Is 3 days enough to see Dakar?

Yes — three days in Dakar is enough to experience the best the city has to offer. Our itinerary covers African Renaissance Monument, Grande Mosquée & the Dakar corniche, Gorée Island (UNESCO) — the most important slavery memorial in West Africa, Pink Lake, Toubab Dialaw & the art scene, giving you a genuine feel for Dakar without feeling rushed.

When is the best time to visit Dakar?

November–February: the most comfortable and the most reliably dry season in Dakar (24–28°C — the most pleasant temperatures for sightseeing: the "harmattan" season (the most dust-free and the most cool period in the Dakar weather year (the northeast trade winds bring the most reliably clear skies over Dakar in the dry season)). March–May: increasingly hot (28–33°C). The "hivernage" (the rainy seas

Where should I stay in Dakar?

Corniche Ouest — the most dramatically ocean-fronting 5-star hotel in Dakar, on the cliff above the Atlantic with the most panoramic South Atlantic views is a great base for exploring Dakar. Radisson Blu Hotel Dakar Sea Plaza from €160/night is our recommended hotel for its location and value.

What is Dakar most famous for?

Dakar (population 3.7 million metropolitan area) is the westernmost capital city in continental Africa — the most Atlantic-positioned capital on the A

What language do people speak in Dakar?

French (the official language of Senegal and the language of government, education and formal commerce). Wolof (the "Wolof" — the most widely spoken indigenous language in Senegal: approximately 40% of Senegalese speak Wolof as a first language (the most spoken indigenous language in the country) and 80% speak it as a first or second language (the most important single West African lingua franca in Senegambia)). The most important Wolof greetings: "Salaam Aleikum" (the Arabic Islamic greeting universally used in Senegal — the most important single social greeting in a 95% Muslim country), "Jërejëf" (thank you — the most important Wolof word for any tourist: the most appreciation-generating single foreign word in Senegalese social interaction). English: spoken at major international hotels and tourist sites but not widely in everyday Senegalese commerce.

What currency is used in Dakar?

West African CFA franc (XOF). 1 EUR ≈ 655.96 XOF (the most precisely fixed exchange rate in the world: the CFA franc (the "Communauté Financière Africaine" franc) is the most directly euro-pegged African currency — fixed at exactly 655.96 XOF to 1 EUR since January 1, 1999 (the most precisely maintained fixed exchange rate in the history of African monetary policy: guaranteed by the French Treasury as part of the Franc Zone agreements)). Very affordable: a thiéboudienne at a local restaurant: 2,000–5,000 XOF (€3–7). A bissap drink: 500 XOF (€0.76). A taxi across the city: 2,000–5,000 XOF (€3–7). The Gorée Island ferry: 1,600 XOF (€2.50).

How do you get around Dakar?

Taxi (the most important transport in Dakar: the yellow "taxi jaune" — negotiate the price before getting in (the most important single negotiation in Dakar transport: the taxis in Dakar do not use meters — the price is the most freely negotiated of any African capital city taxi fare)). "Car rapide" (the most colorfully painted minibus in West Africa — the orange and blue decorated mini-buses: the most affordable and the most authentically Dakar transport (the car rapide is the most visually distinctive single form of public transport in the history of West African urban mobility: the most elaborately painted single vehicle in any African city)). DDD Bus (the "Dakar Dem Dikk" bus network — the most formally managed public bus service in Dakar). Ferry to Gorée Island from the Port de Dakar (every 30 minutes — the most regular short sea crossing in Senegal).

How do you get to Dakar?

Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS) — 47km from Dakar city centre (opened 2017 — the most recently built international airport in West Africa at the time of opening: the airport built to replace the former Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport (the most centrally located — and the most dangerously positioned — international airport in West Africa: the old airport was built on a peninsula with the Atlantic on three sides (the most dramatically ocean-surrounded airport site in Africa))): taxi to Dakar city (35,000–50,000 XOF — the most negotiable taxi fare at a West African airport). Direct international flights: Paris Charles de Gaulle (6 hours, Air France — the most frequent connection: Air France is the most historically important single airline in the history of Dakar aviation (Dakar was one of the most important stops on the earliest commercial transatlantic air routes: the French Aéropostale (the most important early airmail service in the Atlantic) used Dakar as the most critical single refueling stop on the pioneering Paris-to-Buenos Aires airmail route in the 1920s–1930s)). Brussels (6.5 hours, Brussels Airlines — the most important Belgian connection), Casablanca (3 hours, Royal Air Maroc), New York JFK (9.5 hours, Delta and Air Senegal — the most important American connection for the most important Senegalese diaspora community in the USA), London Heathrow (6.5 hours).

What is the tipping etiquette in Dakar?

Tipping in Senegal: at tourist-zone restaurants, 10% is the most appreciated gesture (the most natural way: round up the bill or leave coins). At local "dibiteries" (grilled meat restaurants) and street food stalls: no tip expected (the most local eating etiquette). For car rapide: no tip (the fare is fixed). For taxi: round up to the nearest 100 XOF. For guides at Gorée Island: 2,000–5,000 XOF tip is the most appreciated gesture (the most important single tip in the Dakar tourist experience: the Gorée Island guides provide the most emotionally significant single narration in the Dakar tourist experience and the most expert historical commentary on the most important slavery memorial in West Africa). For hotel porters: 500–1,000 XOF per bag.

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