Four must-visit African city destinations right now

Like most regions, the essence of Africa lies within its cities. However, most tourists tend to prioritize wildlife adventures over exploring the continent's vibrant urban centers.

While safaris are a highlight, the issue, as Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina aptly notes, is when travelers reduce an entire continent to a single, uniform experience.

According to the World Bank, 40% of Sub-Saharan Africa's population resides in cities, but you'd never guess it from the typical travel advertisements that focus on majestic giraffes and sunsets over acacia trees.

The reasons behind this are multifaceted, including the Western tendency to view Africa through a lens of fantasy, the media’s focus on negative news that often highlights conflict, and of course, the undeniable beauty of the Serengeti.

The reality of urban life in Africa is straightforward: Sub-Saharan Africa boasts some of the most dynamic, culturally rich, and downright fun cities in the world.

While some countries face challenges, even if you exclude those, there are still about 45 others to explore—roughly the same number as in Europe.

Among the 40+ cities with populations over a million, here are four African cities you shouldn’t miss right now:

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Country highlights: One of only two African nations never colonized; home to one of the world’s oldest alphabets; and uses a unique calendar that’s about seven years and three months behind the standard (so it’s currently 2012 there).

Getting around: Taxis work fine, but walking is the best way to take in the city.

Language: Amharic (with English widely spoken).

While Ethiopian cuisine is well-known, in Addis, coffee takes center stage. Ethiopia is believed to be the birthplace of coffee, and the city’s social fabric revolves around its brewing and sharing.

The macchiato is the local favorite, and you won’t have to search long to find a traditional coffee ceremony.

These coffee ceremonies can be found on street corners, in malls, and even near the airport arrival gates. Typically, a few cowhide stools are gathered around a woman on a low platform, surrounded by mortar and small charcoal stoves.

It’s an opportunity to relax with locals while sipping coffee (English is widely spoken). Popcorn is served while the host roasts, grinds, and brews the coffee three times, pouring it from a jebena pot, all while frankincense burns in the background.

The barista, acting as a social catalyst, introduces customers to one another and keeps the conversation flowing while managing multiple cups at different stages. Served in espresso-sized cups, the drinking is quick, but the experience leading up to it is to be savored.

Once the coffee is finished, it’s time to dive into some culture.

Addis boasts numerous museums worth exploring, but if you only have time for one, make it the National Museum. Here, you can view the famous Lucy skeleton and Emperor Haile Selassie’s throne. The real highlight, though, is the collection of medieval paintings, showcasing Ethiopia’s long history as a Christian nation, dating back just decades after Christ’s crucifixion.

The museum’s rooms are clean, simply decorated, offering views of a tranquil garden patio behind or the lively Piazza neighborhood street out front.

Nearby, you’ll find jazz bars, including the soon-to-reopen African Jazz Village at the Ghion Hotel. When night falls, many bars and cafes transform into impromptu dance venues, with music from across Africa and beyond filling the air.

Lusaka, Zambia

Country highlights: Victoria Falls; home to the world’s fastest-growing economy (according to the World Bank); previously known as Northern Rhodesia.

Getting around: Taxis are the most common mode of transport.

Language: English, Bemba, and Nyanja are widely spoken.

Cities older than the automobile are often built around their markets, and Lusaka is no different. The oldest and most vibrant market, Mutendere, remains a must-visit. Although the area lacks electricity at night due to outdated infrastructure, the evening hours are the best time to experience it.

Small shops, some doubling as homes, are illuminated by single lightbulbs and sell a mix of items, from newspapers and hardware to soft drinks, locally brewed Mosi lager, and occasionally homemade millet drinks. Katata or the thicker katubi are often served in cups made from hollowed-out cala gourds, and a slice of chikanda makes a perfect snack.

Mostly sold by women (who are also the primary makers of katata and katubi), these moist, savory loaves are crafted from orchid tubers, ground peanuts, chilis, and baking soda.

“Buy it from a street vendor who’s cooking it fresh,” advises local journalist and bureaucrat Kiss Brian Abraham. “If it’s not warm, it’s not worth it.” (Store-bought chikanda, sometimes called mbwelenge, just doesn’t compare.)

On the way, stop by the open-air Mingling Bar, where you can sip on a can of Original American Cola USA and socialize with the local students.

In the heart of town, the small but fascinating Chilenje House is a must-see. It was the home of Zambia's first president, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, in the early 1960s, where he planned for the nation’s independence and hosted exiled members of South Africa’s banned African National Congress.

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Country highlights: The world’s largest producer of cacao and one of the top producers of coffee; a historic trading hub for much of the world’s ivory.

Getting around: Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, though fares can sometimes be unpredictable.

Language: French, Baoulé (English is spoken, but not by everyone).

Abidjan’s 5 million residents are spread across four distinct land masses, each extending like lily pads into the Ébrié lagoon. To the east of Yopougon lies Plateau, the city’s business district.

The area’s modernist architecture is remarkable, largely a product of the cocoa- and coffee-driven economic boom in the 1950s and ’60s, known as the Ivorian Miracle.

The Hotel Pullman, a luxury French brand popular in this region of Africa, is located just steps from the best spots in the city. Rooms with lagoon views also provide a striking sight of St. Paul’s Cathedral, an all-white, graceful structure designed by Italian architect Aldo Spirito. The building, which resembles an Aeolian harp or a crane in flight, is truly a marvel.

Just to the south, the next lily pad is Marcory Market. The second floor is dedicated entirely to fabric vendors, seamstresses, and couturiers, who specialize in creating custom clothing in just a day or two. They’ll even guide you to their preferred fabric stalls where you can pick out pagnes (patterned cloth).

As night falls, it’s worth heading to Yopougon. In this area, known locally as the ‘neighborhood of joy,’ the roads are dusty, the sidewalks are often uneven or missing altogether, but, like many cities with small living spaces, Abidjan thrives in its streets.

Much like Tokyo’s yakitori-ya, New York’s bars, or Parisian bistros, Abidjan has its own version of the maquis (pronounced 'ma-key').

For the best music, head indoors to enjoy Ivorian reggae and the bass-heavy, percussive coupé-decalé, which is popular across Africa. Alternatively, there’s outdoor seating where you can order grilled chicken or fish, freshly prepared at sidewalk barbecues and brought right to your table.

Ordering a beer usually means getting a 22-ounce pour – the perfect excuse to linger and relax. Regulars often opt for buckets or basins filled with five, 10, or 20 smaller 11-ounce bottles, which they share with others at nearby tables as an easy way to strike up a conversation. In a maquis, talking to strangers is always encouraged, whether you speak French or not.

On the corner, L’Artisan bakery serves Abidjan-style baguettes – a bit lighter than their French counterparts – along with a variety of other breads and sweets. It’s the perfect cure for a late-night craving.

Dakar, Senegal

Country highlights: Known for political stability; one of the world’s leading peanut producers; the French colonial town of St. Louis.

Getting around: The same transportation tips as in Abidjan apply here.

Language: French and Wolof are widely spoken, with a similar amount of English use as in Abidjan.

One of the best things about Dakar is its beachside restaurants: makeshift setups of tables, chairs, and counters where you can enjoy freshly caught fish, grilled just the way you like it.

Waiters will often offer to pop over to a nearby corner shop to pick up a cold beer (usually a local Gazelle) and bring it right to your table.

“We come here when our mothers don’t feel like cooking,” says Saïd Waya, a local 17-year-old who plans to attend medical school next year in either China or Canada.

Places like Les Phares des Mamelles, a bar, restaurant, and nightclub at the foot of an active lighthouse, also make a strong case. With views of the towering African Renaissance Monument, one of the largest statues in the world at 160 feet, it’s a popular spot for both tourists and locals.

It’s a great spot to sip a drink in the warm breeze while people dance and chat late into the night.

Senegal, especially Dakar, is famous for its vibrant music scene, with the largest performances hosted at the impressive Grand Théâtre National.

The theater sits across from the striking Museum of Black Civilisations – a newly built, Chinese-funded cultural space dedicated to celebrating the history, culture, and global impact of Black Africa. It’s located near the port, from where ferries depart for Gorée Island, a significant site tied to the history of the transatlantic slave trade.

While Africa’s wildlife is awe-inspiring, the adventures in the cities are often even more rewarding.