Accra

Spreading along the Gulf of Guinea coast, Accra blends the deep Ga coastal traditions of historic fishing quarters with the confident pan-African spirit of the first sub-Saharan nation to win independence in 1957. Along the monumental seafront of High Street stand the marble fountains of Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the ceremonial arch of Black Star Square and the red-and-white lighthouse overlooking Jamestown and Ussher Fort.

Inland from the coast, shoppers weave through the colorful textile lanes of Makola Market and the Centre for National Culture, before spending evenings in Osu, Labone and along the palms of Labadi Beach. Pair city days with Ghanaian jollof rice, morning waakye and a cool hillside escape to Aburi Botanical Gardens or Cape Coast, starting with our first-timer briefing.

Unlike airports built far outside the capital, Kotoka International Airport (ACC) sits directly inside central Accra's northern residential belt. Its modern Terminal 3 is a 15- to 25-minute ride from Airport Residential, Cantonments, Osu and Labone. Within the city, ride-hailing apps (Bolt, Uber and Yango) are the standard way to move between monuments and beaches, while shared minibuses (trotros) run along every major arterial road. See how to get to Accra.

Most visitors base themselves in the central-eastern belt between Osu, Labone and Cantonments, where tree-lined streets hold Accra's best independent bistros, contemporary galleries and boutique hotels, or directly on the sand at Labadi (La) Beach for ocean breezes and resort pools. We compare five neighbourhoods in where to stay in Accra.

Walk the reflecting pools of the renovated Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, climb Black Star Gate and explore historic Jamestown, shop for woven Ashanti and Ewe kente strips at the Arts Centre and Makola Market, visit the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Cantonments, and take a day trip to Aburi Botanical Gardens or Cape Coast Castle. See the full list in things to do in Accra.

Accra takes its food seriously: smoky party-style Ghanaian jollof rice cooked with basmati or local perfumed rice and spiced tomato stew, morning parcels of waakye (rice and black-eyed peas steamed in red sorghum leaves with shito black pepper sauce), sweet fried plantains with cowpea bean stew (red-red), and grilled tilapia with fermented maize banku. Read what to eat in our Accra food and day-trip overview.

A warme Akwaaba ("welcome" in Twi) greets visitors everywhere in Accra. Home to the Ga people (who celebrate the harvest festival of Homowo each August in Jamestown and Osu), the capital is also a global crossroads for African diaspora heritage, highlife and hiplife music, and the famous fantasy coffin workshops (abebuu adekai) of Teshie and Prampram.