Must see attractions in Dakar

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 beaches on the bay side, and some legendary surf on the northern...

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 traditional dress from across the region (including Mali,...

Allegedly Africa's highest statue, the African Renaissance Monument was unveiled in 2010 to commemorate Senegal's 50 years of independence from France. At 49m in height, it is taller than New York City's Statue...

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 and the water waiting at the top. Once there, you can visit...

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 bad beach, but there better options on Île de N'gor, which...

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, sometimes before or after a flight as it's fairly close to the...

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 painters, sculptors and multimedia artists create, shape and...

Like all of Dakar's beaches, Yoff's stretch of sand isn't very clean. That doesn't stop beach-goers and surfers who come for the consistent waves. Aside from a few beach shacks selling food and drink, there's...

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 contains majestic colonial buildings, including the...

In Yoff village, take a look at the Layen Mausoleum, a shrine to the founder of the Layen Muslim brotherhood. Residents of Yoff are noted for their strong Islamic culture – so smoking and drinking are not allowed...

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 local populace by the French during colonial days. It's the...

Surrounded by sumptuous gardens and guards in colonial-style uniforms, the presidential palace was originally built for the colonial governors but now serves as the residence of the current sitting president. You...

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 market stalls, and creative ideas brew between street...

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 industry in Senegal during French-colonial rule.

The elegant facade of this train station inspires ideas of romantic train journeys (which are quickly wiped away once you enter the bleak interior).

A grand building anchoring the Place de l'Indépendance, la Gouvernance was the seat of power for the French colonial administration of Senegal.