Abidjan
Côte d'Ivoire · 18 m
Description
Abidjan is the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire and the largest French-speaking city in West Africa, built around a lagoon that splits it into districts joined by bridges and wooden pirogue ferries. Le Plateau is the business quarter, a cluster of towers left from the boom years with the pyramid-roofed St Paul's Cathedral at its edge. Treichville and Adjamé hold the markets and the maquis, the open-air grill restaurants that serve braised fish until very late, and the coupé-décalé and zouglou music that came out of those bars is what the city exports.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: August or November – February
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- St Paul's Cathedral and its pyramid roof
- Le Plateau skyline and the lagoon bridges
- Treichville market and the maquis grills
- Coupé-décalé and zouglou live music clubs
- Pirogue ferries across the Ébrié lagoon
- Attiéké and braised fish in the maquis
- Musée des Civilisations de Côte d'Ivoire
- Banco National Park rainforest in the city
- Fanico open-air laundry at Banco
- Cocody and the Riviera nightlife strip
- Adjamé Forum market
- Grande Mosquée du Plateau
- Village Ki-Yi and the Ivorian dance theatre
- Îles Boulay lagoon islands(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- ABJ
- Train stations:
- Abidjan Treichville
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry