Accra is a friendly, fast-growing city on the Gulf of Guinea. Explore the colourful fishing district of Jamestown, browse the Makola market, sample jollof and kelewele, and take day trips to the slave castles of Cape Coast and the rainforest canopy walk of Kakum.
Good to know
- Best time to go
- November, December, January, February and March
- Flight from New York
- about 10h 25m nonstop
- Local time
- —
- Currency
- Ghanaian Cedi (GHS)
- Languages
- English and Akan
Flight time is an estimate based on distance; actual schedules vary by airline and route.
Highlights
- Jamestown's lighthouse and street art
- Makola Market
- Day trips to Cape Coast
History
Accra began as a group of Ga fishing and trading towns. From the seventeenth century, the Danes, Dutch and English built forts along the shore to trade in gold, ivory and enslaved people; Christiansborg Castle, built by the Danes, later became the seat of government. The British made Accra the capital of the Gold Coast colony in 1877. In 1957 Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to win independence from colonial rule, and Kwame Nkrumah declared it free in Accra's Old Polo Grounds. Accra has since become a symbol of Pan-Africanism, and in 2019 the 'Year of Return' welcomed members of the African diaspora to reconnect with the continent.
Culture
Ghanaians are famous for their warmth, and Accra is easy to love. Highlife and its modern offspring, Afrobeats and hiplife, spill out of bars and taxis. Food is bold and generous: jollof rice (Ghanaians will tell you theirs beats Nigeria's), fufu with light soup, kelewele (spiced fried plantain) and grilled tilapia with banku. Kente cloth, woven in brilliant strips, is worn for celebrations, and on Fridays many people wear African prints to work. Funerals are lively community events with music and dancing.
Landmarks
© Livinba · CC BY-SA 3.0 Jamestown
One of Accra's oldest neighbourhoods, Jamestown has a red-and-white lighthouse, the remains of British-built Fort James, and walls covered in murals from the Chale Wote street art festival. Fishing boats crowd the beach below.
© Erik B. Anderson · CC BY-SA 4.0 Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
Built where independence was declared, the park holds the mausoleum of Ghana's first president and his wife. A small museum tells the story of Nkrumah's life and the independence movement.
© Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0 Cape Coast Castle
About three hours west of Accra, this whitewashed fortress was a major hub of the Atlantic slave trade. Guided tours of its dungeons and 'Door of No Return' are powerful and sobering. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.