# Accra: map, what to do and when to go

Accra is the capital of Ghana, on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, and Greater Accra holds about 5.5 million people. The day there starts with waakye at the corner stall, passes through the fishing harbor and the markets, and ends with fried kelewele on the sidewalk at nightfall.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Accra: Do I need the yellow fever certificate to enter?** Immigration checks the yellow card right there, and without it the choice is getting the shot on the spot or being turned away at the airport.
- **Accra: How do you get from Kotoka airport to downtown?** There's no train or direct bus, so order a Bolt, Uber or Yango at the ride-hailing point in the parking lot: GH¢50 to 120 to Osu, Cantonments or Airport Residential.
- **Accra: How long does the day trip to Cape Coast and Elmina take?** 145 km west on the N1, 3 to 4 hours' drive each way (avoid the drive back on Sunday afternoon).

## Ga Mashie: the three forts and the sea
Start at 7am in Jamestown, at the Bukom fishing harbor, when the canoes come back, then ask the guard to let you climb the 1871 lighthouse.
- Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum
- Black Star Square and Independence Arch
- Jamestown Lighthouse and Bukom harbor
- National Museum of Ghana
- Makola Market

## Legon, art and the east coast to Teshie
Start the morning on the University of Ghana campus in Legon, with the Balme Library tower and the student market.
- Figurative coffin workshops in Teshie

## Food, market, and water
Have a waakye breakfast before 9am at a street stall in Nima or Osu, with egg, wele and shito, because by 11am it's gone.
- Kantamanto
- Artists Alliance Gallery
- Labadi Beach (La Pleasure Beach)

## Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-parque
Acra
It stands on the Old Polo Ground, the exact lawn where independence was declared on March 6, 1957. It holds the tombs of Nkrumah and his wife Fathia, along with the statue toppled and beheaded during the 1966 coup, displayed with its damage. Renovated and reopened in 2023; foreign visitors pay roughly GH¢50–150.
Check access

## Black Star Square and Independence Arch
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-praca-da-estrela-negra
Korle-Klottey Municipal District
A concrete esplanade for tens of thousands of people, built in 1961 for Elizabeth II's visit. It hosts the March 6 parade; on other days it sits empty and scorching, and the best time is after 5pm.
Check access

## Christiansborg Castle (Osu Castle)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-castelo-de-christiansborg
Grande Acra
Founded by the Danes in 1661 on an earlier trading post, it served as a slave-trading depot, colonial governor's residence, and seat of Ghana's government until 2013. Part of the Forts and Castles of the Gold Coast Unesco listing from 1979; visits are guided, limited, and depend on prior authorization.
Check access

## Jamestown Lighthouse and Bukom harbor
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-farol-de-jamestown
Grande Acra
A white-and-red tower about 28 m tall, raised in 1871 and rebuilt in 1930. From the top you see the fishing harbor, where canoes return between 5 and 9am; the climb is arranged on the spot with the caretaker for a few cedis.
Check access

## National Museum of Ghana
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-museu-nacional-de-gana
Grande Acra
Opened in 1957 during independence week and reopened in 2022 after seven years closed for renovation. Holds Akan gold weights, kente and adinkra textiles, archaeological pottery, and the ethnographic collection from the northern regions.
Check access

## Makola Market
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-mercado-makola
Acra
Running since 1924, it's the center of the country's popular trade. It was dynamited and burned in 1979 by Rawlings' military regime, on charges of speculation, and rebuilt by the traders themselves; the “market queens” still control price and space by aisle.
Check access

## Kantamanto
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-kantamanto
Acra
West Africa's largest secondhand-clothing market, once receiving about 15 million pieces a week from Europe and North America. A fire on January 2, 2025 destroyed much of the stalls, and rebuilding was still underway in 2026; check the situation before going.
Check access

## Artists Alliance Gallery
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-artists-alliance-gallery
Up to half an hour
The gallery founded by painter Ablade Glover in 1993 now occupies three floors of contemporary Ghanaian art and crafts by the sea in La. It's the most direct place to understand what's being made today between Accra and Kumasi, with prices on display.
Check access

## Figurative coffin workshops in Teshie
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-oficinas-de-caixoes-figurativos
Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal District · Up to half an hour
The tradition began in the 1950s with Seth Kane Kwei and produces coffins shaped like a fish, a cocoa pod, a sandal, a plane, or a Bible, depending on the deceased's profession. The workshops sit on the Teshie road and welcome visitors; photos, always ask first.
Check access

## Labadi Beach (La Pleasure Beach)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/acra/#g-lugar-praia-de-labadi
Grande Acra · One to two hours
The busiest urban beach, with an admission charge of around GH¢30–60, horses, stalls, and live bands on Sundays and holidays. Rip currents make swimming dangerous, including close to shore. Come for the sand, stalls, and music; do not rely on shallow water for protection.
Check access

**Accra: Do I need the yellow fever certificate to enter?**
Immigration checks the yellow card right there, and without it the choice is getting the shot on the spot or being turned away at the airport.

**Accra: How do you get from Kotoka airport to downtown?**
There's no train or direct bus, so order a Bolt, Uber or Yango at the ride-hailing point in the parking lot: GH¢50 to 120 to Osu, Cantonments or Airport Residential.

**Accra: How long does the day trip to Cape Coast and Elmina take?**
145 km west on the N1, 3 to 4 hours' drive each way (avoid the drive back on Sunday afternoon).

**Accra: What's the currency, and what's it worth?**
The currency is the Ghanaian cedi (GHS, GH¢), with notes from 1 to 200 and pesewa coins that almost nobody uses. In September 2026 the dollar was worth about GH¢11.3 and the Brazilian real about GH¢2.1.

**Accra: What's the climate like throughout the year?**
Accra sits 5.6° from the equator, so the temperature barely moves: 24 to 33°C year-round, with lows rarely below 22°C.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/acra/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/acra/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/acra.md