemingway. In contrast La Floridita on Obispo No.557 esq. Monserrate, is more high-end and still has Hemingway's bar stool protected by a velvet rope.

Pray with the locals

Fidel Castro extended a friendly hand to the 1,500-strong Jewish community in Cuba. He even attended a Chanucah celebration once. You too can pray at Beth Shalom Temple (conservative affliation). There are congregant-led Shabbat services with a visiting rabbi from Chile when needed. Call in advance if you want a tour. www.chcuba.org