Maputo: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: base yourself on the upper plateau of Polana or Sommerschield rather than down by the port, carry your passport (or a notarised copy showing your entry stamp) whenever walking around town, and keep Mozambican Meticais (MZN) in cash for markets, fish stalls and txopela tuk-tuks.

Upper plateau (Polana and Sommerschield) versus the lower Baixa

Maputo is divided vertically into two distinct zones. Down at sea level beside the commercial harbour sits the historic Baixa (downtown), where early-20th-century arcades, the CFM Central Railway Station, the Fortaleza and Mercado Central cluster around Praça dos Trabalhadores and Praça da Independência. Explore the Baixa during weekday mornings and early afternoons when its markets and cafes are active. Above the red-earth escarpment to the east rises the breezy residential plateau of Polana Cimento and Sommerschield, where flame-tree avenues, embassies, FEIMA craft market and the city's best restaurants overlook the bay before dropping down to the palm-fringed beach road of Avenida Marginal.

Carrying ID, photography rules and safety

Under Mozambican law, everyone must carry official identification in public, and police patrols occasionally ask pedestrians for documents; either carry your passport in a money belt or have your hotel stamp and certify a photocopy of your photo page and entry visa. Never photograph government ministries, the presidential palace (Ponta Vermelha), military barracks, police officers or the airport, as this is strictly forbidden and enforced.

Meticais (MZN), cards and Portuguese basics

The local currency is the Mozambican Metical (MZN). Visa cards work at upmarket hotels, supermarkets and restaurants in Polana (Mastercard can be patchier on some older terminals), while ATMs dispense Meticais for everyday spending. At Mercado do Peixe and FEIMA, cash in Meticais gets the best prices, though South African Rand and US dollars are sometimes accepted at poor rates. Portuguese is the official language: a warm Bom dia (good morning), Boa tarde (good afternoon) and Obrigado / Obrigada (thank you) goes a long way. Compare bases in where to stay in Maputo.