The Museo del Ferrocarril (Train Museum) of Havana is located in the old Cristina Station, built in 1859. The museum exhibits a great collection of old locomotives, photographs, and signaling materials, as well as an interesting review of the Cuban trains history. Cuba was one of the first countries in the world to build a rail network, and the trains on the island began to run at least a decade before those in Spain. In this museum you’ll find steam engine locomotives for broad and narrow rails, as well as diesel and electric locomotives. One of the most important items in the museum is the La Junta de Fomento Locomotive, bought in the US in 1842. The museum also houses an area which reproduces the operations room of a train station in the first half of the 20th century; and a Railway Modelling Room which exhibits scale models of stations and railway equipments.

The Santo Ángel Custodio Church was built in 1695, but wasn’t considered a church until 1788. It lies on one of the few and modest hills of the city, called Loma del Ángel. The original church was severely affected by the 1846 hurricane, its tower and the whole of the front and back of the nave were destroyed, so it was completely refurbished in the peculiar gothic style that can be seen today. Currently, the temple has two towers and an atrium where the church’s cemetery was formerly located. The entry doors are in the shape of pointed arches, and in its interior has three naves covered by barrel vault, as well as an ambulatory, the only church in Cuba to contain this feature. Félix Varela and José Martí were baptised in this church. It is also interesting to know that this temple is mentioned in Cecilia Valdés, a great 19th century Cuban novel by Cirilo Villaverde.

The Museo Casa Natal de José Martí (Birthplace Museum) is the house in which José Martí was born, a 19th century politician, intellectual and national hero of the Republic of Cuba. This humble two-floor house was converted into a museum in 1925 and declared a National Monument in 1949. It exhibits personal objects of José Martí, whose spirit is felt in every corner of the restored house. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, rather close to the city walls, and has typical features of many houses in the area: a tiled roof and mortar walls.  The house was restored and its collection enriched in a community process in 1959. It is interesting to know that this museum contains the only known Oil Portrait of José Martí.

The Cannon Blast ceremony (El Cañonazo de las Nueve) is one of the oldest and attractive traditions of Havana. In colonial days, the shots signalled the closing of the gates of the walled city and the rising of the chain across the entrance to the harbour. The tradition of firing a cannon every night at 9:00 pm was kept even after the wall was torn down and is still used for checking your watch.