Green Island is 10 to 20 minutes from Massawa and is the most accessible place for decent snorkelling and tolerable beaches. It's certainly no Bora Bora, but it can make an excellent retreat if you need some hush and a place to rest your sightseeing-abused feet. Grand Hotel Dahlak organises day trips to the island (around nfa770 for up to eight people, nfa1100 with guide) or ask around for local guide Tesfieh who can provide transportation and snorkelling equipment (from nfa1000 per group).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.33 MILES
Overlooking the harbour just north of the gates of the Dahlak Hotel is the Imperial Palace, the original iteration of which was built by the Turkish…
House of Mammub Mohammed Nahari
1.12 MILES
The ancient House of Mammub Mohammed Nahari was built with magnificent soaring Ottoman-style windows on every side. Unfortunately they are particularly…
25.62 MILES
Adulis was once the primary port of the Aksumite empire and a few impressive architectural remnants of this heritage remain. Most notable is the…
1.12 MILES
As you come over the causeway from Taulud Island, a broad sweep of white, arcaded palazzi (palaces) stretches out before you. On the corner you'll see the…
0.99 MILES
At the centre of the Piazza degli Incendi (meaning 'Square of the Fire', after it was the scene of a great fire in 1885) is the Sheikh Hanafi Mosque. At…
1.04 MILES
A remarkable example of Turkish Ottoman architecture with its mashrabiyya (trellised) balcony, which allowed cool breezes to enter and the air inside to…
1.17 MILES
At the port entrance, this is a good example of a 17th-century house constructed of coral-block, which for centuries was the preferred local building…
1.13 MILES
On the far end of the northern coastal road from the causeway, you'll see the Banco d'Italia, a ramshackle copy of the 1920s original and a mishmash of…
Nearby Eritrea attractions
0.94 MILES
A huge square lined on all sides by houses with trellised balconies, finely carved wooden doors, and shutters of Turkish or Egyptian origin. Local…
0.99 MILES
At the centre of the Piazza degli Incendi (meaning 'Square of the Fire', after it was the scene of a great fire in 1885) is the Sheikh Hanafi Mosque. At…
1.04 MILES
A remarkable example of Turkish Ottoman architecture with its mashrabiyya (trellised) balcony, which allowed cool breezes to enter and the air inside to…
1.06 MILES
Though now reflecting little of its former glory, the ancient roof of this market – in the Turkish style – was beamed like an upturned boat; there are…
1.08 MILES
Opposite the end of the causeway from the mainland is the Orthodox St Mariam Cathedral. While the building is lovely and the artwork speaks to the…
1.1 MILES
In a square beside the Banco d'Italia is a rare example of a Turkish house with a domed roof, now partially restored and serving food and drinks out of a…
1.11 MILES
Founded in the 11th century but rebuilt several times since, the decorated coral-block facade of this mosque just south of the Banco d'Italia ruins is…
8. House of Mammub Mohammed Nahari
1.12 MILES
The ancient House of Mammub Mohammed Nahari was built with magnificent soaring Ottoman-style windows on every side. Unfortunately they are particularly…