Stop #1: plaza de san francisco

Never underestimate the power of first impressions . . . and your first sight of Havana upon walking out the front door of the cruise terminal will indeed be impressionable: Plaza de San Francisco, a cobbled square with a fountain in its center, Fuente de los Leones.

Dominating the backdrop to the south is one of the city's most important churches, Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco de Asis; to the west sits Cafe del Oriente, an elegant bar and restaurant; and to the north, Cafe Mercurio, with shaded al fresco dining.

Stop #2: plaza de armas

Considered the premier scenic square in all of Havana, the Plaza de Armas is encircled with history: to the west lies the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, to the north Palacio del Segundo Cabo.

This is the oldest plaza in town, dating back to 1519, and unlike many other squares in Havana, it features a lush garden in its center. CruiseHavana's on-site correspondent found local Mocko-Jumbie entertainment (for the layman: clowns on stilts) performing in the square upon his arrival on Sunday afternoon. The following day, Plaza de Armas hosted a local book fair, with not a word of English prose to be found.

Stop #3: hotel ambros mundos

A classic. If you can wrangle yourself a legal license to stay in a hotel in Havana for a week or so (if you're a journalist, doctor, professional, etc.), you would do very nicely staying here in the Hotel Ambros Mundos, which once served as the Hemingway's home. Even if you're just passing through Havana, stop in for a look at Hotel Ambros Mundos, with its spectacular lobby bar, live jazz piano, and tours of Papa's old bedroom.

Stop #4: cafe paris

Calle Obispo (Bishop's Street) is the Bourbon Street of Havana, lined with bars, hotels and art galleries, and bustling with Cubans and tourists alike at all hours.

While holding no great historical value, Cafe Paris (Obispo and San Ignacio) is a worthy stop along the way, for two reasons. One: great music. And two: the acute accuracy of Christopher Baker's description of this bar in his fantastic "Havana Handbook," wherein he declares it "popular with wayward foreigners, who frequent this bar and pick up wayward Cubans." In other words, if you're feeling wayward, go there. (Incidentally, Havana boasts bars far, far more wayward than Cafe Paris. Just ask your cab driver to direct you there if necessary.)

Stop #5: el patio

Before you leave on your cruise, be sure to rent "Godfather II." Then, when you arive in the Plaza de la Catedral, relive the scene wherein Michael Corleone and his brother Fredo bond over a daiquiri at a table of El Patio.

Nothing has changed - it's all there, exactly as Francis Coppola filmed it, years ago. Enjoy a drink in the square, or a meal on the patio itself, with the grand Catedral de Havana as your backdrop.

Stop #6: catedral de havana

There is nothing quite like the sight of the Catedral de Havana at night, its two mismatched towers lit from within like two eyes on either side, its Baroque facade standing watch over the dark plaza and the tinkle of ice cubes in the cocktail glasses of El Patio patrons below, the clink of shoes on the cobblestone square, and the strumming of a guitar as the band ends its break and begins to play. The view in daytime is not too shabby either.

Built in 1777, the Catedral is very much worth a look around inside. It's open Sundays until 10:30 p.m., Mondays until 3:30 p.m.

Stop #7: la bodeguita del medio

"My daiquiri at El Floridita, my mojito at La Bodeguita" . . . so sayeth Ernest Hemingway. Look above the bar at this very famous watering hole and you'll find this original framed verse, scrawled on the original paper.

Today, La Bodeguita remains a don't-miss on the tourist circuit. The bar in front is always alive with the sounds of a Cuban trio and the rumble of conversation in many languages. (It goes without saying that you'll have a mojito.)

In back, you'll find an earthy restaurant serving Cuban fare, its walls adorned with photographs and the scrawls of many, many decades worth of patrons' signatures. Enjoy the atmosphere and prodigious portions -- especially the black beans and rice, a heaping plate for $1.50.

Stop #8: crafts market

You'll find a local crafts market on just about every island in the Caribbean, and most of them have little to show beyond T-shirts proclaiming the port's name. But the crafts market in Havana is like no other, full of wildly original craftsmanship, wood carvings, berets adorned with the likeness of Che Guvara, and most of all, a blazing, colorful selection of local art. Always alive, the crafts market is a must. Just one sad reminder to Americans: it will be hard to explain that five-foot-tall painting to the Customs officials.

Stop #9: castillo de la real fuerza

The oldest fort in Havana, although by no means the largest, is Castillo de la Real Fuerza. Built in 1582, this fort is a beauty to behold: a true castle, complete with moat, drawbridge, tower and cannons. You enter the Castillo de la Real Fuerza from to southwest, via the Plaza de Armas. CruiseHavana's Cuban guide claimed that a nightclub - now defunct - once resided in its peak.