When to go to Dakar?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: November to April
At a glance
Why go to Dakar?
With French spoken everywhere and a currency pegged to the euro, Dakar is one of West Africa's easiest capitals to get to grips with. But it is neither an easy city nor a mere backdrop. Four million people on a 20 km peninsula, traffic jams from morning to night, markets spilling onto the road and an energy you can measure in the mbalax concerts, the wrestling bouts at the stadium and the runners on the Corniche at six in the evening.
History here is a short boat ride away. Gorée, 20 minutes from the port, distils four centuries of the Atlantic slave trade into a 28-hectare island where the House of Slaves remains one of the most visited memorial sites on the continent. The Museum of Black Civilisations, opened in 2018, and the Renaissance Monument of 2010 tell what Senegal has wanted to say about itself since Senghor, and the debates it keeps up with France over restitution and the colonial past.
Finally, it is a city of the sea. The peninsula is lined with beaches, from N'Gor bay, where people surf all year round, to the cliffs of the Corniche, and every evening the pirogues come back to Soumbédioune and Yoff with fish that is grilled that same night. Thiéboudienne, the fish and rice dish inscribed by UNESCO in 2021, yassa and mafé are ladled out for 2,000 francs, and nights in the Almadies and the Plateau last until dawn, at weekends and on weekdays alike.
Map of Dakar: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- The Plateau
- Gorée Island
- Les Mamelles and Ouakam
- Almadies and N'Gor
- Lac Rose
- Bandia and Petite Côte
How much does a trip to Dakar cost?
Dakar costs less than a European capital for food and getting around, but decent hotels and the restaurants of the Almadies charge Paris prices. The fixed-rate CFA franc avoids nasty surprises, and haggling is part of every taxi ride and every market purchase.
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €30-45/day | Homestay or guesthouse in Yoff, thiéboudienne in a gargote, haggled taxis, Gorée, N'Gor, the Corniche and the markets |
| Comfort | €70-120/day | Hotel in N'Gor or on the Plateau, one restaurant a day, app taxis, museums, a night on Gorée, a trip to Lac Rose |
| Premium | €200-350/day | Oceanfront hotel, driver by the day, Almadies restaurants, Bandia and the Petite Côte privately, concerts and clubs |
The CFA franc is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 655.957 CFA francs to €1, which makes 1,000 francs worth €1.52. ATMs at banks on the Plateau, in the Almadies and in the big hotels accept Visa and Mastercard, with limits of 200,000 CFA francs per withdrawal. Cards are only accepted in hotels, supermarkets and upmarket restaurants; everything else, taxis, markets, pirogues, is paid in cash, in small notes that taxis never have change for. The mobile payment services Wave and Orange Money dominate among locals.
Is Dakar safe?
Dakar is a generally safe city for an African capital, where you can walk around by day without fear and violence against visitors is rare. Pickpocketing happens in the Plateau's markets, around Sandaga and on the beaches, and phones held in hand in traffic jams attract hands through the open window. The touts at the Gorée ferry port, the Almadies and Lac Rose can be dealt with by a polite but firm refusal. At night, take a taxi rather than walking along the Corniche. The ocean is dangerous on the north coast, from Yoff to the Almadies, with currents that sweep swimmers away every year: swim in the bays of N'Gor, Les Mamelles or Gorée. Malaria is rare in the city but real as soon as you leave it, especially in the rainy season, and the yellow fever vaccine is recommended. The political protests of 2021 to 2024 have given way to calm since the change of government, but avoid gatherings. Drink tap water filtered or stick to bottled.
What to see and do in Dakar
- Gorée Island
- African Renaissance Monument
- Lac Rose
- Kermel market
- N'Gor Island
- Museum of Black Civilisations
- Corniche Ouest and Soumbédioune
- Bandia Reserve
The Plateau
The historic and administrative centre, on the southern tip of the peninsula, laid out by the French from 1857. Independence Square, the buildings of the 1930s and 1950s, the presidential palace and its red-uniformed guards, the Cathedral of African Remembrance from 1936, Kermel market and the 1914 railway station can all be seen on foot in half a day. The ferry to Gorée leaves from the port next door. The district empties in the evening, apart from a few restaurants and the bars on Rue Jules Ferry, and it's where the banks, travel agencies and fabric shops are concentrated. Watch out for pickpockets around Sandaga.
Gorée Island
A car-free, 28-hectare island 3 km from the port, listed by UNESCO in 1978 for its role in the Atlantic slave trade. The House of Slaves, from 1776, with its cells and its door onto the ocean, takes 45 minutes to visit; the history museum in Fort d'Estrées traces the island's story from the Portuguese to the French; the Castel, at the top, keeps its 1940 guns and its view over Dakar. The sandy lanes, the ochre and pink façades, the artists who paint with sand and the Plage de la Gare, where you lunch on grilled fish, do the rest. Spending a night on the island, once the last ferry has left, changes everything.
Les Mamelles and Ouakam
Two 100-metre volcanic hills on the western tip, with the 1864 lighthouse on one and the African Renaissance Monument on the other. The lighthouse is reached by a winding road, and its bar-restaurant serves drinks at sunset, with views over the Almadies. Below lie Mamelles beach, small and lifeguarded, and the Lebou village of Ouakam, with its Mosque of the Divinity set on the beach and its pirogues. The Village des Arts, on the airport road, brings together some fifty artists' studios open to the public. The area is 30 to 60 minutes by taxi from the Plateau, depending on traffic.
Almadies and N'Gor
The westernmost point of mainland Africa, at the Pointe des Almadies, and the district of embassies, villas and seafront restaurants. N'Gor beach, with its pirogues to the island and its surf schools, is the Sunday meeting place. At night, the bars and clubs of the Almadies, from Le Patio to Le Duplex, keep going until 5am, and the fish restaurants of the Almadies grill spiny lobster and thiof facing the rocks. The district has most of the boutique hotels and guesthouses, 15 minutes from the old Yoff airport but an hour from the Plateau at rush hour.
Lac Rose
35 km to the north-east, Lake Retba with its salt collectors, its dunes and its ocean beach on the far side of the dune barrier. The pink colour, caused by an alga, appears in strong winds at the end of the dry season and has become rare since the 2022 floods, but salt is still harvested by hand and heaped into white pyramids on the shore, and bathing in water ten times saltier than the sea remains an experience. The lakeside campements make a base for a night, with horse rides on the dunes and outings to the Grande Côte beach, deserted for miles. Allow half a day from Dakar.
Bandia Reserve and the Petite Côte
65 km to the south, the Mbour road leads to the Bandia reserve, 3,500 hectares of baobabs populated by reintroduced giraffes, rhinos, buffalo and eland, visited by 4x4 in two hours. Just beyond, the Petite Côte strings together the beach resorts of Saly, the Somone lagoon and its flamingos, the fishing villages of Ngaparou and Popenguine with its cliff. It's the classic weekend escape for Dakar residents, 1h30 away on the toll motorway, with beach hotels at every price. Further on, Joal-Fadiouth, the shell island, and the Sine-Saloum delta open onto another journey altogether.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Three days are enough for the Plateau, Gorée, Les Mamelles, N'Gor and a dinner at Soumbédioune. Five days add Lac Rose, Bandia and a night on the Petite Côte. Dakar is also the gateway to Saint-Louis, the Sine-Saloum and the Casamance.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Dakar guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of Senegal
The essentials (3 days)
Day 1: the Plateau on foot, Kermel market, Independence Square, the Museum of Black Civilisations, the 1pm ferry to Gorée and back at sunset. Day 2: the Corniche Ouest, the Renaissance Monument and the Mamelles lighthouse in the late afternoon, a fish dinner at Soumbédioune. Day 3: a pirogue to N'Gor island in the morning, a swim, lunch on the island, then an evening in the Almadies, with a concert at Just 4 U or a night in the district's clubs.
Dakar and around (5 days)
The first three days as above, keeping one night on Gorée to see the island without the day visitors. Day 4: an early start for Bandia, a two-hour safari, then the Somone or Saly for the beach and the night. Day 5: Popenguine and its cliff in the morning, back via Dakar to Lac Rose for the salt and the dunes at the end of the day, or straight to Diass airport, 30 minutes from the Petite Côte. A driver for these two days costs 50,000 to 70,000 CFA francs a day, fuel included.
Dakar, gateway to Senegal (10 days)
Three days in Dakar, then four hours by road to Saint-Louis for two nights in the old capital, with its colonial houses and Djoudj park and its pelicans in winter. Back via Lac Rose, then down to the Sine-Saloum for three nights in a campement in the delta, among bolongs, mangroves and Serer villages, with a stop at Joal-Fadiouth. Last night at the Somone or Saly before the airport. Southern variant: swap the Sine-Saloum for the Casamance, with a one-hour flight to Cap Skirring.
Getting there and getting around
Blaise Diagne airport, opened in 2017, is at Diass, 50 km east of the centre: allow an hour to an hour and a half by road and 25,000 to 30,000 CFA francs by official taxi. The TER train links Dakar with Diamniadio in 45 minutes, with a taxi or shuttle for the last stretch.
In town, the yellow and black taxis are everywhere and the fare is agreed before you get in: 1,500 to 3,000 CFA francs for a ride within one district, 4,000 to 6,000 between the Plateau and the Almadies. The Yango and Heetch apps spare you the haggling and fix the price. Traffic jams double journey times.
The BRT, opened in 2024, crosses the city for 18 km from the Plateau to Guédiawaye in electric buses on a dedicated lane, for about 500 CFA francs, and Dem Dikk buses cover the main roads. The blue and yellow cars rapides and the Ndiaga Ndiaye minibuses are more folklore than transport for a visitor.
To get out of Dakar, the toll motorway reaches the Petite Côte in 1h30 and Saint-Louis in 4 hours. Hiring a car with a driver, 50,000 to 70,000 CFA francs a day, costs less than without one and saves the hassle. The sept-place shared taxis from the Baux Maraîchers station serve every town.
Where to stay in Dakar?
Guesthouses and small hotels in N'Gor, Yoff and Ouakam: €35 to 60 a night, often with a terrace and breakfast, close to the beaches and 15 minutes from the old airport. The best balance of calm, sea and price for a first visit.
Hotels on the Plateau and the Corniche Est, from the Faidherbe to the Djoloff: €60 to 110, handy for Gorée, the museums and business, noisier and empty in the evening. Rooms facing the courtyard are better than those on the street.
Rooms and guesthouses on Gorée Island: €40 to 90 a night in old houses, to be booked ahead because there are only a few dozen beds. Spending the night on the island, once the last ferry has left, remains the strongest memory of Dakar.
Big oceanfront hotels, the Radisson Blu, Pullman, King Fahd Palace and Terrou-Bi: €150 to 250 a night, with a pool, private beach and security, popular with official delegations. On the Petite Côte, the hotels of Saly and the Somone offer the same comfort at half the price.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Dakar?
Thiéboudienne, rice with fish and vegetables simmered in a tomato sauce, inscribed by UNESCO in 2021, is eaten at lunchtime in the gargotes for 1,500 to 2,500 CFA francs. Chicken yassa with onions and lemon, mafé in peanut sauce and thiou complete the trilogy.
Grilled fish in the evening, at Soumbédioune, the Almadies or Yoff: thiof, sea bream, sole, spiny lobster by weight, chosen from the stall and cooked over charcoal with rice or chips, 5,000 to 15,000 CFA francs depending on the fish. Dibi, grilled mutton wrapped in newspaper, is eaten in the neighbourhood dibiteries.
Bissap, baobab bouye and ginger juices are sold in iced bags everywhere; café Touba, spiced with grains of Selim, is drunk on street corners for 100 francs. Pastels, fish fritters, and fatayas make the afternoon snack.
Restaurants in the Almadies and the Plateau serve French, Lebanese or Senegalese fusion cuisine for 10,000 to 25,000 CFA francs a meal. Gazelle and Flag beers cost 1,500 CFA francs at the bar, imported wine is expensive, and the city is 95% Muslim, so alcohol is served in hotels and bars.
Entry requirements
Visa-free for up to 90 days for EU, UK, US and Canadian passports, with proof of a return ticket and of accommodation to show at the border. Australian passports: visas have been issued free on arrival at Dakar airport but not at land borders, so check with a Senegalese embassy before you travel.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Dakar
When is the best time to visit Dakar?
From November to April, during the dry season: 25 to 28°C by day, cool nights around 18°C in December and January, sea breezes and clear skies, although the harmattan can fill the air with dust in February and March. The rainy season, from July to October, is hot and humid, with late-afternoon storms and flooded streets, but also low prices and a greener city.
How many days do you need in Dakar?
Three days for the Plateau, Gorée, Les Mamelles, N'Gor island and an evening at Soumbédioune or in the Almadies. Five days let you add Bandia and the Petite Côte, or Lac Rose with a night there. Beyond that, it's better to head for Saint-Louis, the Sine-Saloum delta or the Casamance, keeping a last night near Diass airport.
How do I get to Gorée from Dakar?
On the Dakar-Gorée ferry, from the maritime station at the port, below the Plateau. Departures run roughly every hour from 7am to midnight on weekdays, a little less often on Sundays, for a 20-minute crossing. A return ticket costs 5,200 CFA francs for non-residents, about €8, plus a municipal tax of a few hundred francs on arrival. Buy it at the ticket office with ID.
Is Dakar a dangerous city?
No, provided you follow the usual big-city precautions: no phone on show in taxis with open windows, no valuables on the beaches, a taxi at night rather than walking, and a firm refusal to guides who impose themselves. Assaults on visitors remain rare, though pickpocketing happens in the markets. The real risks are the ocean on the north coast, with violent currents, and the roads outside the city.
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