Museo de Artes Decorativas — Attraction in Vedado – Malecón

Not what you’re expecting. It’s the former home of an extremely wealthy Spanish- Cuban family, decorated in a variety of French-influenced styles: rococo, baroque, regency, etc. If you’re seeking a true museum, with a good variety of objets and helpful signage, you’ll be disappointed.

When I visited, the museum was not turning on any lights, so the only illumination was from the windows.

The guides were quite emphatic that the family wasn’t Jewish, despite the prominent placement of a star of David in the...

This museum opened in 1964 and is housed in the house of José Gómez Mena, a mansion designed by the French architects P. Virad and M. Destugué in 1927. Gómez’s sister, María Luisa Gómez Mena, a wealthy patron of Cuban artists, was a vital figure in the Havana of her time. At the sumptuous residence she hosted parties and gatherings which were attended by celebrities from Cuba and other parts of the world, from aristocrats to movie stars, to intellectuals, to...

Essential for understanding the lives of rich Cubans before the revolution. Additionally, some of the objects presented - magnificent Chinese screens, Marie Antoinette's writing desk - are extraordinary in their own right.

Our guide was Mario, a young university lecturer who speaks good English and was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It would be worth enquiring which...