Driving the Iconic Malecon to Viñales, Cuba

The Malecon comes alive at sunset. This broad ribbon of cement curves around Havana’s waterfront, and as the sun wanes, the sky turns pink, and the road is washed in coppery gold light. Orderly rows of fishermen perch on the sea wall, chatting as they cast their lines, hoping for a haul of bonito tuna or red snapper. Locals sit in pairs, laughing and occasionally canoodling, while the sea breeze brings with it the sound of a three-piece jazz ensemble that’s just started up along the way.

This stretch is considered the classic drive of Havana, tracing over four miles (7km) along the coast from the colonial center of the Old Town to the business district of Vedado, via a stately lineup of weather-faded houses from the 19th century and brutish Russian-style architecture.

It’s here that the city meets the surging ocean. When a strong cold front hits this coast, as it often does, waves hurl themselves against the sea wall, spraying dozens of feet into the air and flooding the road. However, today the sea is calm and mild, lapping innocently at the dark rocks of the shore.

Unlike most great drives, where the highlight is glorious scenery passing by, the best sights on the Malecon are on the road itself. Vintage 1950s American cars of all colors and kinds parade along its length. One second, there is a dreamy round-nosed Buick in duck-egg blue; the next, a Chevrolet Bel Air convertible in brilliant red with silver fins, followed by a royal purple Cadillac. They are so numerous and appear so perfect, it could easily be mistaken for a city-wide classic car rally.

The truth is, these vintage cars are not always a dream to drive. As I navigate along the waterfront behind the wheel of a 1955 Chevy – royal red and gold in color – the gears occasionally stick and slip, while the steering offers little resistance, making each turn of the wheel feel like a gentle suggestion. Nevertheless, there is an indefinable joy in driving one of these vehicles. The warm, fusty smell evokes decades of history, and the soft leather bench seats, so broad and comfortable, resemble driving a sofa.

I make my way down the Malecon and turn onto the cobbled streets of Habana Vieja, Havana’s Old Town. Unfortunately, left to crumble after the 1959 revolution, this area resembles a time capsule. Its formerly grand buildings are broken and pocked with neglect. The Old Town dates back to the 16th century and retains vestiges of its former glory. Grand, palm-filled squares are complemented by imposing churches, houses painted in cheerful pastel colors, and tiny kiosks selling freshly butchered meat and piles of sun-warmed fruits.

Neighbors call to one another as they hang out washing in colorful strings from balconies; others gather on doorsteps, shooting the breeze, often with fat Cuban cigars dangling from their fingers.

I wind my way through the Old Town, carefully avoiding street-sellers with handcarts filled with peanuts, flowers, or bread, and I tap my fingers on the wheel to the rhythm of salsa music that floats in through the windows.

From here, I head west into Havana’s quieter, more residential suburbs, with wider streets and pretty, detached 1930s houses, and out onto the open road. My destination is Viñales, Cuba’s agricultural heartland, approximately 110 miles (180km) from the city.

As I leave Havana behind, the roadside spaces grow greener and more open until the landscape is filled to the horizon with broad fields and groves of waving palm trees. As the scenery transforms, so do the vehicles. In Havana, many cars are beautifully maintained – often convertibles, they’re polished, perfected, and prepped to ferry visitors around the sun-dappled streets. Out here on the highway are Cuba’s genuine vintage cars – many are old bangers, put to work transporting families or hauling trailers stacked with goods.

At the turnoff for Viñales, the road changes abruptly from smooth tarmac to coarse packed dirt, with corrugations and basin-sized potholes making for a lurching, bumpy drive. Pretty farmhouses begin to dot the landscape, many with troupes of scratching, curious hens guarding front gardens.

The primary means of transport changes as well. Amongst the mix of old cars, juddering bicycles, and carts filled with fresh local tomatoes and aubergines, are horses. Some have single riders, while others are hauling goods on wooden carts that could have been in use a century ago, and guarijos (local farmers) sport wide-brimmed ponderosa cowboy hats woven from dried palm leaves.

Viñales is located in the Pinar del Rio region, the western center of Cuban agriculture, where much of the country’s best fresh produce is grown in fertile soil. By the roadside, coffee plantations and fields of yuccas and sweet potatoes give way to rows of young green tobacco plants, whose leaves will soon be dried and expertly rolled into some of the world’s best cigars.

I pull up on the roadside at a viewpoint overlooking the Valle de Viñales. An expanse of red soil and waving crops stretches ahead, bordered with palms and backed by a rugged shelf of green-fringed limestone. In the middle distance, a farmer drives his ox through a field, turning over clumps of iron-rich clay, in a scene that’s three hours’ drive and a hundred years away from the modern bustle of Havana.

The Perfect Pit Stop – Cayo Levisa

This Cuban key is a 35-minute journey by boat from Palma Rubia. It’s a worthwhile trip: sugar-white sand and sapphire waters earmark Cayo Levisa as Pinar del Río’s best beach. American writer Ernest Hemingway first ‘discovered’ the area in the early 1940s. Nowadays, Levisa attracts up to 100 visitors daily, providing time and space for plenty of rest and relaxation.

Directions

Start – Havana; end – Viñales; distance – 112 miles (180km)

• Getting there: Havana receives direct international flights from Europe, Canada, Latin America, and, at the time of writing, from several US cities, including Miami.

• Car rental: Hiring a car in Cuba can be fraught with challenges. While there are state-owned rental companies at the airport, cars need to be booked long in advance, with prices being high and maintenance standards low. It is advisable to seek up-to-date advice regarding car rentals. Hiring a private car and driver in Havana is also an option.

• When to go: Peak times include Christmas, Easter, July, and August, when it is also hot. An ideal time is from January to May when it is warm but less crowded.