Bagamoyo Town

With its cobwebbed portals, crumbling German-era colonial buildings and small alleyways where the sounds of children playing echo together with the footsteps of history, Mji Mkongwe (Stone Town) as it's known locally, is well worth a leisurely stroll.

The most interesting area is along Ocean Rd. Here, among other buildings, you'll find the imposing remains of the old German boma (colonial-era administrative offices), built in 1897; a school, which dates to the late 19th century and was the first multiracial school in what is now Tanzania; and Liku House, which served as the German administrative headquarters until the capital was moved to Dar es Salaam. Directly on the beach is the German Customs House (1895) and Bagamoyo's port, where you can while away the time watching boat builders at work. The port is also home to a busy fish market (on the site of the old slave market), which has lively auctions most afternoons. While you're at the fish market, take a break at one of the makeshift tables by the food vendors and enjoy a peeled orange and some grilled fish or ugali (a staple made from maize or cassava flour, or both). Northwest of here are several small streets lined with carved doors similar to those found on Zanzibar and elsewhere along the Swahili coast.