Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Spanish colonial fort in Old Havana, Cuba
The limestone fort features stone battlements, a broad cloverleaf moat, and a tower topped with the La Giraldilla bronze weathervane from 1634.
The fort, built between 1558 and 1577, replaces an earlier structure destroyed by French privateers and stands as the oldest surviving fort in the Americas.
The maritime museum within the fort contains exhibits of navigation instruments, shipwreck artifacts, and models of Spanish colonial vessels including the Santísima Trinidad.
Located at Calle O'Reilly 2 in Old Havana, the fort opens Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 AM to 5 PM with admission at 1 CUC.
The bronze Giraldilla weathervane represents Isabel de Bobadilla, who governed Cuba and watched from the fort for her husband's return from exploration.
Location: Havana
Inception: 1558
Elevation above the sea: 10 m
Part of: Old Havana
Address: 2 2 O'Reilly La Habana La Habana
Opening Hours: Mardi-Vendredi 09:30-17:00; Samedi 13:00-16:00; Dimanche 09:30-17:00
GPS coordinates: 23.14100,-82.34980
Latest update: May 7, 2025 07:29
The monuments in central Havana showcase Spanish colonial military, religious, and civil architecture. The 16th-century fortifications protect the port, while baroque religious buildings and neoclassical palaces line the cobbled squares. Museums, theaters, and cultural centers occupy former administrative and industrial buildings.
Granma
732 m
Museum of the Revolution
707 m
San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress
693 m
Havana Cathedral
221 m
Christ of Havana
598 m
Bacardi Building
801 m
National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba
762 m
Palacio de los Capitanes Generales
126 m
Manzana de Gómez
896 m
El Templete
97 m
Produce Exchange Building
360 m
Old Town Square
554 m
Iglesia Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje
801 m
Abdallah Mosque
194 m
Palacio del Segundo Cabo
57 m
Bank of Nova Scotia Building, Havana
296 m
Royal Bank of Canada building
425 m
Plaza de Arms
87 m
San Francisco Square
379 m
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Cubana
762 m
Rum museum
639 m
Neptune Fountain
161 m
Students' Monument
942 m
Greek Orthodox churches in Cuba
531 m
Monument to José de la Luz y Caballero
206 m
Albear Monument
861 m
Custom House for the Port of Havana
540 m
Lions' Fountain
426 mReviews
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