This guided tour of Dakar is a half day or a full day, with transport, guide and entry fees included. The route passes through the Plateau, the historic centre, and through the Medina, its lanes, its markets and its murals.

The Plateau and the Medina

The Plateau is the district of administrative power, institutions, company headquarters, wide avenues and historic heritage, at the southern tip of the Cap-Vert peninsula. The Medina, for its part, is a working-class district, one of the capital’s first cultural hearths: narrow lanes, coloured houses, small shops, craftsmen’s workshops, neighbourhood markets, murals by local artists, daaras (Quranic schools). The tour passes notably by the Grand Mosque of Dakar and lingers on daily life: street sellers, tailors, leather workers, cabinetmakers, hairdressers and embroiderers.

The tour is mostly on foot, at a relaxed pace, with several breaks, including a lunch or drink break in a local place. The exact route depends on the option and the guide.

Four options

You can choose: a guided tour of Dakar as a half day, one as a full day, and variants of these two lengths depending on the number of participants, from 2 or from 3 people. The price is per person, reduced with group size. The guide, transport and entry fees are included. Bring comfortable shoes, water, light clothing and a small zipped pouch for your personal belongings.

Who is it for?

The tour suits adults and teenagers best: the district is lively, noisy, with narrow lanes. If you live in Dakar, it is a chance to rediscover your district through a guide, or to accompany relatives; if you are visiting, a means of understanding the city beyond the big monuments. Follow the guide’s recommendations to move around comfortably.

Dakar, district by district

The Plateau and the Medina are the two entry points of the tour, and Dakar is first discovered through its districts. To prepare the route, the Grand Mosque of Dakar page presents one of the city’s religious landmarks, and the page on the emblematic markets of Dakar gives an overview of the popular markets.

To extend your day

After the tour, the Museum of Black Civilisations extends the discovery through history, and Gorée Island can be visited in another half day. The guided cultural visits offer other routes.