Best cities to visit in Africa

Why Africa's cities deserve your time

Too many itineraries treat African cities as mere gateways — a night before the safari, an airport to pass through on the way to a beach. That is a mistake. The continent's cities are where its youthful energy, music, food and design are being invented in real time, and a well-chosen city break can be every bit as memorable as a wildlife park or a stretch of coast.

From the mountains of Cape Town to the souks of Marrakech, the choice is huge and gloriously varied, and every region of the continent has a city worth building a trip around. But two Ghanaian cities — Accra and Kumasi — stand out for being welcoming, safe by regional standards, affordable and genuinely exciting, without the hard edges that put some travellers off bigger megacities. They reward the curious visitor who wants to walk, eat, listen and talk rather than simply tick off monuments. If you are still deciding on a country, our guide to why visit Ghana sets the scene for everything that follows.

Accra: the creative capital

Ghana's capital has become one of Africa's most talked-about cities, and rightly so. It blends Atlantic beaches, a booming arts and music scene, superb street food and a nightlife that peaks spectacularly each December during the festive season, when the diaspora comes home in force. Independence Square, the historic streets of Jamestown and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum together tell the story of a nation that led Africa's independence movement.

Crucially, Accra is English-speaking, easy to get around with a good driver and famously friendly to visitors. Plan your days with our top things to do in Accra and, for a tight schedule, the Accra 3-day itinerary.

Markets and street life

You do not really know an African city until you have been to its market. In Accra, Makola Market is a riot of colour, sound and commerce — fabrics, produce, spices, hardware and everyday life at full volume, spilling across the streets from early morning. It is the kind of sensory experience that no gallery or museum can replicate, and it is where the real rhythm of the city reveals itself.

Markets are also where the food is freshest and the value is real, and where a friendly guide pays for itself many times over by steering you to the best stalls and a fair price. Whether you are haggling good-naturedly for cloth, sampling spicy kelewele from a street vendor or simply people-watching over a bowl of waakye, this is city travel at its most alive and unfiltered. Our Ghanaian food guide helps you eat brilliantly along the way and know your banku from your fufu.

Kumasi: the cultural heart

Two hundred kilometres inland, Kumasi is the seat of the Ashanti kingdom and Ghana's cultural soul. This is where you find the Manhyia Palace, the vast Kejetia Market — one of the largest in West Africa — and the surrounding craft villages famous for kente weaving, adinkra stamping and centuries-old goldsmithing, practised much the same way for generations.

For anyone drawn to living history and craftsmanship, Kumasi is unmissable and pairs naturally with the coast to the south and the safari country to the north. See our Kumasi and Ashanti guide and the kente and textiles guide to go deeper into the region's living traditions.

How they compare

Cape Town wins on dramatic scenery, wine country and its mountain-meets-ocean setting. Marrakech captivates with atmosphere, riads and design. Nairobi is a true safari springboard, and Lagos overwhelms with sheer creative scale and ambition. Each is well worth visiting on its own terms, and none should be dismissed by a serious traveller.

What sets Accra and Kumasi apart is the combination: real cultural depth, warm and comparatively safe streets, an English-speaking welcome and beaches, castles and safari all within easy reach of one another. You are never choosing between the city and everything else — you can have both in a single, well-paced trip, and you rarely feel like just another face in a tourist crowd. Prices for food, taxis and guides are gentle, the arts scene is thriving, and a warm word goes a long way. For many first-time visitors, that mix of ease, safety and genuine excitement is exactly what turns a city stopover into the highlight of the whole holiday.

Plan your city break

Ghana's cities are best enjoyed with a little local knowledge — the right neighbourhoods, the best markets and a driver who knows the shortcuts through Accra traffic.

Wondering how to move between the two cities? Our getting around Ghana guide covers your options. When you are ready, message us on WhatsApp or visit Plan my trip for a tailored quote, and let us show you the cities quietly redefining African travel.

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