Lagos

The currency is the naira (₦, NGN). Build your budget by separating the room per night, meals per person and transport between districts; hiring a car for the day can cost more than admission fees. Compare accommodation for your dates, especially during December concerts, and check the exchange rate and transaction fees before changing money.

Cards may work at hotels, malls and restaurants, but check whether your card network is accepted. Carry small notes for markets and smaller businesses. A “POS” sign can also mean an agent offering cash withdrawals and transfers; it does not guarantee acceptance of a foreign card. Local transfers usually require a compatible account or service. Agree on the price and payment method before eating or boarding.

Before withdrawing, check card acceptance, limits and fees; a particular bank is not a guarantee. Use a secure location and decline help from strangers. Change money at an authorised business. A tip for an agreed service is different from a demand made under pressure: small notes do not guarantee that a threat will end.

From the airport to your hotel

Murtala Muhammed Airport (LOS) is in Ikeja, on the mainland. Check the arrival and connection terminals on your ticket; MMIA, GAT and MMA2 should not be treated as a single arrivals hall. Arrange the meeting in advance with a trusted driver or hotel transfer, check their identification and allow for traffic to Lagos Island, Ikoyi or Victoria Island. The exact address matters more than a generic distance “to the islands”.

Before departure, check the Nigerian immigration service or consulate for documents required for your passport and itinerary. If travelling on an e-visa, keep the approval letter accessible and bring a printed copy, as NIS advises. Confirm yellow fever certificate rules with the health authority and airline; do not rely on arranging vaccination or a visa on arrival.

Choose transport for the journey

Lagos combines BRT buses, trains, ferries and local road transport; none reaches every place in the guide. The Blue Line links Marina to Mile 2, and the Red Line links Agbado to Oyingbo. Check LAMATA for the day’s service and the Cowry card used on regulated services before going to a station. Danfos are yellow vans and kekes are passenger tricycles: confirm destination and fare before boarding.

For a first visit crossing several districts, I would arrange a familiar car and driver with addresses and the return agreed. An available app is not a guarantee of safety or airport pickup. Keep windows closed in traffic. Short walks can form part of the day, but pavements, crossings and flooding vary even in Ikoyi and Lekki Phase 1. For ferries, check the terminal, return journey and safety equipment with the operator.

Lagos calls for security planning: theft, armed robbery and kidnapping are risks. Local company or a familiar district does not make a journey safe by itself. Check travel advisories before leaving and arrange transport and the return with someone you trust; avoid walking alone at night. Do not resist a robbery.

In traffic, keep doors locked, windows closed and valuables out of sight. An intimidating street demand is not a compulsory tip; avoid confrontation and seek help to leave the situation. Do not cross floodwater, which can hide open drains.

Before travelling, seek health advice on yellow fever, malaria prevention and protection against mosquitoes. Check that your insurance covers treatment and possible evacuation.

Nigerian law criminalises same-sex relationships, and LGBTQIA+ people also face discrimination, violence and blackmail. Consider these risks when planning your trip and protecting your personal information.

Greet before you ask

A “good morning” before asking the price is a friendly way to start a conversation. Follow how the person introduces themselves; you need not perform a ritual or assume every seller expects the same address.

Forms of address

Sir, ma, aunty and uncle can be respectful forms of address without implying family ties. In Yoruba contexts, gestures and greetings vary with age and situation; a visitor can greet respectfully without copying unfamiliar gestures.

Use your right hand

The right hand is traditionally preferred for giving and receiving objects in many local contexts. If you use your left hand or need assistance, explain naturally; the interaction need not become an etiquette test.

Ask before you photograph

Ask permission before photographing people and markets. With police officers, soldiers, bridges, the port of Apapa, airports and government buildings, the rule is strict: photographing a security installation can get you detained, and the explanation comes afterward.

Don't throw money at parties

At an owambe, a celebration such as a wedding, you may see banknotes being “sprayed”. The Central Bank prohibits this as currency abuse; being a host does not create an exception. For a cash gift, use an envelope or a transfer you can make.

Haggle without rushing

At stalls where bargaining is part of the sale, ask the price and compare before offering another amount. There is no compulsory half-price discount, and the seller can refuse. In shops with marked prices, ask whether negotiation is possible.

Judging the airport trip by distance alone

The journey depends on the address, bridges, time and rain. Check traffic before leaving and allow time beyond the airline’s required arrival time. A night in Ikeja may make sense before an early flight if it reduces an uncertain journey.

Confusing Lagos Island with Victoria Island

Lagos Island contains Isale Eko and the historic core; Victoria Island concentrates businesses, hotels and restaurants. Give the driver the full name and address of the place, not just “the island”. Check the arrival point before confirming the journey.

Leaving documents and health checks until arrival

Check visas and documents for your passport and itinerary before buying or boarding. Nigeria requires proof of yellow fever vaccination, but confirm how the rule and any exceptions apply with the health authority and airline. Seek health advice in advance; do not rely on immediate airport vaccination as a solution.

Relying on one payment method

Check card acceptance and carry small notes for market purchases and local transport. A “POS” or transfer sign does not mean a foreign card will work. Agree on payment before the service; a demand under threat is not a tip.

Phone in hand inside a car stuck in traffic

Holding your phone in your hand inside a stopped car, especially at night at the slowest traffic points: that's where a hand comes through the window.

Ẹ káàárọ̀ (é-kaa-RÓ)

Good morning, in Yoruba; the form starting with “ẹ” is the respectful one, used with elders

Ẹ ṣé (é-SHÉ)

Thank you, in Yoruba

Báwo ni? (BÁ-wo ni)

How are you?, in Yoruba

Ẹ̀ló ni? (È-LÓ ni)

How much is it?, in Yoruba

Abeg, how much? (a-BEG)

Please, how much is it?, in Nigerian Pidgin

No wahala (no wa-HA-la)

No problem, all good; in Pidgin, works as both an answer and a farewell

The sand, the lagoon, and the channel

Lagos occupies a sandy coastal plain between the Atlantic and a lagoon system, at elevations that rarely exceed 10 meters. The central body of water is the Lagos Lagoon, about 50 km long, linked to the sea by a single dredged channel protected by two breakwaters built in the early 20th century.

The islands, the mainland, and three bridges

What people call “the islands” is a barrier chain: Lagos Island, the historic core; Ikoyi, separated by a ditch that became a canal; Victoria Island; and the Lekki peninsula, which stretches almost 60 km to the east. The mainland, where the vast majority of the population lives, starts at Ebute-Metta, Yaba, Surulere and Apapa and spreads out through Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Agege, Alimosho and Ikorodu. Three bridges stitch the two sides together: the Carter, from 1901 and rebuilt, the Eko, from 1975, and the Third Mainland, from 1990, 11.8 km long. They concentrate the bottlenecks, because practically all of the metro area's commuter traffic passes over them.

The unplanned street grid and the heavy rains

The street grid wasn't planned for this volume; it grew through private plotting, landfill, and floodplain occupation, which explains the pattern of dead-end streets, insufficient drainage, and quick flooding in Lekki, Victoria Island, and the Ajah corridor after heavy rain. The climate is tropical monsoon, hot year-round, with a rainy season from April to October and a dry spell in August that locals call the “August break.”

Afrobeat, afrobeats and other scenes

Lagos is an important centre of Nigerian music. Fela Anikulapo Kuti developed afrobeat by combining highlife, jazz and Yoruba rhythms in long pieces with politically critical lyrics; the Kalakuta house-museum and New Afrika Shrine help trace that story. Afrobeats, with an “s”, encompasses other forms of contemporary pop associated with artists such as Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage. Juju, fuji, gospel and alté are also part of the city: seek a programme that matches what you want to hear rather than expecting the same music at every venue.

Nollywood at industrial scale

Lagos brings together Nollywood film production, premieres and debate; Living in Bondage (1992) was a landmark in its expansion through video. Films, series and streaming releases offer different views of the city; fiction does not replace its history. Lagos also appears in writing by authors such as Sefi Atta, Teju Cole and Chris Abani. For visual art, visit galleries such as Nike Art Gallery, Rele and Terra Kulture or follow ART X Lagos: these are entry points into a local scene that existed before the fair.

Celebrations, religion and social life

Owambe is the name for a large celebration, such as a wedding or family party. Aso-ebi, fabric chosen by the hosts for a group of guests, can mark family or friendship ties; if invited, ask what to wear and how to participate. Churches, mosques and Yoruba religious traditions are part of the city but do not define every resident’s routine. Bars and viewing centres, places to watch matches, bring people together around football. A venue’s programme, a family invitation and street life show different aspects of Lagos.

Every Day Is for the Thief, Teju Cole (2007)

A Nigerian returns from New York and rediscovers Lagos in short chapters: the consulate line, the routine bribe, the generator, the book market. It's the most precise portrait of the city's daily friction.

King of Boys, Kemi Adetiba (2018)

Kemi Adetiba’s thriller follows a businesswoman connected to markets, crime and politics. Watch for the drama and its portrayal of power struggles in Lagos; the characters and events belong to a work of fiction.

Zombie, Fela Kuti (1976)

The album that turned music into a challenge to military rule. Twenty-five minutes of horns and repetition that explain the city's relationship with the uniform, the groove, and disobedience.