Find places in Ghana

Must-Haves

• Jamestown Lighthouse (Jamestown)
  Climb the old lighthouse for sweeping views over the fishing harbour, colourful canoes and the oldest corner of Accra.
• Independence Square (Osu)
  The vast parade ground and Black Star Gate built to mark Ghana's independence in 1957.

Must-Haves

• Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum (High Street)
  The resting place of Ghana's first president, with a small museum telling the story of independence.

Off the Beaten Path

• W.E.B. Du Bois Centre (Cantonments)
  The former home and resting place of the great Pan-African scholar, quiet and moving.
• Nubuke Foundation (East Legon)
  A calm arts space showing contemporary Ghanaian artists, with a shop and garden.
• Artists Alliance Gallery (Labadi)
  Three floors of paintings, sculpture and furniture by Ghanaian artists in a building by the beach road.

Great for Date Night

• Gallery 1957 (Ministries)
  A leading contemporary art gallery that helped put Accra on the global art map.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Makola Market (Central Accra)
  Accra's sprawling, thrilling central market for fabric, beads, spices and everything in between.

Must-Haves

• Centre for National Culture (Ministries)
  The big craft market by the sea for kente, drums, masks and carvings, with friendly bargaining expected.

Fun for Everyone

• Accra Mall (Tetteh Quarshie)
  An easy air-conditioned stop for a SIM card, groceries, a cinema and a break from the heat.
• Oxford Street (Osu)
  Osu's busy main strip of shops, fast food, banks and street sellers, lively day and night.

Off the Beaten Path

• Global Mamas (Osu)
  Fair trade batik clothing and gifts made by women's cooperatives.

Fun for Everyone

• Labadi Beach (La)
  The city's liveliest beach, with music, horse rides and food stalls, busiest at weekends.
• Legon Botanical Gardens (Legon)
  Shady lawns, a canopy walk and a ropes course, good for families escaping the city heat.
• Bojo Beach (Bortianor)
  A calm, clean beach reached by a short canoe crossing over a lagoon.

Off the Beaten Path

• Shai Hills Resource Reserve (Doryumu)
  Baboons, antelopes and caves just an hour from the city, with hiking among granite hills.
• Kokrobite Beach (Kokrobite)
  A laid-back beach west of the city with drumming, dancing and a creative crowd.

Fun for Everyone

• Chale Wote Street Art Festival (Jamestown)
  A wild, joyful August festival of murals, performance and music on the streets of Jamestown.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Homowo Festival (Jamestown)
  The Ga harvest festival that mocks hunger, with processions and sprinkled kpokpoi across Ga towns.

Must-Haves

• Buka Restaurant (Osu)
  A long-standing favourite for West African dishes like jollof, groundnut soup and grilled tilapia.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Asanka Local (Osu)
  A lively spot for Ghanaian staples such as fufu, banku and tilapia, often with live music.

Great for Date Night

• Kozo (Airport Residential)
  A stylish Asian fusion restaurant and rooftop lounge for a special night out.
• La Chaumière (Liberation Road)
  A classic French restaurant that has served Accra's diplomats and families for decades.

Fun for Everyone

• Chez Clarisse (Osu)
  A relaxed Ivorian maquis for attiéké, grilled fish and alloco.

Great for Date Night

• Skybar 25 (Airport City)
  Cocktails on the twenty-fifth floor with a sweeping view over the city lights.
• +233 Jazz Bar and Grill (North Ridge)
  Live jazz and highlife in a relaxed garden bar, a long-running Accra favourite.

Must-Haves

• Republic Bar and Grill (Osu)
  A small, buzzing bar famous for its sobolo and local gin cocktails and its street-side crowd.

Fun for Everyone

• Honeysuckle Pub (Osu)
  A busy, friendly pub for football on screen, drinks and grilled food.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jamestown Café (Jamestown)
  A creative café and venue in a restored building, home to art, music and good coffee.

Fun for Everyone

• Café Kwae (Airport City)
  Ghanaian-grown coffee and light food in a calm modern café.
• Vida e Caffè (Airport City)
  A reliable chain café for coffee, pastries and Wi-Fi.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Big Milly's Backyard (Kokrobite)
  A legendary, relaxed beach guesthouse with live music at weekends.

Great for Date Night

• Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City (Ministries)
  A polished luxury hotel with a big pool, spa and art collection.
• Villa Monticello (Airport Residential)
  A boutique hotel full of art and character in a quiet leafy area.

Must-Haves

• Labadi Beach Hotel (La)
  A classic seaside hotel with gardens and pools next to the beach.
• Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel (Ridge)
  A central, well-run hotel with a large pool, popular with business travellers and families.

Must-Haves

• Cape Coast Castle (Victoria Road)
  A powerful UNESCO-listed fort and the Door of No Return, best seen with a guided tour.
• Elmina Castle (Elmina)
  The oldest European building south of the Sahara and a profound place of remembrance.

Off the Beaten Path

• Assin Manso Slave River Site (Assin Manso)
  The river where captives took their last bath, now a memorial and place of reflection.
• Elmina Java Museum (Elmina)
  The surprising story of West African soldiers who served in the Dutch East Indies.
• Fort William Anomabo (Anomabo)
  A restored fort with a hard history and fine sea views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fort St Jago (Elmina)
  A hilltop fort with the best view over Elmina Castle and the fishing harbour.
• Fort William Lighthouse (Cape Coast)
  A small hilltop fort and lighthouse with views over town and castle.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Elmina Fishing Harbour (Elmina)
  Painted canoes and a busy fish market at the foot of the castle, best early.

Must-Haves

• Kakum National Park (Abrafo)
  A rainforest canopy walkway strung high between giant trees.

Fun for Everyone

• Brenu Beach (Brenu Akyinim)
  A long, quiet palm-lined beach just west of Elmina.

Fun for Everyone

• Hans Cottage Botel (Kakum Road)
  A lakeside hotel where crocodiles laze below the restaurant.
• Coconut Grove Beach Resort (Elmina)
  A long-standing beach resort with pools and space for families.

Must-Haves

• Elmina Beach Resort (Elmina)
  A big, comfortable resort on the sea close to the castles.

Great for Date Night

• Ko-Sa Beach Resort (Ampenyi)
  A peaceful beach lodge with a natural rock pool for swimming.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Oasis Beach Resort (Cape Coast)
  A beachfront bar and guesthouse with drumming nights, steps from the castle.

Must-Haves

• PANAFEST and Emancipation Day (Cape Coast)
  A biennial Pan-African festival with remembrance events that draws the diaspora.

Fun for Everyone

• Fetu Afahye (Cape Coast)
  A colourful September festival with chiefs in palanquins and a grand procession.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bakatue Festival (Elmina)
  Elmina's July festival that opens the fishing season with a lagoon regatta.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kotokuraba Market (Cape Coast)
  The town's central market for produce, fabric and everyday life.

Must-Haves

• Manhyia Palace Museum (Manhyia)
  The former palace of the Asantehene, telling the story of the Asante kings.

Off the Beaten Path

• Prempeh II Jubilee Museum (Centre for National Culture)
  A small museum of Asante regalia with a well-told tour.
• Kumasi Fort and Military Museum (Stewart Avenue)
  The fort at the centre of the 1900 Yaa Asantewaa war.
• Okomfo Anokye Sword Site (Bantama)
  The sword said to have been planted by the priest who founded Asante.

Fun for Everyone

• Centre for National Culture (Bantama Road)
  Craft workshops, kente and a museum on calm grounds.

Must-Haves

• Kejetia Market (Kejetia)
  One of the largest markets in West Africa, now in a modern complex, full of life.
• Bonwire Kente Weaving Centre (Bonwire)
  Watch weavers make kente on narrow looms and buy direct.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ntonso Adinkra Village (Ntonso)
  Learn the meaning of adinkra symbols and stamp your own cloth.
• Ahwiaa Woodcarving Village (Ahwiaa)
  A roadside village of carvers making stools, drums and masks.

Must-Haves

• Lake Bosomtwe (Abono)
  A sacred crater lake ringed by forest hills, made for slow days.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary (Kubease)
  Quiet forest trails full of butterflies.

Fun for Everyone

• Rattray Park (Kumasi)
  Kumasi's green city park with paths, fountains and play areas.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lake Point Guesthouse (Lake Bosomtwe)
  A peaceful guesthouse on the shore with great home cooking.

Must-Haves

• Royal Lamerta Hotel (Kumasi)
  A reliable, comfortable hotel with a good pool.

Great for Date Night

• Golden Bean Hotel (Ahodwo)
  A modern hotel with a rooftop restaurant and pool.

Must-Haves

• Akwasidae Festival (Manhyia)
  Asante court festival every six weeks with drums and gold.

Must-Haves

• Mole National Park (Larabanga)
  Ghana's largest park, with walking safaris to see elephants up close.

Must-Haves

• Mole Motel (Mole National Park)
  A simple hilltop hotel with a pool overlooking a waterhole.

Great for Date Night

• Zaina Lodge (Mole National Park)
  A luxury safari lodge with tents and a waterhole view.

Must-Haves

• Larabanga Mosque (Larabanga)
  A Sudanese-style mud mosque, one of the oldest in West Africa.

Off the Beaten Path

• Larabanga Mystic Stone (Larabanga)
  A stone that local lore says always returns to its spot.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mognori Eco Village (Mognori)
  Canoe safaris and village visits on the edge of the park.

Must-Haves

• Wli Waterfalls (Wli)
  Ghana's highest waterfall, reached on a forest walk.
• Mount Afadja (Liati Wote)
  A climb up one of Ghana's highest peaks, with views over Togo.

Fun for Everyone

• Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary (Tafi Atome)
  Mona monkeys in a sacred forest, protected by the village.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tagbo Falls (Liati Wote)
  A gentle forest walk to a beautiful waterfall.
• Amedzofe (Avatime Hills)
  A cool mountain village with a waterfall and hill views.

Great for Date Night

• Royal Senchi Hotel (Akosombo)
  A riverside resort with a pool and terrace.

Must-Haves

• Volta Hotel (Akosombo)
  A hilltop hotel over the dam.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Wli Water Heights Hotel (Wli)
  A simple base near the falls.

Fun for Everyone

• Adomi Bridge (Atimpoku)
  A graceful suspension bridge over the Volta, now with a bridge climb.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tafi Abuipe Kente Village (Tafi Abuipe)
  Ewe weavers making kente.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hogbetsotso Festival (Anloga)
  The Anlo Ewe festival of migration, held in November.
• Agotime Kente Festival (Kpetoe)
  A kente festival in the weaving town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fort Prinzenstein (Keta)
  A ruined Danish fort on the Keta sandbar.

Must-Haves

• Busua Beach (Busua)
  A wide, golden beach with gentle surf.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cape Three Points Lighthouse (Cape Three Points)
  The southernmost point of Ghana.
• Akwidaa Beach (Akwidaa)
  A long, quiet beach backed by mangroves.

Must-Haves

• Busua Inn (Busua)
  A small beachfront inn.

Fun for Everyone

• Busua Beach Resort (Busua)
  A big resort with lawns on the sand.

Off the Beaten Path

• Escape3Points Ecolodge (Cape Three Points)
  An eco lodge on a wild beach.
• Ezile Bay Village (Akwidaa)
  Simple huts on a wild bay.

Great for Date Night

• Lou Moon Lodge (Axim)
  A lovely lodge on a rocky cove.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fort Metal Cross (Dixcove)
  A British fort over a fishing harbour.
• Fort Batenstein (Butre)
  A ruined Dutch fort over a lovely bay.
• Fort Apollonia (Beyin)
  A white British fort, now a small museum.

Must-Haves

• Nzulezo Stilt Village (Beyin)
  A village on stilts over a lake, reached by canoe.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Market Circle (Takoradi)
  Takoradi's busy market.