Things to do in Accra
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Accra
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Main dry season, best overall, rare rain and day trips run as planned.
Harmattan brings dry dusty wind, hazy light and slightly cooler nights.
Major rainy season, peak May to June, flooding and disrupted day trips but lower prices.
Brief dry spell, cooler and Accra best cultural month with Chale Wote and Homowo.
Minor rainy season, lighter showers, greener and cheaper with emptier sights.
What's on
- AfroFuture usually 28-29 Dec
Headline Detty December festival at El Wak Stadium, formerly Afrochella.
- Detty Rave usually 27 Dec
Part of the Detty December party calendar in peak season.
- Chale Wote Street Art Festival Usually mid to late August
Week of murals, performance and concerts, recently centred on Osu and Black Star Square.
- Homowo Aug-Sep, dates vary
Ga harvest festival with processions, drumming and traditional food in Jamestown and Ga Mashie.
- Tidal Rave Festival usually Nov
Beach music festival that has sat on the October to November border in recent editions.
Best things to do in Accra
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
Essential first stop for Ghana independence history, with the mausoleum, museum and personal effects.
Jamestown
Oldest Ga fishing quarter with lighthouse, fort, murals, boxing gyms and a working harbour, best with a guide.
Gallery 1957
Museum grade Ghanaian and West African contemporary art in two calm spaces, with free entry.
Nubuke Foundation
Grassroots arts compound in a garden with exhibitions, poetry and film led by Ghanaian artists.
Makola Market
Dense commercial heart for wax print fabric, beads and spices at far below boutique prices.
Black Star Square
Vast parade ground with the Independence Arch and Black Star Gate, best as a short photo stop.
National Museum of Ghana
Ethnography, archaeology and art overview that frames the rest of a Ghana trip.
W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture
Du Bois final home and mausoleum with his library, small and moving for Pan African history.
Where to stay in Accra
Osu
first trip, all-round base
Oxford Street restaurants at every tier, bars and boutiques, beach five minutes and lively at night.
Labone + Cantonments
calm, couples and longer stays
Leafy embassy and villa streets with cafes, five to ten minutes by Bolt to Osu when you want noise.
Airport Residential + Airport City
business, luxury hotels and a soft landing
Wide roads, malls and big international hotels five to fifteen minutes from Kotoka International.
Ridge / North Ridge
grand-hotel base
Kempinski and Movenpick quarter, central for Nkrumah Park and Makola by day but thin as a neighbourhood.
East Legon
repeat visitors and groups renting a house
Upscale residential sprawl with its own restaurant strip and Nubuke, but far from central sights in traffic.
Think twice about
- Kwame Nkrumah Circle / Kaneshie / Central CBD core
Transport chaos, dense pickpocketing and phone snatching, aggressive touting and severe flash flooding in rain.
- Agbogbloshie / Old Fadama
Large e waste processing site with toxic smoke, no visitor infrastructure and real health exposure. Skip it entirely.
- Jamestown / Ussher Town as a hotel base
Very few legitimate hotels, poor lighting, sanitation problems and the entrance tout scam. Visit by day with a guide.
- Nima / Mamobi as a base
Congested with few visitor hotels and navigation that defeats newcomers. Book a guided tour and base in Osu or Ridge.
Best restaurants in Accra
Santoku
High end Japanese in Villaggio with sushi, inventive mains and service praised as Accra best.
Kozo
Asian African fusion in a beautiful room, the dress up celebration venue in Osu.
NsuomNam
Ghanaian seafood and classics plated as fine dining in a smart Cantonments room.
Buka Restaurant
Essential mid range Ghanaian lunch terrace serving West African dishes properly since 2003.
Bistro 22
Calm garden bistro in Labone for international plates, cocktails and a repeat local crowd.
La Chaumière
Long running French restaurant for white tablecloth wine and escargot near Santoku.
Tatale Vegan
Plant based versions of Ghanaian classics in a bright modern room in Osu.
Aunty Muni Waakye
Beloved weekend only roadside waakye stall with a queue that has included ex presidents.
Outdoor things to do in Accra
Cape Coast Castle
UNESCO listed castle with dungeons and Door of No Return, harrowing and essential history.
Elmina Castle
Oldest European building in sub Saharan Africa from 1482, with guided tours through the dungeons.
Kakum National Park
Seven rope bridges more than 30 metres above rainforest on the Cape Coast loop.
Aburi Botanical Gardens
Cooler hill gardens with palms and royal trees planted from 1890, an escape from Accra heat.
Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm
Ghana first cocoa farm near Aburi, paired with the botanical gardens on a hill day.
Boti Falls
Waterfall day with Umbrella Rock and the three headed palm, best after rain for spray.
Shai Hills Resource Reserve
Closest wild place to Accra with rocky hills, caves, baboons, zebra and antelope.
Mr Brights Surf School
Beginner friendly surf lessons and rentals at Ghana surf hub, best early morning.
Best hotels in Accra
Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra
Default luxury answer with a large pool, serious spa and Gallery 1957 across the road.
Labadi Beach Hotel
Ghanaian owned beachfront grand with gardens, pool and direct beach access.
Villa Monticello Boutique Hotel
Small themed suite boutique luxury, quieter and more personal than the grand hotels.
Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra
Big pool business luxury alternative to Kempinski in the same Ridge quarter.
Fiesta Residences Boutique Hotel & Serviced Apartments
Serviced apartment space with hotel service, pool and quiet Cantonments streets.
La Villa Boutique Hotel
Garden and pool boutique in Osu lanes, walkable to dinner and calm inside the wall.
ibis Styles Accra Airport
Reliable colourful chain stay for short or business trips near the airport.
African Regent Hotel
African owned long running mid upper workhorse in Airport Residential.
Is Accra expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | GHS 350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | GHS 1,050 a person |
| Splurge | GHS 1,900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Jamestown: a few days ahead
- Accra cooking class and market tour: a few days ahead
- Fantasy Coffin Workshops: a few days ahead
- Cape Coast Castle: a few days ahead
- Elmina Castle: a few days ahead
- Kakum National Park: a few days ahead
- Shai Hills Resource Reserve: a few days ahead
- Achimota Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Detty December flights, hotels, villas and AfroFuture tickets months ahead.
- Cape Coast, Elmina and Kakum with a reputable tour or driver a few days ahead, weeks in December.
- Santoku, Kozo and NsuomNam for Thursday to Saturday dinner, and golf tee times by phone.
Is Accra safe?
- Pickpocketing and phone snatching in Makola, Circle and crowded events: bag in front and phone away.
- Strong Atlantic rip currents at Labadi and Kokrobite are the big beach risk: swim where locals swim and never alone at night.
- Yellow fever certificate is required for entry, drink bottled or filtered water, and use your right hand to give and receive.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Accra travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A free Jamestown guide or unsolicited guide at a castle or market who later demands payment.
- Oxford Street boutiques at first prices for fabric and carvings that are cheaper in Makola and the Arts Centre.
- Black Star Square sold as a half day plan and Labadi sold as a clean beach day.
Getting around Accra: public transport and more
- Bolt, Uber and Yango are the system, plentiful in Osu, Cantonments and Airport and safest at night.
- Traffic is the plan: cluster by district and leave for day trips before 6:30am.
- Tro tros are a daytime cultural experience with a local, not transport to depend on.
Who Accra suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Accra your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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