Plaza Vieja, Colonial square in Old Havana, Cuba.

Plaza Vieja is a square at the heart of Old Havana featuring buildings in Cuban baroque style painted in various colors and arranged around an open central area. Fountains and colonnades define the space, with restaurants, cafes, and art galleries lining its edges.

Plaza Vieja emerged in 1559 as Plaza Nueva, a civil and residential space built as a popular alternative to the military and government centre of Plaza de Armas. In the 18th century it became Havana's commercial hub, the Plaza del Mercado; in 1814, with the new Mercado Nuevo at Plaza del Cristo, it took the name Plaza Vieja. In 1851 members of the defeated filibustering Lopez Expedition were executed here.

The square's name changed with its uses: Plaza Nueva in 1559, Plaza del Mercado in the 18th century, then Plaza Vieja in 1814 after the Mercado Nuevo opened at Plaza del Cristo. It has also carried names such as Plaza Real, Fernando VII and Park Julian Grimau. Today it hosts community events and exhibitions and forms part of the tourist circuit of Havana's colonial squares.

The square is easy to walk through with all key areas close together, making it simple to see everything in one visit. There are plenty of outdoor seating areas and indoor spaces in the establishments around it where you can rest while exploring.

The square's name changed in 1814, when the new Mercado Nuevo opened at Plaza del Cristo and the older market square needed a different name. Before that it had been called Plaza Nueva, Plaza del Mercado, Plaza Real, Plaza Mayor and Plaza de la Constitución, among others.