Things to do in Grand-Bassam
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Grand-Bassam
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The long dry season and the best months, January driest, with Abissa usually in late October or early November at its start.
Hot and humid with rain building sharply into May, one of the wettest months by wet days. Popo Carnival runs in Bonoua in April.
The long rains at their peak, June the wettest month by far, with a rough, dirty beach and weather dependent boat trips.
The short dry season, cooler and grey with the sea at its coldest in August. Workable, but not a hidden best season.
Short rains ease into the dry season, and Abissa makes late October or early November the town's biggest cultural week.
What's on
- Abissa Late October into early November, exact dates set yearly
The N'zima Kotoko New Year festival of drumming, dance, costume and open criticism of the powerful, centred on the royal court.
- Popo Carnival Around Easter in April, running about two weeks
The Abouré carnival in Bonoua, about 15 to 20 km west of Grand-Bassam, with masks, parades, brass bands and theatre.
Best things to do in Grand-Bassam
Quartier France
The UNESCO listed colonial quarter of wide sandy streets, verandahed villas and honest decay, best walked slowly on foot.
Musée National du Costume
Ivorian royal and regional dress inside the former Governor's Palace, far better with one of the local guides.
Palais Royal des N'zima
The working palace of the N'zima Kotoko court, the centre of Abissa, visited respectfully from outside unless invited in.
Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur de Grand-Bassam
The old town's working cathedral and its most solid colonial era landmark, a good fixed point for a Quartier France walk.
Maison Ganamet
One of the best known merchant houses of Quartier France, an exterior visit that rewards a guided walk.
Maison Varlet
A substantial colonial house showing the weathered, unrestored side of Quartier France that the showpieces hide.
Phare de Grand-Bassam
The lighthouse of the old port town, a coastal landmark and photograph, with no reliable public access to the top.
Centre Artisanal de Grand-Bassam
Carvers, weavers and beadworkers in one Quartier France centre, genuine craft production and tourist retail together.
Where to stay in Grand-Bassam
Quartier France
heritage base and beach hotels
Sleep inside the UNESCO quarter, walk to the museum and cathedral, and use hotel pools instead of the ocean.
Azuretti
beach strip value and long lunches
The Route d'Azuretti hotel row west of the old town, pools, beach restaurants and the full price spread of Bassam.
Nouveau Bassam
lowest prices and everyday town life
North of the lagoon bridge by the market and gare, cheaper and livelier, but not on the beach and not in the old town.
Think twice about
- Unlit beach stretches beyond the hotel row
No lifeguards, heavy surf and undertow, and isolated after dark. Walk the beach in daylight and use lit hotel stretches at night.
Best restaurants in Grand-Bassam
La Case Bleue
The most praised kitchen in town, French and Ivorian seafood in a Quartier France garden, the one deliberate dinner.
Assoyam Beach
Beachfront French and seafood cooking with paillotes and a pool, built for the long Bassam weekend lunch.
Coco Grill
Barbecue, grilled fish, oysters when available and cocktails on the Azuretti road, made for groups and long afternoons.
Le Quai
A European and African table on the old town side, the dinner to pair with a heritage day without a taxi.
Les Moutons de la Pizza
The town's dependable pizza and Italian fallback, with African dishes alongside, three days into grilled fish.
Maquis Sous les Palmiers
An open air maquis of grilled fish, chicken and attiéké at local prices, how Grand-Bassam actually eats out.
Outdoor things to do in Grand-Bassam
La Pirogue Bassamoise
A calm pirogue trip on the lagoon channels past mangroves and fishing villages, the safe water of Grand-Bassam.
Assinie-Mafia
The upmarket lagoon and beach escape east of Bassam, about 50 to 62 km by road, with lagoon side swimming.
Assouindé
The nearer eastern excursion, beach paillotes and lagoon edges about 40 to 60 minutes from Grand-Bassam.
Parc National des Îles Éhotilé
Six protected lagoon islands reached by boat from the Assinie side, birds, bats, trails and N'zima sacred sites.
Best hotels in Grand-Bassam
Hôtel Etoile du Sud
The town's best known beach hotel, big ocean facing rooms, balconies, a pool and a faded colonial style.
Golden Palace Hôtel
The largest full service hotel plant in the old town, kept in tier with a direct warning to verify it is operating.
Hôtel La Madrague
A long running mid range beach hotel on the Azuretti strip with a pool, garden and terrace by the sand.
Boblin La Mer
A smaller, well liked beach hotel and restaurant on the Azuretti road, at the affordable end of mid range.
La Taverne Bassamoise
The classic cheap Bassam stay, simple rooms and a known local restaurant table on the beach strip road.
Is Grand-Bassam expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | F CFA 20,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | F CFA 45,000 a person |
| Splurge | F CFA 95,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- La Pirogue Bassamoise: a few days ahead
- Parc National des Îles Éhotilé: a few days ahead
- Hôtel Etoile du Sud: a few days ahead
- Golden Palace Hôtel: a few days ahead
- La Case Bleue: a few days ahead
- Book beach hotels for weekends and for Abissa week, when Abidjan arrives and rooms fill.
- Confirm lagoon pirogue trips and the Ehotilé boat a day ahead, and verify large hotels are fully operating in the same week you travel.
Is Grand-Bassam safe?
- Do not swim beyond the waterline at Plage de Grand-Bassam. Heavy surf, a strong undertow and no reliable lifeguards, so use hotel pools.
- The serious security restrictions concern the far north border region and the Liberia border zone in the far west. Grand-Bassam, on the south coast, is in neither.
- Gunmen attacked the Étoile du Sud and neighbouring beach hotels on 13 March 2016, killing 19 people. There has been no repeat in Grand-Bassam, and hotel security checks are part of the scene.
- Carry your passport for police checkpoints, avoid demonstrations and large political crowds, and use pre arranged taxis after dark.
Grand-Bassam travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Treating Grand-Bassam as an Abidjan day trip and missing the old town at dawn and dusk.
- Craft pieces sold as antique at the Centre Artisanal are almost always made for the market. Buy and price them as craft.
- Any single fixed Abissa date printed in a guide is a guess. Confirm the year's dates through official channels.
Getting around Grand-Bassam: public transport and more
- Grand-Bassam is about 40 to 45 km east of central Abidjan, roughly 45 to 60 minutes by road, and closer to the airport.
- Shared taxis link Nouveau Bassam gare, the Pont de la Victoire and the old town for a few hundred XOF. Agree every private taxi fare before departure.
- Walk Quartier France and the bridge on foot. Do not drive the coastal highway at night.
Who Grand-Bassam suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Grand-Bassam your trip
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