Where is the square located?

The square is situated in Old Havana.

What buildings stand on the square?

Cathedral of Havana, Museo del Arte Colonial, and historic mansions stand on the square.

How did the site get its name?

The square is named after Cathedral of Havana.

What existed on this land prior to the cathedral?

The area was a swamp that was drained and functioned as a naval dockyard.

Havana · Cuba

Plaza de la Catedral: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Plaza de la Catedral anchors Old Havana with constant foot traffic and heavy colonial masonry, leaving residents in adjacent streets to trade quiet mornings for immediate access to the historic core.

Map of places

Within two hours

National Theater of Cuba≈ 50 min Plaza de la Revolución≈ 50 min

About the place

Colonial stonework surrounds this drained swamp turned public square.

The square centers Old Havana around the Cathedral of Havana, which provided the plaza with its permanent name. The underlying ground originally existed as a coastal swamp before drainage work converted the area into a naval dockyard. Prominent domestic mansions later developed around the cobblestones following the completion of the cathedral.

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Today the perimeter structures house the Museo del Arte Colonial alongside private and state dining venues. For long-term residents in Havana, the square functions as an unavoidable pedestrian corridor between the port area and the central heritage blocks. Daily life here involves constant commercial activity, guided walking groups, and outdoor table service that spill across the public space.

Associations

Cathedral of HavanaThe baroque church gave the square its identity and current name.
Museo del Arte ColonialPreserves historical decorative furnishings inside a preserved mansion.
Naval dockyard heritageMaritime operations occupied the drained swamp before mansions arrived.
Tourist congestionHeavy tour group movement creates persistent bottlenecks across the square.

Facts

The plaza occupies land that was once a swamp before conversion into a naval yard.
Grand residential mansions were erected around the square after the cathedral was built.
The square houses the Museo del Arte Colonial in one of its perimeter buildings.
Plaza de la Catedral belongs to the primary historical squares of Old Havana.

Updated September 21, 2026Source: Wikipedia

Plaza de la Catedral: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

What is around8

Colonial stonework surrounds this drained swamp turned public square.

Getting there and staying

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