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Explore the Colonial buildings
flynboxes Says: As the former capital of the French Colony in CI this place has a few gems to see if you are into colonial architecture. Some buildings have been restored while you need to use your imagination with others...I thought they were kinda neat. If mix it in with some shopping you...
flynboxes Says: Along Blvd Treich Laplene there is a place to hire a horse and go for a escorted ride around town or on the beach. Try it during the week and you might be able to get the price down a bit as at $30-40 for 30 min to an hour it was a bit pricey for us and we passed
Local Art- Nick Amon's gallery
flynboxes Says: Nick Amon is a local Ivoirian artist. He is a bit contemporary but his shop is work a look and part of the profits do to teach little kids how to paint so it helps the locals if you choose to make a purchase.
Wafro Says: Here you find a map of Grand Bassam, as you can see, the town is cut in two by the Lagoon.The upper part is called "Nouveau Bassam" and the lower part on the seaside is called "Ancien Bassam".In this part of town, is it where you can find the old colonial French...
flynboxes Says: Did not stay here but this is another hotel right on the beach. There are several that line the beach here. Maybe slightly more upmarket than Boblin but a beach is a beach. It is a bit closer to everything in case you don't feel like walking that far. It also has a...
flynboxes Says: Did not stay here but at 10,000 CFA per night we should have giving it a shot. Did not see to much traffic here since it does not sit directly on the beach (it is a 5 min walk from it) If you are walking from the bus stop to the beach you will pass this place on your left. I...
flynboxes Says: If you have the $$$ this is probably the best place to stay in Grand Bassam (the beach is a bit idiryt due to all the hawkers nearby but the hotel is modern and beautiful.If you are walking in from the bus station you cannot mis the place. It also has the most beach frontage...
Hotel Boblin la Mer: Beaching it in Bassam
flynboxes Says: Boblin was one of the cheaper places we could find on the beach. For 12,000 CFA per night we got A/C that worked, private loo and a queen bed that was in good shape. The place like the rest is popular on the weekends so call ahead if you plan to spend Fri or Sat night...
Grand Bassam's Hotels and Lodging
Wafro Says: As you can see, most of the hotels are located along the coastline.I slept in the "Auberge de la Plage du Parrain", it was a cheap, but clean hotel.Great service and excellent kitchen.
flynboxes Says: Tired of seafood and French dishes? Seems like there is a Pizzaria in most corners of the world..ehy they are easy to make right? This place is right on the corner of Treich Laplene and Blvd GA. Like most places it has a bar etc....a nice break from the norm
Cafe De Bassam: Cozy Street Side joint
flynboxes Says: This place was right on the street about a 5 min walk south from the hotel. They have/had BBQ chicken or fish with rice. One of the best meals we had on the trip. There is not that much traffic on the road at night - maybe some foot traffic. They have a CD player to belt out...
In Treichville you can go to the Gar De Bassam and catch a bus that leaves more or less every hour or so. The bus or the shared vans that are also at the stop will get you there cheaper than a taxi. It is about a 45 min ride - 30 in a cab but you alot more for a cab. If you are staying in Bassam and heading back to Accra the same day you might want to catch a cab as the departure time of the first bus leaving for Abidjan is a bit close for the departure of the STC bus. The bus station in Grand Bassam is next to a Ecco Bank with an ATM if you need cash.
Updated Feb 22, 2010
Grand Bassam has it share of local shops to buy things. Most sell slight variations of the same stuff you can buy anywhere in CI. We found a guy less than a block N. from our hotel on Treich Laplene that sold hand painted fabric. We bought a table cloth with 8 napkins for around $20...might have over paid but Kim liked the design and the guy was not a hard seller...did not pester us too much. There are locals wood workers that make masks or furniture in the same row of shops. If the shop keepers don't have what you want they will find it within reason...I bought a couple of masks for a few bucks that were small enough to fit in my pack. Make sure you bargain with these guys
What to buy: Hand painted cloth or wood carvings
What to pay: You can spend as little as $2.00 and $100 plus for larger pieces
Written Feb 22, 2010
Favorite thing: There were 3 banks when we were here in 2/10' All have ATMs but they either shut them down on weekends or they run out of cash then so make sure you have plenty of cash to get you thru the weekend so you can avoid changing money with a local that tries to do you a favor of exchanging cash at a 1/3 of the going rate. We exchanged dollars on monday morning in the Ecco Bank. The other banks are SGBCI and Banco Atlantic.
Written Feb 22, 2010
Grand Bassam is now just a nostalgic relic of its heyday as capital of the French colony. Grand Bassam is located 45km east of Abidjan and is cut in two by a lagoon. The narrow strip of land on the......
The former capital of the french colony
Bassam or Grand Bassam is a great place to spend the weekend as many expats living in Abidjan do along with the wealthier locals..come saturday morning they jump in their cars and fill the parking...
Build your own Grand-Bassam page
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