How many days do you need in Abidjan?

Two days covers Le Plateau, the museum, Banco park and an evening in a maquis. A third allows a day trip to Grand-Bassam.

Is Abidjan safe for tourists?

During the day yes, as in any large city, with valuables out of sight. After dark take a vehicle rather than walking, because street lighting is patchy outside the main avenues.

What is the best way to get around Abidjan?

Locals use woro-woro shared taxis and gbaka minibuses. For a first visit a car with a driver removes the two real problems, traffic and parking. Ride apps such as Yango also operate.

Is Abidjan the capital of Ivory Coast?

It is the economic capital and largest city, but the official political capital has been Yamoussoukro since 1983.

What should you eat in Abidjan?

Attiéké with grilled fish is the national dish. Also kedjenou, chicken slow-cooked in a clay pot, and alloco, fried plantain. Eat in a busy maquis.

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Home · Abidjan

Things to do in Abidjan — and how to move around it.

Abidjan is not a postcard city. It is a coastal metropolis of roughly six million people built across peninsulas around a lagoon: tower blocks in Le Plateau, markets in Adjamé and Treichville, galleries and embassies in Cocody, rainforest at the edge of town. Two days covers the highlights. A week and you start to understand the country. This page lists what is worth your time, and explains the thing nobody warns you about — the traffic.

Aerial view of the Plateau district of Abidjan with tower blocks and roundabout

Le Plateau from above

Plan by district, not by list

Every route in Abidjan crosses one of the lagoon bridges, and at rush hour an eight-kilometre trip can take an hour. Group your destinations by district rather than working down a list, and keep journeys between 10:00 and 16:00 where you can. For a full day in the city a driver is the sensible answer: you get out, he parks, he picks you up again.