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Many embassies, including the historic Russian embassy, are located in the Miramar neighborhood facing Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) formerly called Avenida de las Américas. One of the streets to visit so you don't miss the luxurious architecture of the 1920s.

Before the Revolution, the neighborhood was home to many high-ranking residents of Havana, noble families and landowners. These villas are now used as embassies and diplomatic residences.

There are many large houses and mansions that can still beseen in all their splendor along Quinta Avenida.

The avenue runs from the tunnel that connects it to Calzada Street, inEl Vedado, to the Santa Ana River, in the Santa Fe area, at the westernend of the city. There it becomes the Pan-American Highway andreaches the city of Mariel, in the province of Artemisa.

Its structure proved to be a key factor in the developmentand prosperity of the Miramar district and also of Country Club Park and thePlaya de Marianao district, which lies between Miramar and Siboney.

The Havana bourgeoisie progressively moved from placeslike Paseo del Prado, in the old city, and built their mansions and palacesfurther west, reaching Miramar by crossing the natural barrier of theAlmendares River, with the first use of a bridge and two road tunnels.

This neighborhood and the Country Club were the mostglamorous spaces of Havana in the 1950s. There are also some of the most modern hotelsin Havana, such as Hotel Melia Habana, Oasis Panorama Hotel and Occidental Miramar,beaches and private rental houses (known as casas particulares). TheInternational School of Havana is also located here.

Miramar is one of the main areas of the city of LaHabana, in the municipality of Playa. Since 1959 it became the home of the aristocratic classwho lived in luxury houses with swimming pools, large terraces and tropical gardens.

The Miramar neighborhood is also rich in parks,the most famous being the one with the scenic Jaguey plants. Native to the Antilles, the Jagüey plant isa shrub with a strong and vigorous trunk, with large branches and abundant foliage.

It has attractive foliage but a twistedand highly branched shape, with adventitious roots that wrap around the main trunk.It grows embracing another tree, which it will eventually strangle. Its rootsgrow from extended branches and descend vertically to penetrate the ground,thus serving as support.

We recommend avintage car ride along the entire Quinta Avenida to relive thesplendor of the era.