Lagos rewards anyone willing to move like a Lagosian: danfo buses for ₦300, amala plates under ₦2,000, and a bridge walkway where the sunset costs nothing. Three days of markets, railway relics and lagoon ferries on a shoestring.
The old Her Majesty's Broad Street Prison, reopened in 2010 as a cultural park — cell-block foundations, a memorial wall of colonial-era inmates and a shaded amphitheatre. Gates open 09:00–22:00 daily and the token entry is under a dollar.
The 1960 independence arena, guarded by four white horse sculptures and seven eagles on the gate. Walking the perimeter and the Remembrance Arcade is free, and vendors under the arches sell chin chin and roasted corn for pocket change.
An 1898 colonial bungalow tucked inside the railway compound in Ebute Metta, filled with steam-era timetables, brass signal lamps and photographs of the Lagos–Kano line. Open weekdays 10:00–17:00; the caretaker guides you personally.
Nigeria's first cable-stayed bridge carries a dedicated pedestrian lane above the lagoon. Joggers own the mornings, but at 18:30 the water turns copper behind the Ikoyi skyline. Walking it costs nothing and takes about 25 minutes each way.
One of the mainland's oldest markets, spilling from the railway line down towards the lagoon jetty. Traders set up from 06:00: a hand of plantain runs about ₦1,500, roasted corn ₦200, and dried fish is sold by the heap rather than the kilo.
A no-frills Ikeja institution serving amala with ewedu, gbegiri and assorted meat on plastic tables. A full plate with two proteins lands around ₦2,500, and the queue of office workers at 13:00 tells you everything about the turnover.
Fela Kuti's final home on Gbemisola Street, preserved with his stage clothes, saxophones and the bedroom left as it was in 1997. Four floors end on a rooftop lounge. Open 11:00–19:00 daily, closed on some public holidays.
Charcoal-grilled beef and ram suya wrapped in newspaper, dusted with yaji pepper and served with raw onion and tomato. A generous portion is ₦2,000–3,500 and the mallams work from dusk until well past midnight on the roadside.
The LAGFERRY route from Marina crosses the full width of the lagoon in about 45 minutes, passing fishing pirogues and the Third Mainland Bridge pylons. Life jackets are issued at boarding and departures run roughly hourly from 07:00.
A 401-metre canopy walkway, among the longest in Africa, strung 22 metres above mangrove swamp where mona monkeys and monitor lizards move below. Entry plus walkway is about ₦4,000 total; open 08:30–17:00.
Rows of stalls off Oba Elegushi Road selling Benin-style bronzes, Yoruba masks, adire cloth and beadwork from across West Africa. Browsing is free and a small carved piece starts near ₦3,000 once you have halved the opening price.
A converted Ikoyi townhouse hung with Nigerian paintings, where the courtyard hosts poetry nights and live highlife and Afrobeat sets. Many evenings carry no cover charge at all, and a bottle of Star costs about ₦1,500.