Abidjan Travel Guide

 
by traveloturc
 
  •   Abidjan
    by traveloturc
  •   Abidjan
    by traveloturc
  •   Abidjan
    by traveloturc
  •   Abidjan
    by traveloturc
  •   Abidjan
    by traveloturc
 

Pro

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  A paradise in africa 


Con

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  difficult life 


In a nutshell

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  The fomer prom queen of Africa 

 

Explore Abidjan

Things to Do  

Explore Abidjan

Explore Abidjan, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  Abidjan is a spread out city made up of a handfull of 'districts" There is not alot to do here but a good place to start a walk (probably the only place) is Le Plateau. I would start at Laza De la Republique and head into the Tourist Information center in the Air Ivoire... 

St. Paul Cathedral

St. Paul Cathedral, Abidjan

 Greatwalk0 Says:  Abidjan is not a tourist meca, but there are a couple sites to visit on a bored Saturday while in the city. St. Paul Cathedral is one of them. This modern imposing Cathedral is one of the major landmarks in Abidjan. Built in honor of the Pope in 1985, the architecture is... 

Grand Bassam

Grand Bassam, Abidjan

 traveloturc Says:  Very near to the city there is Grand Bassam which was the capital in the time of "frenchs" In the road to bassam you can find very interesting artisanat shops,wood carvings.No need to say that bargaining is the "national sport " 

Vridi Beaches

Vridi Beaches, Abidjan

 traveloturc Says:  Vridi beaches are very near to the city and you can reach there with busses from Plateau or Treichville.Difficult place to swim because the beaches are exposed to the Ocean.But anyway you can try it ))) 

Hotels  

African Queen Lodge

 10 Opinions

Ibis Abidjan Marcory

 1 Review and 19 Opinions

Restaurants  

Baie da Long: Great Vietnamese food

Baie da Long: Great Vietnamese food, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  We were supposed to go to a cheaper Indian place closer to our hotel but Kim did not read the map properly so we ended up in the upscale part of Abidjan called Les Deux Plateaux.There were plenty of other places from pizza joints to Chinese...some had UN trucks out front... 

Chez Fadi: Cheap eats in Treichville

Chez Fadi: Cheap eats in Treichville, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  THis place is a 10 min walk up from the Tachie menson Lodge (STC bus station). It is a cheap, clean and great little Lebanese place with friendly owners. It seems to be popular with the locals and a fills up around lunch time. Keep in mind it is in the cneter or Treichville... 

Nightlife  

Le Club Saint Germain: Sleazy

Le Club Saint Germain: Sleazy, Abidjan

 Greatwalk0 Says:  Wow. One-to-one patron to prostitute ratio. This place is sleazy, relatively expensive, far from the city center (edge of Zone Four) and leaves you with a different sense of humanity after viewing the disgusting spectacle inside.Popular with wealthier Ivorians on Friday and... 

Coppa-Cabana: Campsite and bar at the ocean

Coppa-Cabana: Campsite and bar at the ocean, Abidjan

 sachara Says:  When we were in Abidjan, we spent our evenings at the lovely campsite at the ocean east of Abidjan. It was a safe and relaxed place. The campsite was run by two French brothers, Jean and Jeannot. In the evening we sat at the campsite or at the stairs down to the beach to... 

Transportation  

Gare De Ghana (STC)

Gare De Ghana (STC), Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  Plane travel in Africa is not cheap. We looked at a plane ticket back to Accra from Abidjan and were quoted around $250. It was cheaper to suffer on the bus. It cost us around 30,000 CFA to get back to Accra. Bus is supposed to leave at 09:30 but STC buses seldom leave on... 

Gare de Bassam

Gare de Bassam, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  The Gare de Bassam is right in the middle of Treichville. Rather than take cab to Grand Bassam 30 USD or whatever we paid you can go via public bus. The ride is about 45 min and the buses leave every 40 min to an hour during the day but check in advance and the cost is less... 

Shopping  

???: Local flea market

???: Local flea market, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  This is a giant flea market near Blvd de Republic in Le Plateau. If you are looking for music or western movies then this is your place. The Africans are big on the local Viagra which is well represented here...I got a kick out of watching Kim's reaction to it. If you are... 

everywhere: Wood carvings

everywhere: Wood carvings, Abidjan

 Pete.Gibson Says:  You will find wood carvers everywhere starting at a very early age, I found the carvings of the French ,complete with big noses and pith helmets very appealling I don't know todays prices, but remember these poeple have been ravaged by civil war so give genorously 

Local Customs  

Fishing the lagoons

Fishing the lagoons, Abidjan

 Pete.Gibson Says:  Fishing plays a big part in the lifes of a lot of the people who live around the lagoon, some of the villages are cut off by road during the rainy season and rely on the boats from Abidjan trading comodities in exchange for fish 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Treichville

Treichville, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  Most of the guide books will tell you to stay alert here and avoid or be cautious on the bridges that head into Le Plateau as they had guards around them and were a great place to get robbed. This was not the case recently we drove over and back during rush hour in the... 

Smog

Smog, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  Coming from LA smog is smog but here it is bad. I have never sneezed so much in my life. The pic below is no fake. We came back to town from Grand Bassam and the air was black in front of us at 07:00 from all the diesel exhaust. Emission controls are just not a priority here... 

Police/Military Checkpoints

Police/Military Checkpoints, Abidjan

 Greatwalk0 Says:  After dark, the police and military set up roadblocks throughout the city. They stop virtually all vehicles and "inspect" them before asking for money. Typically one can politely refuse, but it is strongly reccomended to comply with reasonable demands for money if any... 

Tourist Traps  

Ebrie Lagoon wasted

Ebrie Lagoon wasted, Abidjan

 Wafro Says:  The Ebrie lagoon stretches about 100 km’s parallel with the coastline it isn’t the same as it used to be. Completely polluted by the city sewers and constantly used as public toilets. The lagoon is completely wasted, e few years ago a chemical tanker cleaned and dumped its... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Any Ideas?

Any Ideas?, Abidjan

 Pete.Gibson Says:  I must admit i left this one to last, i visited one evening it had traditional dancing and these stilt villas which could be rented out, it was a rather nice location on the Lagoon, and would have been a good place to stay, Prehaps someone knows where this is?I've added... 

Grand Bassam, colonial buildings

Grand Bassam, colonial buildings, Abidjan

 sachara Says:  The buildings of the colonial era in Grand Bassam are built between 1894 and 1920. All these buildings are in the old section of the town near the water. It is a pity, but many buildings are in various stages of decay.Some are restored like the governorshouse (now a museum)... 

Favorites  

Tourist Information office

Tourist Information office, Abidjan

 flynboxes Says:  Abidjan has a tourist information office in Le Plateau. It is located on the ground floor of the Air Ivoire Office in the Plaza De la Rebublique. It is not much but they speak english here and can give you ideas for the city that may not be in your guide book or for checking... 

The Place

Plan a Abidjan vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Abidjan locals

Experience Abidjan
  •   88 Tips and Reviews
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Map of Abidjan
 

The People

24 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 You will find in Adjame, in the north of Abidjan, hundreds of professional laundry cleaners. They all have their customers from which they collect clothes early... 

24 members live in Abidjan

 

Questions and Answers

job_seeker_india profile photo

Q:  I am planning to travel Abidjan on a Visit. I heard it is a dangerous city. I wanted to know what type of precautions will help me... 

adhitya profile photo

A: Don't go here. Not worth the money eventhough in your case, you might be safe because alot of indians live in Abidjan. ndian embassy are amongst the active ones... 

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Top Abidjan Writers

1

Abidjan My memories

Pete.Gibson profile photo

 My One and only visit to Ajidjan was back in the mid 90s, And i have very mixed memories, Its very unfortunate the current economical climate there at the moment, It was called the Paris of Africa at... 

2

Abidjan

sachara profile photo

 During our West African trip in 1991 we spent some days in Abidjan to arrange our visa. Abidjan is a city of contrasts with low and high, traditional and modern buildings. We stayed at a campsite...... 

3

The Door of Africa

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 Abidjan is the biggest city and ex-capital of Côte d'Ivoire.(Ivory Cost) It stands in Ébrié Lagoon on several converging peninsulas and islands, connected by bridges. The population is estimated 4 to... 

4

Paris of West Africa

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 s4Abidjan is the capital of the Ivory Coast, this cosmopolitan has got more than 3.5 million inhabitants from all over the world. Abidjan can be split up in several districts: Cocody Les Deux... 

5

The heart of the Ivory Coast..cough cough....

flynboxes profile photo

 Abidjan is a shell of itself. The city once attracted Africans for all over and the city has been compared to Chicago etc....I found it a bit impressive but there is not much to do in Abidjan itself.... 

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