havana-shopping.pdf

Shopping

Habana Vieja

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Centro Habana

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Vedado

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Playa & Marianao

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Shopping

If shopping is one of your favorite vacation pastimes, don’t make a special trip to Habana.

To the relief of many and the disappointment of a few, Western-style consumerism hasn’t

yet reached the time-warp streets of Cuba’s austere capital. That’s not to say you have to

walk away empty-handed. Cuba’s tourist industry has upped the ante considerably in recent

years and specialist shops are spreading fast.

The holy grail for most foreign souvenir hunters is a box of Cuban cigars, closely followed

by a bottle of Cuban rum, both of which are significantly cheaper than in stores overseas.

Another often overlooked bargain is a bag of Cuban coffee, a potent and aromatic brew

made from organically grown beans and best served espresso style with a dash of sugar.

Elsewhere memorabilia is thin on the ground. Aimed strictly at the tourist market, there

are cheap dolls, flimsy trinkets, mediocre wood carvings and low-quality leather goods, but

Cuba is a world leader in none of these things. Far better as long-lasting souvenirs are salsa

CDs, arty movie posters, musical instruments or strings of Santería beads.

In the realm of books you’ll find plenty of erudite exposes of Che, Fidel and José Martí in

a number of different languages plus a plethora of glossy coffee-table books. Look out in par-

ticular for cheap books at the famous secondhand book market (p152) in Plaza de Armas.

Painting is another of Cuba’s fortes, and local artists are both numerous and talented. If

you buy an original painting, print or sculpture, be sure to ask for a receipt to prove you

bought it at an official sales outlet; otherwise, it could be confiscated by customs upon

departure (see Exporting Artwork, below).

In a country where clothes were – until recently – rationed, and lycra is still considered

to be the height of cool, finding the latest pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans could prove a little

difficult. Incurable fashion junkies can spend their convertibles on guayaberas (pleated,

buttoned men’s shirts) or a yawningly predictable Che Guevara T-shirt. Take your pick.

Opening Hours

Cuba is different to other Latin Ameri-

can countries in that there is no afternoon

siesta; however, some stores do close for

lunch. In general, opening times are 9am

to 5pm Monday to Saturday, with some of

the more tourist-orientated stores opening

on Sunday from 9am to noon.

EXPORTING ARTWORK

When buying art at an official outlet, always ask for

a receipt to show Cuban customs, especially if the

object won’t fit in your suitcase.

To discourage private trading of works of art,

officials often confiscate undocumented artwork

at the airport. If you’ve purchased a work of art

at a state-run gallery and have the receipts, you

shouldn’t have a problem, but it’s always better to

have a certificate to export artwork anyway (and

you’ll definitely need one if you’ve purchased di-

rectly from the artist).

Certificates to export artwork are issued by the

Registro Nacional de Bienes Culturales (Map

pp224-5; Calle 17 No 1009 btwn Calles 10 & 12, Ve-

dado; h 9am-noon Mon-Fri). To obtain an export

certificate, you must bring the objects here for inspec-

tion, fill in a form, queue for two hours, pay a fee of

between CUC$10 and CUC$30 (which covers from one

to five pieces of artwork), and return 24 hours later to

pick up the certificate.

It makes sense not to leave this bit of business

until your last day.

Consumer Taxes

Most stores list their prices with the tax in-

cluded. The price you see displayed is thus

the price you pay at the till.

Bargaining

Although bargaining is almost nonexistent

in shops in Habana, you can try out your

haggling skills at open-air markets that sell

souvenirs to tourists. If it’s your first time in

the city, don’t expect Moroccan-style deals

and discounts; after nearly 50 years of state-

sponsored socialism, bartering isn’t really

part of Cuban culture.

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HABANA VIEJA

Habana Vieja is as good as it gets shopping-

wise in Cuba, with plenty of stores and gal-

leries aimed directly at the tourist market.

TOP 10 SOUVENIRS

Bottle of rum

Box of cigars

Movie poster

Musical instrument

CD of Cuban music

Guayabera (pleated, buttoned men’s shirt)

Handicraft

Painting or print

Secondhand book

Humidor

CASA DEL ABANICO

Map p220 Handicrafts

% 863-4452; Obrapía No 107 btwn Mercaderes

& Oficios; h 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat

The Abanico is a small specialist store that

sells fine-quality hand-painted fans. It is

primarily aimed at the tourist market.

ESTUDIO GALERÍA LOS OFICIOS

Map p220

GALERÍA MANOS Map p220 Handicrafts

Obispo No 411 btwn Aguacate & Compostela;

h 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat

This gallery is effectively a small craft outlet,

with dolls, masks and other handmade

souvenirs supplied by local people. Many of

the objects are inspired by the city’s vibrant

Afro-Cuban community.

Art

% 863-0497; Oficios No 166; h 10am-5:30pm

Mon-Sat

Situated next door to the Galería de Carmen

Montilla, this gallery is worth seeing for the

large, hectic but intriguing canvases by Nel-

son Domínguez, whose workshop is upstairs.

FERIA DE LA ARTESANÍA

Map p220 Handicrafts

Tacón btwn Tejadillo & Chacón; h Wed-Sat

Habana’s best open-air handicraft market

is on Calle Tacón, and sells all kinds of

interesting souvenirs. Paintings, guayaberas,

woodwork, Che everything, leather items

and jewelry are all on display and, if you

thought communism had put an end to the

fine art of business negotiation, try your

haggling skills with the amiable stall hold-

ers here. If you buy paintings, make sure

you arrange an export license (it’s easy –

see Exporting Artwork, opposite), or you

risk losing your loot at customs upon

leaving Cuba; if they’re deemed ‘national

treasures’ they’ll be confiscated. Smaller

artworks can be tucked safely in luggage.

GALERÍA VICTOR MANUEL

Map p220

Antiques, Art

Plaza de la Catedral; h 9am-9pm

Taking pride of place in Plaza de la Cat-

edral, this expensive gallery is about as

high-end as Habana shopping gets. Dis-

played in a beautiful baroque building

you’ll find wonderful humidors, captivat-

ing paintings, Tiffany-style glass lamps,

fantastic wooden figurines and lots of fine

silver jewelry.

HABANA 1791 Map p220 Perfume

% 861-3525; Mercaderes No 156; h 9:30am-6pm

A specialist shop that sells perfume made

from tropical flowers, Habana 1791 has

the air of a working museum. Floral fra-

grances are mixed by hand and you can

see the petals drying in a laboratory out

the back.

GALERÍA DE CARMEN MONTILLA

Map p220

Art

% 866-8768; Oficios No 162; h 9:30am-5pm

Mon-Sat

This important art gallery is named for

Carmen Montilla, a celebrated Venezuelan

painter who maintained a studio here until

her death in 2004. Spread across three

floors, the house exhibits the work of Mon-

tilla, plus paintings by other popular Cuban

and Venezuelan artists. The rear courtyard

features a huge ceramic mural by Alfredo

Sosabravo – it’s worth a peep.

LA CASA DEL HABANO

Map p220

Cigars

% 862-9293; Hostal Conde de Villanueva,

Mercaderes No 202; h 9am-6pm

Cigar aficionados flock to this smoky cigar

shop situated inside the beautiful Hostal

Conde de Villanueva, popularly considered

to be the expert’s choice. Dodge the rogue

cigar sellers on Calle Obispo, and come and

join them.

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LA CASONA CENTRO DE ARTE

Map p220

PALACIO DE LA ARTESANÍA

Map p220

Art

Shopping Mall

% 861-8544; Muralla No 107; h 10am-5pm

Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat

This state-owned foundation on Plaza Vieja

is located in the baroque Casa de los Condes de

Jaruco (p69) and sells some fantastic original

handicrafts and works of art (with receipts

that should allow their export). It also hosts

great solo and group shows by up-and-

coming Cuban artists.

Cuba No 64; h 9am-7pm

For one-stop shopping for souvenirs, cigars,

crafts, CDs, clothing and jewelry at fixed

prices, join the gaggle of tour-bus escapees

here. This building is the former Palacio de

Pedroso, erected by Habana mayor Mateo

Pedroso in 1780; in the mid-19th century it

was Habana’s high court, and later it be-

came a police headquarters. Today’s small

stores are gathered around a beautifully

shaded central patio replete with verdant

plants; it’s something akin to an 18th-

century version of an American shopping

mall, but with oodles of charm.

LA MODERNA POESIA

Map p220 Books, Music

% 861-6640; Obispo No 527; h 10am-6pm

Mon-Sat

One of Habana Vieja’s most comprehensive

bookstores, La Modern Poesia also sells CDs

and posters. The store, which fills a bulky

art deco building, also has a considerable

English-language section.

PUBLICACIONES DE LA OFICINA

DEL HISTORIADOR Map p220

Books

Mercaderes No 111 btwn Obispo & Obrapía;

h 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat

The definitive word on Habana Vieja’s colo-

nial history can be uncovered here in large,

photo-friendly coffee-table books that

showcase the development and restoration

of Old Habana. The small store sells mainly

books, postcards and back copies of the

cultural magazine Opus (which prints part

of its text in English).

LONGINA MÚSICA

Map p220 Instruments, Music

% 862-8371; Obispo No 362; h 10am-7pm Mon-

Sat, 10am-1pm Sun

One of Habana Vieja’s top-quality music

shops, this place has a good selection of CDs,

plus musical instruments such as bongos,

guitars, maracas, guiros and congas. It often

places music speakers in the street outside to

grab the attention of passing tourists.

SECONDHAND BOOK MARKET

Map p220

Books

Plaza de Armas; h 9am-5pm Mon-Sat

This is a popular book market held in Haba-

na’s oldest square. Amid the Che polemics

and the ubiquitous translations of Castro’s

‘History Will Absolve Me’ speech, you can

find a few literary gems.

MARCO POLO Map p220

Spices

Mercaderes No 111 btwn Obispo & Obrapía;

h 9am-7:30pm

This is a popular spice and herb store that

is always busy with both foreigners and

locals. Run by Habaguanex, its large range

of varied products can be used for both

gastronomic and medicinal purposes.

TALLER DE SERIGRAFÍA RENÉ

PORTOCARRERO Map p220 Art

Cuba No 513 btwn Brasil & Muralla; h 9am-4pm

Mon-Fri

The Taller de Serigrafía René Portocarrero

has paintings and prints by young Cuban

artists in the CUC$30 to CUC$150 range.

You can see the artists at work here.

MERCADO DEL ORIENTE

Map p220 Souvenirs

% Mercaderes No 109 btwn Obispo & Obrapía;

h 9am-6pm

Calle Mercaderes (Merchant St) is chocka-

block with eclectic shops such as this one.

Revamped by the City Historian’s Office a

few years back, the Mercado del Oriente

has a Far Eastern theme – the Casa de Asia

(p69) is next door – and sells furniture,

textiles, porcelain, glass and silver objects

from places such as China.

TALLER EXPERIMENTAL DE GRÁFICA

Map p220

Art

% 862-0979; Callejón del Chorro No 6;

h 10am-4pm Mon-Fri

Habana’s funkiest art gallery sells engrav-

ings and prints (CUC$15 to CUC$800) that

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