Djibouti City

Short description of Djibouti City

Djibouti City is a small white capital wedged between the Gulf of Tadjoura and the desert, and everything in the country begins here. Arcaded streets and the Place Menelik survive from the French period, the Hamoudi mosque marks the edge of the old centre, and the covered market sells spices, cloth and dried fish in the same aisles. Khat arrives from Ethiopia every afternoon and the city stops to meet it. Foreign naval bases and the Ethiopian trade corridor keep prices high and hotels full. Boats leave the Escale quay for the islands and for the far shore.

AI edited

Recommended length of stay

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: December – February

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

All highlights and sights

1. The Marché Central and its spice aisles
2. Place Ménélik and the arcaded European quarter
3. The Hamoudi Mosque
4. Rue de Rome and Rue d'Éthiopie
5. The Quartier Africain and its khat stalls
6. The Escale quay and the dhow harbour
7. Whale shark snorkelling in the Gulf of Tadjoura (October - February)
8. Khor Ambado and its white sand(Day trip)
9. The corniche along Boulevard de la République
10. La Siesta and the Doraleh beaches
11. The afternoon khat market at Riyad
12. The Décan wildlife refuge(Day trip)
13. Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Bon-Pasteur
14. Arta and the hill road above the gulf(Day trip)
15. The salt pans on the Loyada border road(Day trip)
16. The presidential palace and assembly facades
17. The Héron and Haramous embassy quarter

Ways to get there and away

Airports nearby:

• JIB Djibouti-Ambouli Airport (Djibouti City) · 4.8 km south(recommended)
• BBO Berbera Airport (Berbera) · 237 km southeast
• ADE Aden International Airport (Aden) · 247 km northeast

Seaport:

Reachable by ship or ferry

Nearest seaports:

• ferry port near Djibouti City · 1.6 km northwest
• Tadjoura · 36 km northwest

Train stations:

Nagad

Ports: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Map view

Distances

More travel destinations in Djibouti

• Lake Assal
• Lac Abbé
• Moucha Island
• Obock
• Tadjoura
• Ali Sabieh
• Dikhil