The property market in Guanabacoa

Guanabacoa was an independent town for centuries and still behaves like one. Its historic centre keeps a colonial layout of high-ceilinged houses with central courtyards and tiled roofs — a type of home that would be out of reach in central Havana and that sells here at modest prices.

The reason for those prices is not the quality of the buildings but distance and transport. Guanabacoa is separated from the rest of the city by the bay and by its own topography, and depending on public transport from here shapes daily life. Anyone with their own vehicle, or who works locally, is getting an obvious bargain.

Outside the old centre, the municipality offers neighbourhoods of single-storey houses with yards and areas of more recent construction, plus semi-rural land to the east with large plots.

It is the Havana municipality where you get the most square metres and the most character per unit of price. The question to answer honestly before buying is not about the house — it is about the commute.

Neighbourhoods and areas

• Historic centre
• Villa María
• Minas
• Chibás
• Peñalver
• Naranjo

What to check before buying here

• check_circleThe condition of tiled roofs and timber structures in colonial houses.
• check_circleRising damp in old masonry walls.
• check_circleThe real journey to work and to the centre by public transport — measured, not estimated.
• check_circleThe area and boundaries of the yard versus what the title says.

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