Accra is not a monument city. It has a handful of important sites and a great many ordinary places that are better than they sound. The good version of a weekend here is usually one landmark and three hours of somewhere unremarkable.
The history
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park — the mausoleum and museum of Ghana’s first President, on the ground where he declared independence in 1957. Compact, central, and the essential stop for understanding modern Ghana and Pan-Africanism.
Jamestown and Ussher Town — old Accra. The 1871 lighthouse, the fishing harbour, Ga fishing families, colonial-era buildings in every state of repair, and the boxing gyms that have produced world champions. Go with a local guide; the walking tours here are genuinely good and the money stays in the neighbourhood. — Tour guides in Accra
W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre — Cantonments. The house where Du Bois spent his final years and where he is buried. Quiet, small, and moving.
Independence Square (Black Star Square) — the arch, the Eternal Flame, and a parade ground the size of a small district. Best early or late.
Christiansborg (Osu) Castle — a Danish-built slave fort that became the seat of government.
National Museum — has undergone long closure and refurbishment; check before travelling.
Art and culture
Nubuke Foundation (East Legon) — contemporary Ghanaian art, well curated, with a good programme.
Gallery 1957 (Kempinski) — leading commercial gallery for contemporary West African art.
Artists Alliance Gallery — three floors of Ghanaian art and craft near the coast.
Chale Wote Street Art Festival — August, in Jamestown. Street art, performance, music, fashion. One of the best things that happens in West Africa. — Festivals in Ghana
Arts Centre — crafts, kente, carvings, drums, beads. Tourist-facing; bargain hard.
Green and open
Aburi Botanical Gardens — an hour into the hills, cooler, colonial-era gardens under enormous trees. The classic Accra day out.
Legon Botanical Gardens — closer, with a canopy walkway, zip lines and space for children.
Shai Hills Resource Reserve — about an hour east. Baboons, antelope, caves, and hills you can climb.
Achimota Forest — in the city, and increasingly used for running and events.
The coast
Labadi Beach (La Pleasure Beach) — the busy one. Music, horses, crowds, food. At its best on a Sunday afternoon.
Bojo Beach — west, past Weija. You take a small boat across a lagoon to a sandbar. Calmer and cleaner.
Kokrobite — an hour west, the long-standing backpacker and drumming scene, live music at weekends.
Ada Foah — two hours east, where the Volta meets the sea. Islands, estuary, and the best weekend escape within reach of Accra.
The sea here is dangerous
The Gulf of Guinea has strong rip currents along this coast and drownings happen every year, including strong swimmers. Swim only where others are swimming, never alone, and never after drinking.
Eating and drinking
Eat Ghanaian, and eat at the busy places.
Waakye in the morning, banku and tilapia in the evening, kelewele from a stand at night, and jollof at some point so you can take a side in the argument.
What to eat in Accra Accra nightlife
Out of the city
Cape Coast and Elmina — the castles. Two to three hours west, and for many visitors the reason they came to Ghana at all. — Cape Coast and Elmina
Kakum National Park — rainforest canopy walkway, usually combined with the castles.
Akosombo — the dam and Lake Volta.
Boti Falls, Wli Falls in the Volta Region, Mole National Park in the north for elephants.
If you live here
The trap is doing none of this because it is always available.
- Pick one thing a month. Aburi, a gallery, a new beach, a festival.
- Go to the festivals. Chale Wote in August, Homowo with the Ga community, December’s whole season. — Festivals in Ghana
- Learn one new market. — Accra markets
- Take the Jamestown walking tour, even after years. Especially after years.
- Leave the city monthly. Ada, Aburi, Akosombo, the Volta Region. Accra is easier to love from ninety minutes outside it.