Your Guide to Cuba: How to Plan Your Trip SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Foods to Try Best Restaurants in Havana Nightlife in Havana What Americans Should Know Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Best Hotels in Havana Public Transportation Neighborhoods to Explore Places to Visit One Week in Cuba 48 Hours in Havana Day Trips from Havana Top Things to Do in Cuba Things to Do in Havana Best Beaches Museums to Visit Where to Go Shopping Your Guide to Cuba: How to Plan Your Trip close Overview Caribbean Cuba Where to Go Shopping in Havana By Meena Thiruvengadam Meena Thiruvengadam Instagram Twitter Meena Thiruvengadam is a New York-based writer, editor, and audience strategist who began writing for TripSavvy in 2019. She has written extensively about travel to Cuba, South Korea, North America, and Europe, including Italy’s Amalfi Coast. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 11/26/19 If you’re looking for streets lined with Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Ted Baker and Prada, look elsewhere. Havana isn’t a commercial shopping mecca filled with glistening malls, name brands, and endless sales. Havana’s shopping scene is a bit more subtle and far more unique. Havana is a place to shop for art, unique clothing, leather goods, cigars, rum and one-of-a-kind household items. It’s a city of artisans and aficionados selling items you can’t find in big box stores or on Amazon. This is a place for shopping in galleries, at street markets and in one-of-a-kind boutiques for treasures you didn’t realize you were looking for. 01 of 12 Clandestina Courtesy of Clandestina View Map Address 403 Villegas, La Habana, Cuba Get directions Phone +53 7 8600997 Web Visit website Clandestina is a Havana boutique that sells T-shirts, tote bags, posters,, and more made by a collection of local artists. Its mission is to upcycle whenever possible and to be a pillar of sustainability in Cuban retail. Clandestina carries a broad selection of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, as well as posters and recycled bags. Clandestina was one of the earliest private retail shops in Havana, with a brick-and-mortar store in Old Havana and online sales, too. Prices are high for Cuba and on par with what you might expect to pay at a Western retailer. 02 of 12 La Casa del Habano Quinta View Map Address 4JV9+8RW, Havana, Cuba Get directions Cohiba, anyone? You can’t come to Cuba and not shop for cigars. La Casa del Habano Quinta is one of the best places to shop for cigars in Havana. The store is well-stocked and known for its well-informed staff who can help walk you through its vast selection. La Casa del Habano also offers a smoking room and an on-site restaurant. 03 of 12 Almacenes San José Flickr / Creative Commons View Map Address 110 Leonor Pérez, La Habana, Cuba Get directions If Cuban art is on your shopping list, you'll want to visit Almacenes San José. This art market inside a sizeable two-story warehouse features works from dozens of Cuban artists. You'll find lots of paintings, ceramics, handmade jewelry, and more, and you won’t have to battle a blazing hot sun to browse. The building housing the market was built in 1885 and is among the oldest in Havana. It underwent a three-year restoration and reopened as a craft market in 2009. 04 of 12 Memorias Librería View Map Address 57 Animas, La Habana, Cuba Get directions Phone +53 7 8623153 If you’re interested in vintage Cuba or looking for a truly unique souvenir, you’ll want to add this shop to your itinerary. Memorias Librería is Havana's first antique bookstore. It’s located just 100 meters from Havana’s Fine Arts Museum. The store opened in 2014 and aims to revive the charm of Cuba’s heyday. In addition to antique books, Memorias Librería also carries postcards, cigar labels, posters, and historical photos. Continue to 5 of 12 below. 05 of 12 Secondhand Book Market diegograndi / Getty Images You’ll find this Havana staple in the open-air ruins of the former Casa de Jústiz y Santa Ana. This is a fascinating place to spend an hour or two. Browse well-worn books that have served generations of Cubans. Discover iconic concert, vintage postcards and movie posters, talk with the vendors operating the market’s stalls and soak up the sense of community that has made this book market a part of the fabric of Havana for so many years. 06 of 12 Victor Manuel Gallery View Map Address Havana, Cuba Get directions This gallery can be pricey, but it's worth a visit—even if it's just to browse. The gallery is located in what was once a public bathhouse built over a cistern. Walk through its massive wooden doors, and you’ll find a wonderland of Cuban art. In addition to paintings, this gallery sells jewelry made by local designers and humidors made of Cuban cedar. 07 of 12 Habana 1791 AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images View Map Address 156 Mercaderes, La Habana, Cuba Get directions Phone +53 7 8613525 For a truly unique souvenir, head to Habana 1791, a perfumery housed in an 18th-century mansion in Old Havana. Habana 1791 is dedicated to the scents of colonial Cuba. It focuses on a dozen fragrances that can be blended to create bespoke perfumes and colognes. Shoppers can even select their bottles, many of them handcrafted in Cuba. Even if you don’t decide to update your scent, you’ll love perusing this space. 08 of 12 Piscolabis View Map Address 4JRX+493, San Ignacio, La Habana, Cuba Get directions Web Visit website This cute boutique is no ordinary souvenir shop. Piscolabis carries all sorts of original decorative items—think pillows, handcrafted pottery, and paintings you’d be proud to display for decades—and well as jewelry and clothing made in Cuba. If you're looking for a truly one of a kind gift, home decor made of recycled materials or guayabera, this is where to find it. Piscolabis also operates an onsite coffee shop. Continue to 9 of 12 below. 09 of 12 Old Havana Greg Kahn / Getty Images View Map Address Old Havana, Havana, Cuba Get directions If you’re looking for traditional souvenirs, make it a point to get lost in Old Havana where you’re sure to stumble onto many intimate souvenir shops sell brightly colored paintings, magnets, cigar boxes, shirts and more. Do take a look at the pictures on Granma newspaper print. 10 of 12 Obispo Street Craft Market View Map Address Obispo, La Habana, Cuba Get directions For souvenirs, leather goods, jewelry, and artwork, take a stroll through the craft market on Obispo Street in Old Havana. The market is located between Aguacate and Compostela. If you’re looking for a new pair of shoes, a wallet or a handbag, look here. You’ll also find one-of-a-kind jewelry and any Che Guevarra thing you could imagine at bargain prices. 11 of 12 Galerías de Paseo View Map Address 159 Calle 3, La Habana, Cuba Get directions Phone +53 7 8339888 Cuba may be a socialist country, but not all Cubans living on the island are economically equal. To experience how Cuba’s elite shop, head to Galerías de Paseo. This is upscale Cuban shopping, but with brands and designers you’ve likely never heard of. With its glass and large curved windows, Galerias de Paseo looks like it’s straight out of the 1980s. It caters primarily to tourists and affluent Cubans and includes both a stocked supermarket and the Jazz Cafe, one of the city’s best places for jazz. 12 of 12 Airport Duty-Free AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images View Map Address Int'l Airport Jose Marti, XHXV+326, La Habana, Cuba Get directions Phone +53 7 6420100 Web Visit website Rum is almost synonymous with Cuba, but airport regulations make flying with a bottle complicated, especially if you’re not checking a bag. When it comes to Cuban rum, your best bet is to buy at the Havana airport’s duty-free shop. You’ll find an ample selection of local rums as well as humidor that stocks everything from Romeo y Julieta to Cohiba cigars. With a sealed bag from the duty-free shop, you’ll be able to walk two bottles of rum onto your flight. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email