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Tamatave (Toamasina)

Madagascar's most important seaport, Tamatave is a hot, dusty and chaotic town full of decaying colonial buildings, roadside markets and throngs of pousse-pousse carts. The emphasis is on commerce, not tourism, apart from being an important transit point.

There are some bright spots amid the fading architecture if you know where to find them, meaning that you can have a good time here for a day or two. It’s a convenient spot to break the journey between Antananarivo and Île Sainte Marie, or to organise a trip down the Canal des Pangalanes.

Explore Tamatave (Toamasina)

  • B
    Bazary Be

    Tamatave’s colourful Bazary Be sells fruit, vegetables, spices, handicrafts and beautiful bouquets of flowers (should you feel the need to brighten up…

  • P
    Place Bien Aimé

    At Pl Bien Aimé, you'll find the remains of a once-grand park; a dozen magnificent banyan trees weep before a crumbling colonial mansion.

  • P
    Place de Colonne

    A monument to those killed in the 1947 uprising against the French, this plaza is in a sad state of disrepair.

  • B
    Bazary Kely

    Bazary Kely sells fish and produce in the ruins of a commercial complex, west of the train station.

  • M
    Musée du Port

    The small university museum at the entrance to the port constitutes barely 2½ rooms of farming tools, fishing implements, archaeological finds and tribal…

  • C
    Catholic Church

    Landmark church in Tamatave. It's open to the public from shortly before to shortly after services.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Tamatave (Toamasina).

  • See

    Bazary Be

    Tamatave’s colourful Bazary Be sells fruit, vegetables, spices, handicrafts and beautiful bouquets of flowers (should you feel the need to brighten up…

  • See

    Place Bien Aimé

    At Pl Bien Aimé, you'll find the remains of a once-grand park; a dozen magnificent banyan trees weep before a crumbling colonial mansion.

  • See

    Place de Colonne

    A monument to those killed in the 1947 uprising against the French, this plaza is in a sad state of disrepair.

  • See

    Bazary Kely

    Bazary Kely sells fish and produce in the ruins of a commercial complex, west of the train station.

  • See

    Musée du Port

    The small university museum at the entrance to the port constitutes barely 2½ rooms of farming tools, fishing implements, archaeological finds and tribal…

  • See

    Catholic Church

    Landmark church in Tamatave. It's open to the public from shortly before to shortly after services.

Guidebooks

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