Zara

Asmara


Ease into low gear by sinking a cocktail at this genteel lounge bar (drinks range from from nfa20 to nfa100). It stays open until midnight, and is a good place to warm up before hitting the clubs. There's no phone, so if you want to make a reservation for a big group stop by in the afternoon to do so in person.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Asmara attractions

1. Asmara Piscina

0.14 MILES

The 1940s Asmara Piscina is currently closed to swimmers, but there's nothing stopping you from badgering the attendant for a peek inside the modernist…

2. National Museum

0.2 MILES

Asmara's strong point are its buildings, rather than its museums, but it's also worth popping your head into the National Museum, west of the former…

3. Former Governor's Palace

0.29 MILES

The best place to start exploring the city is at the Former Governor's Palace, which stands majestically at the western end of Harnet Ave. Built in 1897…

4. Odeon Cinema

0.35 MILES

Just off Harnet Ave near the EriTel building, the quirky Odeon Cinema and its attractive art deco exterior from the late 1930s is all but closed, so you…

5. Fiat Tagliero Building

0.37 MILES

A futurist departure from the art deco standard that defines most of the notable Italian-era buildings in Asmara, this former petrol station was…

6. Capitol Cinema

0.37 MILES

This cinema building, now abandoned except for a few pool tables in a gallery off the lobby, was constructed in 1932.

7. Villa Roma

0.42 MILES

Opposite the Africa Pension Hotel, the gleaming Villa Roma is reminiscent of a Roman villa with its marble staircases, louvred shutters, curving…

8. Opera House

0.47 MILES

The Opera House, completed around 1920, is one of Asmara's most elegant early–20th-century buildings. It's free to have a look around during the resident…