Attraction
Aso Rock
The granite monolith rising about 400 metres above the city, backdrop to the Presidential Complex, the National Assembly and the Supreme Court in the Three Arms…
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and one of its most influential cultural powers, the home of Afrobeat, Afrobeats and the Nollywood film industry. Lagos is its largest city and commercial capital, a fast-moving coastal megacity of islands, lagoons and beaches, while Abuja, the planned capital, sits in the centre of the country. Beyond the cities, visitors can explore the Yoruba heritage of Abeokuta, Ibadan and the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old walled city of Kano in the north, and the hills of the Obudu plateau near Calabar in the south-east. Nigerian food, music, art and festivals are the main reasons to come.
Attraction
The granite monolith rising about 400 metres above the city, backdrop to the Presidential Complex, the National Assembly and the Supreme Court in the Three Arms…
Attraction
Run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation since 1990, this 78-hectare wetland reserve on the Lekki Peninsula is known for its long canopy walkway, nature trail and…
Attraction
Nigeria's national mosque on Independence Avenue, completed in the mid-1980s with two domes and four minarets, and open to non-Muslims outside congregational prayers.
Attraction
Freedom Park is a memorial and arts park on the site of the colonial Broad Street Prison on Lagos Island, opened in 2010 and used for…
Attraction
Opened to the public in 2024 on the site of Nigeria's first public swimming pool, the John Randle Centre tells the story of Yoruba culture through…
Attraction
Nigeria's national church, a postmodern take on neo-Gothic architecture dedicated in 2005, with stained glass in the national colours and a slowly rotating central altar.
Café
On the third floor of Mega Plaza in Victoria Island, Craft Gourmet by Lou Baker is an artisan bakery and cafe known for three-day croissants and…
Café
A Nigerian specialty coffee company that grows, roasts and serves its own Plateau State Arabica, with two cafes in Asokoro including a late-opening flagship.
Café
Hans & René is a Lagos gelateria, bakery and cafe known for local-flavoured sorbets such as zobo and agbalumo, with branches including the Radisson Blu and…
Café
A garden cafe in the Creative Hub at Maitama Amusement Park, with a red courtyard, a Northern Nigerian-style tea room and a programme of creative events.
Café
Run by the twins behind The Smiths, Maple in Lekki Phase 1 is a popular brunch cafe serving avocado toast, buttermilk biscuits with crispy chicken and…
Café
A pastel-pink Wuse 2 cafe opened in 2021 for coffee lovers, brunch fans and bubble tea drinkers, serving an all-day breakfast menu with dine-in, takeaway and…
Hotel
Opened in 1977 and owned by the Chagoury Group, Eko Hotels & Suites is Lagos's largest hotel complex, with 825 rooms, several restaurants and Nigeria's biggest…
Hotel
Abuja's best-known large hotel, with 667 rooms in Maitama, an outdoor pool, spa, tennis, a casino and seven restaurants and bars ranging from Nigerian buffets to…
Hotel
A five-star serviced residence in the Central Business District with 126 apartments from studios to four-bedroom penthouses, each with a kitchen, plus a pool, gym and…
Hotel
The Wheatbaker is an art-filled luxury boutique hotel on a quiet Ikoyi street, with its own spa, the GrillRoom restaurant and the Kofi coffee shop.
Hotel
The former Sheraton in Wuse, now run by Continental Hotel Group, with three towers on a 14-hectare site, two pools, tennis and squash courts and a…
Hotel
In leafy Ikeja GRA, about 8 kilometres from the airport, the Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja offers an outdoor pool, the Isade Spa and several restaurants and…
Bar
A Wuse 2 sports bar with big HD screens and surround sound for football, Formula 1 and NBA, plus cocktails, comfort food, darts and DJ nights.
Bar
Built by Fela Kuti's family in 2000, the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja is Lagos's home of Afrobeat, with regular performances by Femi Kuti and Seun…
Bar
Founded in 2017, Bature Brewery is a Nigerian craft brewery whose Victoria Island taproom pours beers such as Lagos Lager, Black Gold Stout and the hibiscus-brewed…
Bar
A rooftop restaurant, bar and sports lounge at Mall 63 on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, serving cocktails, craft beers, grills and pizzas, with a strictly enforced dress…
Bar
A rooftop restaurant and lounge at The Lake Square Plaza in Jabi, opening daily from late afternoon, with views over Jabi Lake and the skyline and…
Bar
Opened in 2023 above The Lennox Mall in Lekki, Mood Lagos is a rooftop restaurant and lounge with live music, resident DJs and dishes such as…
Restaurant
Japanese and Pan-Asian fine dining in Twenty One Park, Wuse 2, known for sushi, robata grilling, signature cocktails and private dining rooms for celebrations.
Restaurant
Opened in 2015 in the garden of Reni Folawiyo's Alara concept store, NOK serves contemporary dishes from across Africa and its diaspora in an art-filled setting.
Restaurant
A reservation-only Pan-African fine-dining restaurant where Chef Stone serves a seven-course tasting menu drawing on the cuisines of 17 African countries, with wine pairings and live…
Restaurant
Opened in 2018 in the former Westafco building, Z Kitchen is a Victoria Island restaurant with a courtyard garden, wine room and menu of grills and…
Restaurant
A Brazilian rodizio steakhouse on Kumasi Crescent in Wuse 2 where passadores carve premium cuts at the table, served with Brazilian-style sides, wines and cocktails.
Restaurant
Opened in 2014, RSVP is a Victoria Island restaurant with American-inspired food made in house, a strong cocktail list and a poolside bar and lounge for…
Thing to do
Nike Okundaye's Abuja gallery on Airport Road, expanded in 2023 with a textile museum, a training centre for women and young people and a large display…
Thing to do
Tarkwa Bay is a sheltered, artificial beach beside the entrance to Lagos Harbour, reached only by boat and popular for swimming, water sports and lazy weekend…
Thing to do
Also called the Jakande or Oba Elegushi market, the Lekki Arts and Crafts Market is a large market of carvings, paintings, fabrics, beadwork and leather goods.
Thing to do
Abuja's largest open market, in Wuse Zone 2 between Sani Abacha Way and Herbert Macaulay Way, selling textiles, crafts, jewellery, fashion, electronics and fresh food.
Thing to do
A day trip to Badagry, 69 kilometres west of Lagos, centres on its Heritage Museum and slave-trade sites such as the Point of No Return on…
Thing to do
A contemporary art centre on Libreville Crescent in Wuse 2 that exhibits and promotes Nigerian artists, with branches in Lagos, Benin City and Oghara.
Tour operator
Lagos heritage charity Legacy 1995 leads guided morning walks from Freedom Park through the colonial quarter of Lagos Island, with a talk, map and light breakfast.
Tour operator
An Abuja-based tour company running a guided city tour of Eagle Square, the National Mosque, Nike Art Gallery and Ushafa pottery village, plus multi-day trips across…
Tour operator
A lakeside club on Jabi Lake offering pontoon boat cruises, jet skis, kayaks, canoes and pedal boats, with a restaurant overlooking the water and themed nights…
Tour operator
Lagos Greeters are local volunteers who offer free, personal two-hour walks around their city for up to six visitors, as part of the International Greeter Association.
Tour operator
LagFerry is the Lagos State ferry service, running boats on the lagoon between jetties such as Five Cowries, CMS and Ikorodu, a cheap way to see…
Tour operator
An Abuja hiking club founded by Adebayo Babatunde that leads large group hikes over the rocky hills around the capital, with medics and security on hand.
Domestic flights are the quickest way to cover long distances between cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. For shorter trips, hire a car with a driver or join an organised tour.
November to February, during the dry season, is the most comfortable time for most of the country, although harmattan dust can reduce visibility from December.
Popular choices include Abuja, Abeokuta and Olumo Rock, the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Ibadan, the old city of Kano and Calabar with the Obudu plateau.