Havana comes at you all at once: sea wind, car horns, ocean spray over the Malecón, pastel colonnades in various stages of collapse, and the unmistakable smell of old engines and the sea. It is the capital of Cuba and home to roughly two million people, and the old centre, La Habana Vieja, was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 1982 for its Spanish colonial streets and fortifications.
As a starting point it is something of a challenge, because the city is big and the road surfaces are rough. Potholes, missing manhole covers, slow bicycles, horse carts, and old American cars and Soviet-era trucks all share the same road, and nobody is in a hurry. Ride as if everyone around you might do something unexpected, because they will, and avoid riding after dark if you can. The famous seafront promenade is best for a slow, windswept cruise at sunset, with the sun going down behind the city.
The history is everywhere, from the Spanish forts that guarded the harbour to the revolutionary monuments and the grand, faded mansions of the pre-revolution elite. Havana has been a stopover for treasure fleets, a pleasure ground, and a city under embargo for decades, and the tension between those stories shows in its buildings. Music leaks from open doors, and old men play dominoes on every corner.
The thing to know about riding in Cuba is that fuel is a recurring problem. Supplies can be unpredictable, queues form without warning, and stations in the countryside may have nothing at all. Fill up whenever you see a working pump, ask locally about the next one, and be sensible about distances. Start early, because the road west is long, and give yourself time for the unexpected. The reward is a green, open island that opens up quickly once you leave the capital.