Dili
Timor-Leste · 10 m
Description
Dili is the capital of Timor-Leste and the arrival point for every visitor, a low seafront city of Portuguese colonial buildings, tin roofs and a wide waterfront road running along the harbour. The Cristo Rei statue stands on a headland east of town at the top of a long flight of steps, and two beaches lie on either side of it. The Resistance Museum and the Chega exhibition in a former prison document the occupation and the independence struggle without softening it. Reef diving starts a few metres off the coast road. The city is small and walkable in an hour.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Cristo Rei statue and its steps
- Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum
- Shore diving straight off the coast road
- Chega exhibition in the former Comarca prison
- Areia Branca and Dollar Beach
- Tais market and the woven cloth
- Portuguese colonial buildings on the waterfront
- Santa Cruz cemetery
- Motael church and the harbour front
- Grilled fish stalls along the seafront
- Sunset from the Cristo Rei headland
Getting there
- Airports:
- DIL
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry