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

Lagos, on Nigeria’s coast, spreads between a lagoon, islands and the Atlantic. Visit for live music, the markets of Isale Eko and the Afro-Brazilian townhouses of Popo Aguda.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/
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
- **Lagos: How long does it take from Victoria Island to the airport?** The 22 km between Victoria Island and the airport, in Ikeja, can take 40 minutes at 6am on a Sunday or three hours at 5pm on a Friday.
- **Lagos: Are the domestic and international terminals together?** The international terminal (MMIA) and the two domestic ones (GAT and MMA2) are a few kilometers apart, and getting between them requires a taxi, which catches many people by surprise.
- **Lagos: What's there to see in Badagry, and how long does it take?** Badagry is 60 km west along the Badagry Expressway, 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours by car depending on traffic.

## Isale Eko, the old city
Start the morning at Freedom Park, on Broad Street: the former colonial prison of Her Majesty, opened as a cultural park in 2010, with the foundations of the cells preserved in the courtyard.
- Freedom Park
- Tafawa Balewa Square
- Popo Aguda and the Shitta-Bey mosque
- Idumota, Balogun, and the Iga Idunganran

## Nature and art in Lekki
Start at Lekki Conservation Centre, a 78-hectare reserve run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation. Check opening, admission and walkway conditions before leaving. Allow the morning for the forest without expecting particular animals to appear or guaranteed access to every structure.
- Lekki Conservation Centre
- Nike Art Gallery

## Freedom Park
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-freedom-park
Lagos
On Broad Street, in Lagos Island, on the site where the British held political prisoners. Converted into a cultural park by architect Theo Lawson and opened in October 2010, on independence's 50th anniversary: the foundations of the cells were kept visible, and the courtyard hosts concerts, theater, and an open-air bar.
Check access

## Idumota, Balogun, and the Iga Idunganran
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-idumota-balogun
Lagos
The commercial cluster of Isale Eko: Idumota sells everything wholesale, Balogun is the fabric corridor, and the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Iga Idunganran, dating from the 17th century, sits a few blocks away. Go in the morning, with small notes and no open backpack.
Check access

## Tafawa Balewa Square
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-tafawa-balewa-square
Lagos · Up to half an hour
Tafawa Balewa Square occupies the old colonial racecourse where Nigeria's green and white flag was first raised, in 1960. The gateway with four white horses and seven eagles, from 1972, is the city's most reproduced postcard image.
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## Popo Aguda and the Shitta-Bey mosque
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-popo-aguda
Lagos · Up to half an hour
The Brazilian quarter, between Campos, Bamgbose, and Tokunboh streets, holds stucco townhouses built by returnees from Brazil and Cuba. The Shitta-Bey mosque, opened in 1894 and designed by Afro-Brazilian builders, is the most complete example of this style in West Africa.
Check access

## National Arts Theatre, Iganmu
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-national-arts-theatre-iganmu
Lagos
In Iganmu, the former National Arts Theatre building was inspired by the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, and hosted FESTAC in 1977. The complex reopened on 1 October 2025 as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts. Check the programme and visit conditions to explore beyond the exterior architecture.
Check access

## New Afrika Shrine
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-new-afrika-shrine
Lagos
A concert venue in Ikeja built in 2000 by Femi and Yeni Kuti to replace the original Shrine. Concrete floor, plastic chairs, a big band and loud horns; the Kuti family's shows tend to run Thursday to Sunday, and Felabration happens there every October.
Check access

## Nike Art Gallery
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-nike-art-gallery
Lagos · Up to half an hour
Five floors in Lekki with thousands of works gathered by Nike Davies-Okundaye, a textile artist who also runs adire and batik workshops. Admission is free, and the collection ranges from traditional fabrics to contemporary Nigerian painting.
Check access

## Lekki Conservation Centre
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lagos/#g-lugar-lekki-conservation-centre
Lagos
A 78-hectare reserve in Lekki run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation. Forest, paths and walkways offer a break between the peninsula’s built-up districts. Check admission, opening and accessibility of your intended route before going; the suspended walkway is not the only way to explore the reserve.
Check access

**Lagos: How long does it take from Victoria Island to the airport?**
The 22 km between Victoria Island and the airport, in Ikeja, can take 40 minutes at 6am on a Sunday or three hours at 5pm on a Friday. Plan your timing by traffic, not by distance on the map, and sleep near Ikeja the night before an international flight.

**Lagos: Are the domestic and international terminals together?**
The international terminal (MMIA) and the two domestic ones (GAT and MMA2) are a few kilometers apart, and getting between them requires a taxi, which catches many people by surprise.

**Lagos: What's there to see in Badagry, and how long does it take?**
Badagry is 60 km west along the Badagry Expressway, 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours by car depending on traffic. It was one of the largest ports of the Atlantic slave trade, and you can see the Badagry Heritage Museum, the Vlekete slave market and the Point of No Return.

**Lagos: What's the currency, and what's it worth?**
In September 2026 the dollar was worth about ₦1,323 on the official market and between ₦1,380 and ₦1,390 on the parallel market, and the real hovered around ₦250 to ₦260.

**Lagos: What's the climate like throughout the year?**
Lagos is hot year-round, between 24 °C and 33 °C, and what changes over the year is the rain and the humidity.


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

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