Find places in Mozambique

Must-Haves

• Mercado do Peixe (Marginal)
  Pick your prawns and fish at the stalls and have them grilled next door, the classic Maputo meal.
• Restaurante Zambi (Baixa)
  Smart waterfront dining near the fortress with seafood and Portuguese style dishes.

Great for Date Night

• Costa do Sol (Avenida da Marginal)
  A long-running seafront institution famous for its prawns and weekend family crowds.
• Café Sol (Sommerschield)
  A favourite of expats and locals for pizza, salads and a garden terrace.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Piri Piri (Avenida 24 de Julho)
  Old school spot for spicy grilled chicken that has fed Maputo for decades.

Must-Haves

• Pastelaria Cristal (Avenida 24 de Julho)
  A classic pastelaria for galão coffee and pastéis de nata in the morning.

Fun for Everyone

• Mimmo's (Avenida 24 de Julho)
  Popular café and pizzeria where Maputo meets for coffee and gelato.

Off the Beaten Path

• Café do Núcleo de Arte (Polana)
  A garden café inside an artists' collective, full of sculptures and conversation.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pastelaria Nautilus (Avenida Julius Nyerere)
  Easy coffee, sandwiches and cakes on one of the city's main avenues.

Must-Haves

• Gil Vicente Café Bar (Avenida Samora Machel)
  Long-standing live music venue for jazz, marrabenta and Afro beats.

Great for Date Night

• Polana Serena terrace (Polana)
  Sundowners on the grand old hotel's terrace overlooking the bay.

Off the Beaten Path

• Associação Cultural da Casa Velha (Polana)
  A cultural house hosting concerts, theatre and late night music.

Must-Haves

• Fortaleza de Maputo (Baixa)
  The old fortress with a small museum on the city's colonial and resistance history.
• Estação Central dos CFM (Baixa)
  The domed railway station, often called one of the most beautiful in the world.

Fun for Everyone

• Casa de Ferro (Baixa)
  The prefabricated iron house linked to Eiffel's era, a quirky photo stop.
• Inhaca Island (Maputo Bay)
  A boat trip across the bay for snorkelling, mangroves and seafood lunches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Portuguese Island (Maputo Bay)
  A small sandy island off Inhaca with clear water and no crowds.

Must-Haves

• Museu Nacional de Arte (Avenida Ho Chi Min)
  The country's main art museum, with works by Malangatana and Chissano.
• Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Praça da Independência)
  The bright white art deco cathedral at the heart of the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Núcleo de Arte (Polana)
  An artists' collective where you can meet painters and buy work directly.

Fun for Everyone

• Museu de História Natural (Polana)
  A charming old natural history museum famous for its elephant foetus collection.

Great for Date Night

• Fundação Fernando Leite Couto (Polana)
  A cultural foundation for readings, concerts and exhibitions in a lovely house.

Must-Haves

• FEIMA (Parque dos Continuadores)
  The city's craft market for carvings, capulanas, baskets and paintings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado do Xipamanine (Xipamanine)
  A huge, chaotic local market with traditional medicine stalls; go with a guide.

Must-Haves

• Polana Serena Hotel (Polana)
  The grand old hotel on the clifftop, the classic Maputo stay.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fatima's Backpackers (Polana)
  A long-running, friendly hostel and a good spot to meet other travellers.

Great for Date Night

• Cardoso Hotel (Polana)
  Classic hotel with a terrace overlooking the bay and the port.

Off the Beaten Path

• Maputo National Park (Matutuíne)
  Elephants, lakes and wild beaches south of the capital, with a marine reserve offshore.

Fun for Everyone

• Jardim Tunduru (Baixa)
  A shady botanical garden in the city centre for a quiet walk.
• Macaneta Beach (Marracuene)
  A wide beach north of the city, easy for a day out from Maputo.

Must-Haves

• Peri-Peri Divers (Tofo Beach)
  Long established dive centre for reef dives and manta ray sites.
• Tofo Scuba (Tofo Beach)
  Popular dive school running ocean safaris to look for whale sharks.

Fun for Everyone

• Liquid Dive Adventures (Tofo Beach)
  Dive and snorkel trips with a strong focus on responsible encounters.

Off the Beaten Path

• Inhambane dhow ferry (Inhambane town)
  Cross the bay to Maxixe on a local boat with fishing dhows all around.

Must-Haves

• Manta Reef (Offshore Tofo)
  One of the best known dive sites in the world for reef manta rays.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tofinho (Tofinho)
  The rocky point south of Tofo, a surf spot with a cliff top memorial.
• Guinjata Bay (Guinjata)
  A remote bay with lodges, reefs and long empty beaches.

Great for Date Night

• Barra Beach (Barra)
  A quieter peninsula of calm water and mangroves north of Tofo.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Tofo Market (Tofo)
  The village market for grilled fish, fresh bread and capulanas.
• Mercado Central de Inhambane (Inhambane town)
  A colourful town market for cashews, fruit, spices and fabric.

Great for Date Night

• Casa de Comer (Tofo)
  A stylish small restaurant blending Mozambican ingredients with French touches.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Tofo market stalls (Tofo)
  Simple plates of rice, beans and grilled fish at the market stalls.

Fun for Everyone

• Dino's Beach Bar (Tofo Beach)
  Beachfront bar for sundowners and weekend parties on the sand.

Great for Date Night

• Fatima's Nest (Tofo Beach)
  Backpacker favourite with a busy bar right on the beach.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fatima's Nest lodge (Tofo Beach)
  Dorms and simple huts on the beach, the social heart of Tofo.

Great for Date Night

• Casa Barry (Tofo Beach)
  Beach chalets at the edge of the bay with a dive centre on site.

Must-Haves

• Inhambane Cathedral (Inhambane town)
  The old Cathedral of Our Lady of Conception in the heart of the historic town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museu de Inhambane (Inhambane town)
  A small museum on the province's history, instruments and crafts.

Must-Haves

• Two Mile Reef (Bazaruto Archipelago)
  The archipelago's best known snorkelling reef, full of tropical fish.

Fun for Everyone

• Sailaway dhow safaris (Vilankulo)
  Long-running operator for day and overnight dhow trips to the islands.

Must-Haves

• Bazaruto Island dunes (Bazaruto Island)
  Climb the giant dunes for views over turquoise sandbanks.
• Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (Bazaruto Archipelago)
  The protected park of five islands, reefs and dugong seagrass.

Off the Beaten Path

• Magaruque Island (Bazaruto Archipelago)
  A small island with a reef right off the beach for easy snorkelling.
• Santa Carolina Island (Bazaruto Archipelago)
  Paradise Island, with an abandoned hotel and beautiful coral.
• Inhassoro (Inhassoro)
  A quiet fishing town north of Vilankulo with uncrowded beaches.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado de Vilankulo (Vilankulo)
  The town market for fresh seafood, fruit and capulana fabric.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Café Moçambicano (Vilankulo)
  Bakery café for fresh bread, pastries and quick lunches.

Great for Date Night

• Casa Rex restaurant (Vilankulo)
  Dinner on a garden terrace with views across to the islands.

Fun for Everyone

• Baobab Beach bar (Vilankulo)
  Beachfront backpacker bar with music and a friendly crowd.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Baobab Beach Backpackers (Vilankulo)
  Thatched huts and dorms on the beach, popular with independent travellers.

Great for Date Night

• Casa Rex (Vilankulo)
  Boutique hotel with a pool and island views.
• &Beyond Benguerra Island (Benguerra Island)
  Barefoot luxury villas on Benguerra with diving and sailing.

Must-Haves

• Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort (Bazaruto Island)
  A luxury island resort for honeymoons and special trips.

Off the Beaten Path

• Azura Benguerra (Benguerra Island)
  Eco luxury villas facing the archipelago's shallow lagoon.

Must-Haves

• Fortaleza de São Sebastião (Stone Town)
  The huge sixteenth century fortress guarding the island's north tip.
• Capela de Nossa Senhora do Baluarte (Stone Town)
  A tiny chapel often called the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere.
• Palácio de São Paulo (Stone Town)
  The old governor's palace, now a museum of colonial furniture and sacred art.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museu de Arte Sacra (Stone Town)
  Religious art and objects in the former Misericórdia church.

Fun for Everyone

• Mesquita Central (Stone Town)
  The green and white mosque that reflects the island's Swahili and Muslim heritage.

Off the Beaten Path

• Makuti Town walk (Makuti Town)
  Wander the reed roofed neighbourhood with a local guide to understand island life.

Fun for Everyone

• Goa Island (Off Ilha de Moçambique)
  A dhow trip to a small island with a lighthouse and snorkelling.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chocas Mar (Mainland coast)
  Quiet mainland beach across the bay, reached by boat or road.
• Cabaceira Grande (Mainland coast)
  Ruins and an old church in a village reached by dhow.

Great for Date Night

• Terraço das Quitandas (Stone Town)
  Boutique rooms in a restored colonial house with a rooftop terrace.

Must-Haves

• Villa Sands (Stone Town)
  Stylish waterfront hotel in a converted customs warehouse.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ilha market (Makuti Town)
  Small market for snacks, fabric and everyday island life.

Must-Haves

• Lake Urema (Gorongosa National Park)
  The heart of the park, where wildlife gathers on the floodplain.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mount Gorongosa (Gorongosa District)
  Rainforest, waterfalls and shade grown coffee on the mountain.

Must-Haves

• Chitengo Camp (Gorongosa National Park)
  The park's main camp with rooms, a restaurant and guided game drives.

Great for Date Night

• Muzimu Lodge (Gorongosa National Park)
  Small tented lodge on the Mussicadzi River for a more intimate safari.

Must-Haves

• Gorongosa game drive (Gorongosa National Park)
  Guided drives to look for lions, elephants and huge antelope herds.

Off the Beaten Path

• E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory (Chitengo)
  The science centre behind the park's recovery story.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gorongosa Coffee (Gorongosa)
  Coffee grown by mountain farmers to restore forest, a meaningful gift.

Must-Haves

• Dolphin Encounters (Ponta do Ouro)
  Responsible swims with wild dolphins in the marine reserve.
• Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (Ponta do Ouro)
  Reefs, dolphins, turtles and seasonal humpback whales.

Must-Haves

• Ponta do Ouro beach (Ponta do Ouro)
  A long golden beach and point break popular with surfers.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ponta Malongane (Malongane)
  Quieter beach just north with lodges in coastal forest.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ponta do Ouro Market (Ponta do Ouro)
  Village market for fresh bread, fish and crafts.

Great for Date Night

• White Pearl Resort (Ponta Mamoli)
  Luxury beach suites on a remote stretch near Ponta do Ouro.