Addis Ababa Travel Guide

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Welcome to my Addis Ababa travel guide!

Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia and Africa’s fourth-largest city with a population of around 4.5 million. It is known as the diplomatic capital of Africa, being home to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Unlike most other capital cities in the world, the location of Addis wasn’t chosen for its political, economic or strategic advantages, but rather for its beauty, hot springs and agreeable climate. The reason for this was that it was a woman who chose the site. Taitu, wife of Emperor Menelik II, disliked the unattractive and sterile surroundings of the previous state capital, Entoto, and requested that a house be built for her in the beautiful foothills below its mountainous position. She named the new area Addis Ababa which means ‘new flower’. Within a few years, the whole court had moved to this new site.

Addis Ababa lies at an elevation of 2,200 metres. Some visitors experience problems with altitude sickness. Take it easy for your first couple of days in the city to allow your body to acclimatise.

This photo shows the distinctive blue facade ofEntoto Maryam Church — Entoto Maryam Church

In this article

Essentials

Visas

Travellers from all countries except Djibouti and Kenya require a visa to enter Ethiopia. If you are arriving at Addis Ababa (Bole) International airport, you can buy an e-visa in advance from the Ethiopian Immigration website. Alternatively, you can obtain a visa on arrival. The cost for either of these options is $US50 for one month and $US75 for three months. If purchasing at the airport, make sure you bring US dollars in cash.

If you are arriving in Ethiopia via any other port of entry, or if you require any other category of visa, you must get your visa in advance from your nearest Ethiopian Embassy.

In all cases, your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Ethiopia. Make sure you have two blank pages in your passport on arrival.

Time Zone

The time in Addis Ababa is GMT +3.

Language

Amharic is the official national language of Ethiopia, although it is only spoken by about 29% of the population. There are 88 individual languages in the country of which the most widely spoken is Oromo, used by 34% of the people. English, Arabic, Italian and French are also commonly heard.

Money Matters

The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr (ETB).

100 ETB = €3.10/£2.70/$US3.50

Electricity

The supply is 220V and plugs are of type C, E, F and L. Don’t forget to pack a universal travel adaptor.

This picture shows a type C plug and socket with 2 round pins — Type C plug and socket

This picture shows a type E plug and socket with 2 round pins — Type E plug and socket

This picture shows a type F plug and socket with 2 round pins — Type F plug and socket

This picture shows a type L plug and socket with 3 round pins — Type L plug and socket

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Safety

Addis Ababa is considered to be extremely safe in comparison to the other cities in the region. Pickpocketing and petty unarmed thefts are fairly common so you should take the usual precautions:

Try to always tell someone where you are going.
Don’t walk alone after dark.
Stick to well-lit areas.
Know the number for emergency services (911 is the general emergency number in Ethiopia – or you can dial 991 for the police, 907 for an ambulance, 939 for the fire brigade, and 945 for the traffic police).
Lock your valuables in a hotel safe where possible and only carry a small amount of cash. If you need to carry more, use a money belt.

Violent crimes are very rare in Addis Ababa.

Telephones

All Ethiopian numbers have 10 digits. If calling an Ethiopian number from within the country, you’ll need to dial the three-digit area code as a prefix to the number.

The international country code for Ethiopia is 251.

Mobile numbers begin with ’09’.

All mobile phones are operated by Ethio Telecom. Whether you’re using your home phone on a roaming plan or a locally bought phone and SIM card, expect connection problems, although the situation is improving.

Watch this Video about Addis Ababa

This video gives a real sense of Addis – the old and the new, the religious and the secular.

The Best Time to Visit Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa has a subtropical highland climate. The city’s high elevation and position close to the equator mean that the temperature remains fairly constant all year round. The average daytime temperature is 22°C.

Mid-November to January is the dry season so is probably the best time to visit.

Things to do in Addis Ababa

Visit the National Museum

A visit to the National Museum of Ethiopia should come at the beginning of any stay in Addis Ababa. A few hours spent browsing the exhibits here will not only give you a greater understanding of Ethiopia, its history, its people and its culture, but also, as you come face to face with ‘Lucy’, the world’s oldest hominid, an appreciation of the mind-blowing history of all mankind.

Book a City Tour

Whenever we visit a new destination, we book a tour with a local guide. There’s no better way to get under the skin of a place! We use Viator when we want to uncover interesting things to do in a new city. They’re easy to use and book with, and we’ve had some amazing experiences with them.

We booked a full-day city tour of Addis Ababa through Viator and enjoyed it so much that we booked another half-day. Yuhn, our local guide, took us to all the obvious tourist sites that we wanted to see, but he also introduced us to some of his friends and family. With them, we got to try local food and drink that we wouldn’t have known about (or been brave enough to try!) if we’d been by ourselves.

Try one of these:

Visit Entoto Mountain

As a welcome escape from the noise and chaos of the city, why not take a taxi up to Entoto Mountain, the site of Ethiopia’s first capital? The views from the top are stunning. There is a church, a palace and a museum to visit whilst you are there. It’s worth hiring a local guide to tell you about the fascinating history of the site.

Attend an Abyssian Cultural Show

I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking that I can’t seriously be recommending that you sit through one of those awful evenings of local music and dance put on especially for tourists! Well, it’s not like that in Addis!

At the show we went to, we were the only foreigners. The rest of the audience were locals – families, groups of businessmen, friends, people of all ages. We were served an amazing feast of Ethiopian dishes, after which we were royally entertained by the most incredible music and amazing display of dancing we’ve ever seen. The crowd all joined in. At the table next to us, there was a group of young men celebrating the end of their university exams. They tried to teach us the unbelievable ‘shoulder dancing’ which everyone in the room, except us, seemed able to do! All I can say is that we Westerners aren’t built for it!!

This is what I am talking about:

Learn about Sylvia Pankhurst’s links with Addis Ababa

I have been fascinated by the UK suffragette movement since learning about it at school. I was, and still am, in awe of what these women did for future generations of womankind. The name ‘Pankhurst’ has a resonance which few others do when thinking about feminism. I was, therefore, excited to read of Sylvia Pankhurst’s association with Haile Selassie and her love of Ethiopia and the city of Addis Ababa. Paying my respects at her grave in the grounds of Holy Trinity Cathedral was something I will never forget.

Visit the Red Terror Martyrs’ Memorial Museum

You must not leave Addis without visiting the Martyrs’ Memorial Museum and getting some understanding of the atrocities committed by the Derg government led by Mengistu. Like the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Pehn, this museum stands as a reminder of mans’ inhumanity to man and a lesson to us all that these acts must never be repeated.

READ ABOUT OUR VISIT TO THE 'RED TERROR' MUSEUM

Take Part in at Least One Coffee Ceremony

Ethiopia is where coffee was first discovered. The people here take the preparation and serving of it very seriously. It is a process not to be rushed. There is a lot of ritual involved before you get to taste the strong, aromatic brew, but this just adds to the sense of theatre. The resulting beverage is always worth the wait. Despite buying Ethiopian ground coffee and the traditional pot to make it in, we have failed to recreate the delicious drink we enjoyed in Addis. I guess we’ll just have to go back!

This picture shows a coffee pot heating on a charcoal stove and a number of handleless porcelain cups — Coffee pot and cups ready for a coffee ceremony

Go Shopping in the Sunday Market

This famous local market covers a huge area of the city every Sunday. There are no recognisable stalls – just tarpaulins laid on the ground and piled high with every conceivable commodity. Many of the goods are second-hand. Local youths earn a few dollars by cleaning up and re-soling old trainers. Others cut grooves into bald tyres to give them a bit of tread. Our guide was a little embarrassed about the state of some of the items on sale, but I reassured him that we’d seen much worse at our local car boot sale in the UK!

Other ‘stalls’ merely had half a dozen potatoes or a few chillies for sale. The women selling these were just hoping to make enough money to feed their families for a day or two.

All of the stallholders were very friendly and seemed happy that we had taken the time to come to this market which is little-visited by tourists.

This photo shows a small girl holding a large green plastic washing-up bowl — A little girl helping her Mum at the market

Visit the Ethnological Museum

This well laid out museum which tells the story of Ethiopia’s people from birth to death and beyond should be on every visitor’s itinerary. We spent a fascinating couple of hours here and came away with a greater understanding of the country and her people.

Eat Raw Beef

Yes, really! Unless you’re vegetarian, of course!

When our guide suggested that we had lunch in a raw beef restaurant, we were a bit taken aback, but ‘when in Rome…’ and all that …

It turned out to be a highlight of our time in Addis and I would certainly recommend the experience to anyone – though I would suggest you go with a guide – it’s not something to be tackled alone!

The practice of eating raw beef goes back centuries in Ethiopia. It was believed to give strength and ward off illness. It is still very popular with local people today. Certainly, the restaurant we went to was packed!

The butcher’s shop is at the front of the restaurant. Diners buy a kilo or half-kilo of raw beef. You can choose the cut of meat you want and the ratio of lean to fat. Once it is cut up, waiters bring your meat served with the ubiquitous injera, a squeeze of fresh lime and some hot chilli in the form of a powder or a sauce. I have to say, it was absolutely delicious, though both Mark and I refrained from trying the lumps of pure fat which are deemed to be the choicest morsels! It was washed down with pints of local draft St. George lager.

This photo shows a plate of raw beef, injera, limes and chilli sauces — Raw beef with accompaniments

Visit Some of Addis Ababa’s Magnificent Churches

Ethiopia has a long and rich religious history and Addis boasts a large number of stunning churches, most of which have a museum attached to them to help the visitor more fully understand what they are seeing. We visited Holy Trinity Cathedral, mainly because this is where Sylvia Pankhurst is buried, and St. George Cathedral. I would recommend both buildings as being worth an hour or two of your time.

This photo shows one of the stunning stained glass windows in Holy Trinity Cathedral — One of the stunning stained glass windows in Holy Trinity Cathedral

Best Places to Stay in Addis Ababa

There is a huge number of hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts in Addis. Most offer free wifi and have clean and comfortable rooms. Hot water is not always available, even in pricier establishments, and power outages are quite common.

Here are some of my recommendations. Prices range from $US25 – $US170 per night. Mark and I don’t rough it anymore (we’re too old for that!), but neither do we spend a fortune on accommodation – after all, it’s just a place to sleep. You are more likely to find us in the budget-priced hotels, although we do insist on ensuite facilities! You will never find us spending more than $US130 (and even that would have to be under very exceptional circumstances) so even our top-end choices wouldn’t be considered luxurious by most people!

Budget Options

Cheers Bed and Breakfast

This B & B near Bole International Airport gets consistently good reviews. Rooms have balconies and flat-screen TVs. The hotel has 24-hour reception and good wifi throughout. Expect to pay around $US30 for two people in a double room.