The fabulous Marché des HLM is the best place to buy African fabrics. Hundreds of rolls of wax-dyed bazin cloth, vibrant prints, embroidered cloth, lace and silk lend colour to the ramshackle stalls and dusty streets of this popular quartier. You can get matching shoes, bags and jewellery at the same place, and even have your new ensemble sewn here.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.73 MILES
For a quick escape from the frenetic streets of Dakar, head to peaceful Île de N'Gor, a tiny island just off Dakar's north shore. It has a few calm…
2.95 MILES
The is one of Senegal's best museums. Exhibitions delve into African art and culture with over 9000 objects on display. Lively displays of masks and…
4.12 MILES
Set in a former grand home allegedly used as a departure point for slaves, this is one of the most important monuments to the slave trade and features the…
3.75 MILES
Allegedly Africa's highest statue, the African Renaissance Monument was unveiled in 2010 to commemorate Senegal's 50 years of independence from France. At…
4.03 MILES
A photogenic 1864 lighthouse graces the top of one of Dakar's few hills. It's worth making leisurely 20-minute walk, with sweeping views across the city…
5.46 MILES
Plage de N'gor is a small beach popular with families and football-playing youths, and there are a few snack spots with tables on the sands. It's not a…
4.99 MILES
Plage de Virage is a popular spot with surfers. This small beach gets packed on weekends with a mostly local crowd, though a few foreigners pass by,…
28.18 MILES
This serene 700-hectare reserve is a great spot for seeing some of the avian wildlife along the coast. Pelicans, egrets, herons and flamingos are among…
Nearby Dakar attractions
1.92 MILES
The impressive Grande Mosquée, built in 1964, sits in the heart of Médina, a lively neighbourhood where tiny tailor shops fight for space with improvised…
1.95 MILES
A bustling popular quartier with tiny tailor's shops, a busy Marché Tilène and streets brimming with life, the Médina was built as a township for the…
2.23 MILES
The elegant facade of this train station inspires ideas of romantic train journeys (which are quickly wiped away once you enter the bleak interior).
2.58 MILES
On the northwest corner of Pl de l'Indépendance stands this grand colonnaded building, erected in 1910. It played a pivotal role for developing trade and…
2.59 MILES
A grand building anchoring the Place de l'Indépendance, la Gouvernance was the seat of power for the French colonial administration of Senegal.
2.65 MILES
Dakar's central square is the beating heart of the city. Symmetrically laid out and home to countless cars, crooks and 1960s concrete blocks, it also…
2.87 MILES
An arts tour around Dakar is simply not complete without a visit to this famous art complex, where some of Senegal's most promising and established…
2.95 MILES
The is one of Senegal's best museums. Exhibitions delve into African art and culture with over 9000 objects on display. Lively displays of masks and…