Things to do in Dakar
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Dakar
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall: dry, surf swell up, harmattan light, and DakArt spilling into December in Biennale years.
Warm seas and thinning crowds before the heat builds.
Dry season starts and, in a Biennale year, DakArt makes November best for art first travellers.
Dry season tail, with the Saint Louis Jazz Festival worth timing a northern trip around.
Rainy season: heavy showers, humidity, mosquitoes and slower roads, with August and September worst for tight schedules.
What's on
- Dak'Art Biennale 19 Nov-19 Dec 2026
Africa flagship contemporary art biennale takes over the city for a month. Hotels fill, book early.
- Saint-Louis Jazz Festival usually May
Worth timing a Dakar plus Saint Louis trip around, with Lompoul as the bridge night.
- Grand Magal de Touba 18 Safar, in recent years in August
Dakar empties towards Touba and transport is overwhelmed for days either side. Do not schedule intercity moves then.
Best things to do in Dakar
Île de Gorée
Car free island with the House of Slaves at its core, beautiful lanes and a sobering memorial visit.
Musée des Civilisations Noires
Huge modern museum for Black civilisations across history, strongest for its rotating exhibitions.
IFAN Museum of African Arts
Classic West African masks, sculpture and textiles in an hour, paired best with a Plateau walk.
Village des Arts
Working studios where you meet Dakar artists directly and buy contemporary art at studio prices.
Mosquée de la Divinité
White twin minaret mosque above the Ouakam fishing beach, paired with the Mamelles lighthouse at sunset.
Monument de la Renaissance Africaine
Huge bronze monument with superb plaza and crown views, best as a short stop on the Mamelles circuit.
Marché Sandaga
Dakar markets divide by purpose: Sandaga for everything, HLM for fabric and Soumbédioune for artisan souvenirs.
Île de Ngor
Small car free island for a calm swim, a village walk and grilled fish lunch, five minutes by pirogue.
Where to stay in Dakar
Almadies / Ngor
first trip, all-round leisure base
Sea air, surf beaches and the densest strip of good restaurants, with sunsets at the peninsula tip.
Plateau
history, business and short stays
Colonial centre at the Gorée ferry, walkable by day but quieter at night than Almadies.
Fann / Point E / Mermoz
calm, longer stays and repeat visitors
Leafy residential districts on the Corniche Ouest, quieter and cheaper than Almadies.
Yoff
surf budget and local immersion
Lebou fishing commune with cheap guesthouses and a great beach, traditional and not set up for luxury.
Think twice about
- Médina / Grand Dakar / Sandaga edge
Dense quarters with little visitor accommodation, poor lighting off main avenues and persistent pickpocketing. Visit by day, guided.
- Corniche Ouest quiet stretches
Robberies of joggers and walkers are flagged on quiet sections and deserted beaches after dark. Base on a lived in street.
- Pikine / Parcelles Assainies
Eastern suburbs with few hotels and severe peak hour congestion, 45 to 90 minutes each way to every sight.
- Diamniadio / Blaise Diagne Airport zone
Airport and conference zone about 45 km east. Sleep there only for a dawn departure, not for a Dakar trip.
Best restaurants in Dakar
Le Lagon 1
Ship like restaurant over the water for grilled thiof, lobster and sunset, the classic seafood splurge.
La Terrasse
Terrou-Bi dining where yassa and thieboudienne are plated formally beside French and grill menus.
Phare des Mamelles
Lighthouse terrace for grilled fish, kebabs and cocktails with all of Dakar lit below at sunset.
La Fourchette
Long running French Senegalese bistro for tuna tartare, daily fish and proper sauces in Plateau.
Farid
Best known Lebanese table in Dakar for mezze, mixed grills and generous family style portions.
Chez Loutcha
Beloved all rounder with a huge menu of Senegalese classics and grills at prices below the corniche.
Restaurant Le Ngor
Seafood restaurant at the Almadies tip serving the morning catch Creole style near the sand.
Dibiterie
Charcoal grilled dibi lamb with onions, mustard and fries, eaten by hand at plastic tables citywide.
Outdoor things to do in Dakar
Ngor Right
Dakar surf for all levels: Ngor reefs for advanced surfers, Virage beach break for beginners, with a local school.
Réserve de Bandia
Baobab savanna reserve with reliably close giraffe, rhino and zebra sightings, paired with Somone Lagoon.
Lac Rose
Salty pink lake with harvesters, easy floating and dune rides, pinkest on dry season late mornings.
Îles de la Madeleine National Park
Uninhabited volcanic islands for hiking, seabirds, rock pools and clear water swimming off Plateau.
Joal-Fadiouth
Shell built island town toured on foot and by pirogue, with mangroves and a famous mixed cemetery.
Lompoul Desert
Orange dunes for camel rides, sandboarding and a tent camp night under stars Dakar never shows.
King Fahd Palace Golf Course
Nine holes at King Fahd Palace in Almadies, with a fuller 18 hole day at Saly on the Petite Côte.
Best hotels in Dakar
Terrou-Bi Resort
Resort in the city with private beach, marina, pool and several restaurants, five minutes from Plateau.
Noom Hotel Dakar Sea Plaza
Modern sea plaza hotel with pool over the Atlantic and spa, between Plateau and Almadies.
Pullman Dakar Teranga
Plateau grand hotel with ocean and Gorée views, pool and spa, walking distance to the ferry.
Novotel Dakar
Reliable Accor hotel sharing a pool site with Ibis near the ferry, efficient for Gorée and business.
Hôtel Le Djoloff
Small Senegalese run boutique hotel with garden and good restaurant bar on a quiet Fann street.
Yaas Hotel Dakar Almadies
Modern design led hotel with rooftop in Almadies, good value and walkable to Ngor dining.
Ngor Island Surf Camp
Basic social surf camp with dorms and simple rooms, guiding and board transport in its packages.
Is Dakar expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | F CFA 25,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | F CFA 85,000 a person |
| Splurge | F CFA 185,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Île de Gorée: a few days ahead
- Ngor Right: a few days ahead
- Réserve de Bandia: a few days ahead
- Lac Rose: a few days ahead
- Îles de la Madeleine National Park: a few days ahead
- Joal-Fadiouth: a few days ahead
- Lompoul Desert: weeks ahead
- King Fahd Palace Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Book a good English speaking guide driver for Gorée and one excursion day first.
- Book DakArt period and Christmas hotels weeks to months ahead, Bandia and Lac Rose private days 2 to 4 days ahead, and Le Lagon 1 and La Fourchette for Friday and Saturday.
Is Dakar safe?
- Pickpocketing in Sandaga and Tilène markets is the main risk. Use a zipped cross body bag and keep your phone away.
- Avoid lone walks on quiet Corniche stretches and deserted beaches after dark, swim where locals swim, and decline unsolicited guides at the first sentence.
Dakar travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not pay for a full half day inside the Renaissance Monument, do not buy Lac Rose on pink alone in rainy season, and do not do Gorée on a Sunday afternoon without a guide.
- Sandaga is a spectacle to pass through, not a souvenir stop. The same carvings are at Soumbédioune and the same fabric costs less at HLM.
Getting around Dakar: public transport and more
- Use Yango or hotel taxis, agree street taxi fares before you get in, and cluster by district as peak traffic doubles journey times.
- The TER train and BRT are useful along their corridors. Cars rapides are for a short daytime hop with a local, not for depending on.
Who Dakar suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Dakar your trip
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