Havana

When Fidel Castro brought his socialist revolution to Havana on New Year's Eve 1959, it looked as if the fun was over for what had been the good-time capital of the Caribbean, a city that had it all - year-round sunshine, glorious colonial architecture, luxury hotels and fine living.

A few decades later, Havana is back on the scene and as irrepressible as ever. There's still a whiff of the late 50s in its wide streets roamed by big-finned American cars, and the exquisite centuries-old buildings could do with a lick of paint, but it all conjures up a sense of faded grandeur that only adds to the city's nostalgic charm.

There's no better place to soak up the atmosphere than La Habana Vieja (Old Havana), whose narrow streets, cobbled plazas, churches and palaces make it one of the Americas' most exquisite colonial jewels. Among its many sights, the two uneven towers of the Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana stand out in the beautiful Plaza de la Catedral, which at the weekend bustles with handicraft markets.

Close by is Plaza de Armas, for over 400 years the seat of authority in Cuba, and just off it Obispo, a pedestrian-only street lined with fashion shops and open-air cafés. Old Havana is also home to one of the city's most enduring attractions, the Partagas cigar factory, whose rows of rollers work avidly to live newspaper readings and loudspeaker encouragements.

Havana moves to a constant rhythm of Cuban music and socialising, whether in the streets, over mojitos in some of Hemingway's famous old haunts around Obispo, or in any of the city's toe-tapping nightspots. If you're planning to get lots of sleep, you're in the wrong place.