Attraction
Stone Town
Zanzibar's historic Swahili trading town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, packed into 96 hectares of coral-stone houses, carved doors and winding lanes.
The best things to do in Zanzibar City centre on Stone Town, the old Swahili trading port on the west coast of Unguja island and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Its narrow lanes are lined with coral-stone houses, carved wooden doors and stone baraza benches, and within a short walk you can see the Old Fort, Christ Church Cathedral on the site of the last slave market, the Old Dispensary and the Freddie Mercury Museum. Beyond the old town, boats run to Prison Island and its giant tortoises, and day trips reach spice farms and Jozani forest.
Food is a highlight. Evenings start with sundowners on a Shangani rooftop or terrace, followed by grilled seafood and Zanzibar pizza at the Forodhani Gardens night market or a set menu on a rooftop tea house. Most visitors stay in Stone Town itself, in heritage hotels that range from small guesthouses to luxury seafront properties. Two or three days is enough to see the town and take one or two excursions before heading to the beaches of the north and east coasts.
Attraction
Zanzibar's historic Swahili trading town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, packed into 96 hectares of coral-stone houses, carved doors and winding lanes.
Attraction
A square, battlemented Omani fort on the Stone Town seafront, now a cultural centre with craft shops, an open-air amphitheatre and the main festival venue.
Attraction
Anglican cathedral built on the site of Zanzibar's last slave market, with a heritage centre and exhibition on the East African slave trade beside it.
Attraction
Small museum in Mercury House, Shangani, tracing Freddie Mercury's Zanzibar childhood and rise to fame with photographs loaned by Queen Productions.
Attraction
Ornate 1890s seafront building with carved wooden balconies and stained glass, restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and now home to a small history…
Attraction
Twin-spired Roman Catholic cathedral built by French missionaries in the 1890s and modelled on Marseille Cathedral, tucked into the lanes of Baghani.
Café
Coffee shop in a historic merchant's house, serving Tanzanian coffee roasted on site with cakes and smoothies, with a small guesthouse on the floors above.
Café
Shangani coffee shop run by a Brazilian couple, serving specialty coffee, homemade pastries and Brazilian cheese bread, with occasional coffee workshops.
Café
All-day café on Kenyatta Road serving breakfasts, local dishes and desserts, in a family-owned merchant's house with guest rooms upstairs.
Café
Open-air coffee spot at a Stone Town crossroads where locals sit on stone benches over tiny cups of spiced black coffee, board games and conversation.
Hotel
Luxury seafront hotel in Shangani combining the 19th-century Mambo Msiige mansion with a modern wing, with 67 rooms, an infinity pool, spa and beachfront.
Hotel
Seafront hotel created from an 18th-century residence and the 19th-century Extelcoms House, with 51 rooms and suites, a pool, spa and rooftop seafood restaurant.
Hotel
Boutique hotel in a restored aristocratic home on a pedestrian lane in Kiponda, with antique-filled rooms, a courtyard restaurant and a rooftop tea house.
Hotel
Privately owned 15-room hotel on Hurumzi Street with antique-style rooms, some with open-air baths, and a rooftop restaurant with sunset views over the old town.
Hotel
Fourteen-room design hotel in Shangani by interior designer Nelly Levin, using local materials and Zanzibari details, with a restaurant and candlelit rooftop cocktails.
Hotel
Beachfront hotel in Shangani, open since 1994, with sea-view balcony rooms, two pools, a private beach area, a gym and an oceanfront seafood restaurant.
Bar
Fifth-floor rooftop bar and restaurant at Upendo House on Hurumzi Street, with an infinity pool, sunset cocktails, DJ evenings and a weekend brunch.
Bar
Beachfront bar and restaurant on Shangani beach in a former British consulate building, with live music every day, salsa nights and sunset drinks.
Bar
Relaxed waterfront bar and restaurant on Mizingani Road near the ferry port, named after Freddie Mercury, with a sea-facing deck, pizzas and live music.
Restaurant
Set-menu dinners of Persian, Omani and East African dishes on one of Stone Town's highest rooftops, with cushion seating, sunset views and live music.
Restaurant
Single-seating rooftop restaurant at the Emerson Spice hotel, serving a sundowner at 18:00 followed by a multi-course Swahili seafood tasting menu.
Restaurant
Waterfront restaurant and rooftop bar in Shangani known for open-flame grilled steaks, seafood and Zanzibari dishes, with sunset cocktails upstairs.
Restaurant
Busy, inexpensive Swahili canteen near the old slave market, where you choose biryani, pilau, curries and grilled fish at the counter and share tables with locals.
Restaurant
Waterfront seafood restaurant beside Forodhani Gardens, combining South African and Japanese cooking with sashimi, fish and chips and a South African wine list.
Restaurant
Candlelit rooftop seafood restaurant at the Zanzibar Serena Hotel, open for dinner only, with views across the bay from its terrace and balcony.
Thing to do
Seafront park in front of the Old Fort that fills with grills and food stalls after sunset, serving Zanzibar pizza, urojo, seafood skewers and fresh sugarcane…
Thing to do
Zanzibar City's main food market, built in 1904, with spice, fruit, fish and meat sections plus nearby streets selling kanga cloth and household goods.
Thing to do
Small island about 5.6 km off Stone Town, reached by a short boat ride, known for its Aldabra giant tortoises and an unused 1890s prison.
Thing to do
Zanzibar's only national park, a 50 sq km reserve of forest and mangroves that protects the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey, popular as a day trip…
Tour operator
Large Zanzibar tour operator running Stone Town walks, spice farm visits, Prison Island boat trips, Jozani forest tours and sunset dhow cruises with certified guides.
Tour operator
Zanzibar tour company operating since 1992, offering spice farm tours, Stone Town walks, Prison Island boat trips and Jozani Forest visits, often combined into day trips.
Tour operator
Zanzibar tour operator based at Mbweni offering spice farm, Stone Town, Prison Island and Jozani tours, dhow trips and cooking courses with multilingual guides.
Two or three days is enough to explore Stone Town on foot and take a trip to Prison Island, a spice farm or Jozani forest.
Stone Town itself, especially Shangani on the seafront for easy access to restaurants and sunset bars, or the quieter lanes of Kiponda and Hurumzi for heritage hotels.
The airport is about 9 km south of Stone Town, so a taxi or pre-booked hotel transfer is the simplest option; cars cannot enter the narrowest lanes, so expect a short walk to some hotels.
It suits most budgets: local canteens and the Forodhani night market are cheap, while seafront hotels, rooftop restaurants and private tours are priced in US dollars and can be expensive.
Stone Town is generally safe for visitors who take normal precautions; avoid empty lanes late at night, keep valuables out of sight and book tours with registered operators rather than street touts.
Zanzibar is a largely Muslim, conservative society, so cover shoulders and knees in town and keep swimwear for the beach or hotel pool.
Ferries sail from Dar es Salaam to the port in the heart of Stone Town, and there are also short domestic flights.