Xamar rewards walkers: the oldest quarters, the cathedral ruins and 30km of Indian Ocean shoreline cost nothing to see. Spend your shillings on canjeero, fried fish and shaah instead, and move by shared bajaj for a few thousand at a time.
Built in 1268-69, its mihrab inscription names Khusrau ibn Mubarak, making it one of Africa's oldest dated mosques. The coral-rag walls stand in the Hamar Weyne lanes; the exterior and courtyard cost nothing, and the caretaker unlocks the gate after dawn prayers.
The 1928 Norman-Gothic cathedral, modelled on Cefalù in Sicily, was shelled in 1989 and left as roofless arcades. The nave is open ground you can walk through freely; guards at the perimeter usually wave visitors in during daylight hours.
The Italian-era lighthouse above the old port is a stump of masonry now, but the seawall below it is a free public promenade where fishermen mend nets and dhows work the reef gap that ships have used since the Ajuran period.
The Unknown Soldier monument, a concrete obelisk with a soldier in relief, anchors the open square where Mogadishu families gather in the cooler hours. Benches, kids playing football and street-tea sellers, all at no charge.
Boats land tuna, kingfish, shark and lobster on the sand beside the old port from roughly 07:00. Vendors will grill or fry your pick on the spot over charcoal; a whole reef fish with rice runs far below any restaurant on the corniche.
The small hooyo-run kitchens along Maka Al-Mukarama serve canjeero (sourdough flatbread) with sesame oil, sugar and goat suqaar. A full plate with spiced tea costs about 20,000 SOS — the cheapest sit-down meal in the city.
Herders bring camels, goats and fat-tailed sheep in from the Shabelle valley. Along one row, women ladle fresh caano geel (camel milk) from aluminium urns into cups — a Somali staple and one of the cheapest calories in town.
Xalwo, the ghee-and-sugar confection flavoured with cardamom, saffron and peanuts, is boiled in copper vats in the old quarter's back lanes. Sellers cut slabs to order and wrap them in paper; it keeps for days and travels well.
About 20km south past the airport, Jazeera is a long white-sand bay with a protective reef and none of Lido's crowds. Weekday mornings you may share it with fishermen and camel herds only. No entry fee, no facilities — bring water.
The 1970s state hotel that once hosted visiting heads of state is a bleached concrete shell on the Shangani headland. The rubble terrace facing the reef gives the widest free view of the old harbour and the coral-stone rooftops behind it.
North of the corniche, small outboard skiffs beach directly on the sand and unload the afternoon catch. Watching the haul come in is free, and crews sell surplus reef fish straight off the boat at market rather than restaurant rates.
The equestrian statue of the Dervish leader who fought the British for two decades marks the start of an easy 2km walk along the seafront road. Evening light, sea breeze, joggers and vendors — the city's best free hour.