18 gorgeous photos of daily life in Cuba

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Images

On Sunday, March 20, President Barack Obama became the first US president in nearly 90 years to visit the island nation of Cuba. Signs with images of the president alongside Cuban President Raul Castro were hung in colonial Old Havana to welcome him.

In the summer of 2015, the US and Cuba began finalizing the long process of restoring relations. The American flag was lifted above the American embassy once again, and tourist interest in the island nation spiked. Obama has been working to make his Cuba policy changes irreversible — no matter the outcome of the 2016 election.

While some restrictions are still in place for general tourism within the country, commercial flights are now freely going in and out, and it's finally a viable vacation plan for 2016.

The New York Times even placed Viñales, Cuba, at number 10 in their annual "52 Places to Go" travel list — and with tourist numbers booming, the island will surely see its fair share of visitors in 2016.

Here's what it's like to vacation on the once-restricted island.  

From Havana's National Museum of Fine Arts to the smaller art markets in the streets, tourists can find beautiful and colorful art all across the city.

Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

Soccer games are played everywhere, even in the street.

Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

Vintage cars are extremely common in Cuba, thanks in part to the country's long-standing trade embargo with the US, which started in 1962. The regime was too poor to import significant numbers of new cars from its allies in Europe and Asia, meaning that many Cubans' cars are still pre-embargo, American-made relics.

Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters

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