Havana is the centre of all things Cuban. There's an air of faded glory about the city; streamlined 50s and 60s American cars cruise the streets as the paint peels from the walls of almost everywhere. The city is lined with glorious Spanish colonial architecture, much of which is under restoration.

Havana is built around a harbour in western Cuba, 170km (105mi) southwest of Key West, Florida. Old (Colonial) Havana sits o­n the west side of the harbour, spilling west into the lively hotel and entertainment district of Vedado. A tunnel links Old Havana to East Havana and its endless high-rise flats. The bulk of Havana's working-class population lives in industrial areas to the south of the town, extending as far as the international airport 25km (16mi) to the southwest.

There really isn't a bad time to visit Havana. The hot, rainy season runs from May to October but winter (December to April) is the island's peak tourist season, when planeloads of Canadians and Europeans arrive in pursuit of the southern sun. Cubans take their holidays in July and August, crowding local beaches. Christmas, Easter and the period around 26 July, when Cubans celebrate the anniversary of the revolution, are also very busy. New Year's Eve coincides with the anniversary of Castro's troops marching into the city, so make hotel reservations early and plan to dance all night.

Almost all visitors to Havana arrive by air at the José Martí International Airport in Rancho Boyeros, 25km (16mi) southwest of town. Scheduled flights arrive regularly from Canada, the Caribbean, central and South America, and Europe. The main gateways for US travellers visiting illegally continue to be Cancún, Mexico City, Nassau and Toronto.

Cubana airlines has an extensive domestic air network that services all of the regional centres, with Havana as a major hub. Flights within the country are not expensive, but prices have been o­n the rise. Most domestic flights are o­n smaller propeller aircraft, and they are 25% cheaper if booked in conjunction with your international ticket.

Asociaciones de Transportes por Omnibus (Astro) operates Cuba's national bus service, running to all the provincial capitals and many outlying towns o­nce or twice a day. Astro buses reserve four seats for dollar sale o­n most departures. (Tourists can pay in dollars, locals in pesos.) Apart from Astro, there's a hard currency company called Viázul, which requires all passengers to pay in dollars.

The train system has deteriorated rapidly over the past several years. Although there are still some inexpensive, comfortable routes, particularly between major cities, buses are now the preferred way to go.

Cuba boasts Latin America's most extensive system of roads, and renting a car is definitely the easiest, if not the cheapest, way to see the country. Many Cubans hitchhike as a means of getting around and locally the activity is known as hacer botella (literally 'to make a bottle' with the hand). Government vehicles are legally required to pick up hitchhikers if they have the room, and town exits and major crossroads often have yellow-clad amarillo officials armed with clipboards to organize the Cubans waiting for a ride.

Central Havana

Before the Revolution, this neighbourhood was the city's red-light district. Today it is more a pale pastel - an area of badly rutted streets, near-feral dogs and clapped-out cars rusting away at the curbside, lending the area a down-at-heel atmosphere that may not be everybody's cup of tea.

Most visitors tend to give the area a wide berth, preferring instead the jazzed-up comforts of Vedado or the iconic landmarks of Old Havana, but there's plenty to see in the centre, such as the monumental Capitolio Nacional which dominates the area.

Old Havana

Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, kicking along a restoration process that had begun in the 60s in the wake of the revolution. Now many of Havana's finest buildings have been converted into museums for the most ravenous culture vultures to feast upon.

Unfortunately the renovations haven't quite extended to residential areas, however. Nearly half the housing in the city is in bad repair - about 300 buildings collapse each year - and thousands of city residents have had to be evacuated.

Vedado

At the turn of the century, Havana's American community established itself in Vedado along the Miami model of high-rolling sleaze. Mafia notables such as Lucky Luciano made the area a popular destination for US tourists attracted to an adult playground featuring cheap sex, liquor and gambling.

Vedado was America's seedy sandbox until 1959 when Fidel Castro set up headquarters smack bang in the middle of the wheeling and dealing and things got considerably less colourful. Today Vedado is an active, bustling residential area with some worthwhile attractions.