Smart Self-Managed Tours

City guide · Tanzania

Zanzibar City

A photograph of Zanzibar City
Photograph · Paul Brockmeyer from Chicago, USA · CC BY 2.0

Zanzibar City is centred on Stone Town, a compact historic quarter of narrow lanes beside the harbour. The Old Fort, palace museums, markets and seafront gardens fit into a walking route, while Ng'ambo and the wider urban area extend east beyond the old town. Island beaches, spice farms and forest reserves are separate excursions rather than city-centre stops, so distinguish a Stone Town itinerary from a wider Zanzibar stay.

Practical information
Language spoken
Swahili and English
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+255
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type D and G · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified nationwide visitor drinking-water statement was recorded

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Zanzibar City

Planning a visit

Suggested stay
Not recorded
Getting around
Walk in Stone Town; taxi beyond it
  1. January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  2. February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  3. March: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  4. April: recurring difficult conditions
  5. May: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  6. June: best time to visit
  7. July: best time to visit
  8. August: best time to visit — current month
  9. September: best time to visit
  10. October: good time to visit
  11. November: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  12. December: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  • Best time
  • Good time
  • Viable with trade-offs
  • Difficult conditions

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

Filter the list

25 places match

Category

Historic monuments 49 Museums 13 Places of worship 194 Nature sites 24 Viewpoints 2 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 17 Entertainment 6 Nightlife 21 Family attractions 0 Art and culture 9 Activities 4

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 294 1 to 2 hours 45

Interests

History 238 Art 199 Museums 14 Nature 19 Sea and beach 17 Viewpoints 2
  1. Stone Town Stone Town
    01 2 hours

    Stone Town

    Mji Mkongwe

    Stone Town, known locally as Mji Mkongwe, is the historic heart of Zanzibar City on Unguja Island, Tanzania.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  2. Old Slave Mart Old Slave Mart
    02 1 hr 30 min

    Old Slave Mart

    Old Slave Market

    The Old Slave Market, locally known as Christ Church Cathedral at Mkunazini, stands as a memorial site and active Anglican cathedral in Zanzibar City's Stone Town.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  3. Old Fort of Zanzibar Old Fort of Zanzibar
    03 1 hr 30 min

    Old Fort of Zanzibar

    Old Fort

    The Old Fort, known locally as Ngome Kongwe, stands as Stone Town's oldest surviving major structure.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  4. Forodhani Park Forodhani Park
    04 1 hour

    Forodhani Park

    Forodhani Gardens, locally known as Bustani ya Forodhani, is a public waterfront park located in Stone Town, Zanzibar City.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  5. House of Wonders House of Wonders
    05 1 hr 30 min

    House of Wonders

    The House of Wonders, known locally as Beit al-Ajaib, stands as a ceremonial palace and former royal residence on Stone Town's waterfront.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  6. Palace Museum Palace Museum
    06 1 hr 30 min

    Palace Museum

    Sultan's Palace

    The Palace Museum, known locally as Beit al-Sahel, stands as the former waterfront residence of the sultan in Zanzibar City. It serves as the principal museum dedicated to the Omani royal court and nineteenth-century palace life.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  7. Darajani Market Darajani Market
    07 45 min

    Darajani Market

    Soko la Darajani

    Darajani Market, known locally as Soko la Darajani, is Zanzibar City's principal covered market and a vital commercial hub. It serves as the boundary between Stone Town's historic core and Ng'ambo, the newer part of the city.

    • Must see
    • Market
  8. Prison Island Prison Island
    08 1 hour

    Prison Island

    Changuu Island

    Prison Island, locally known as Changuu Island, sits offshore from Stone Town in Zanzibar City.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  9. Old Dispensary Old Dispensary
    09 45 min

    Old Dispensary

    The Old Dispensary, also known locally as Ithnasheri Dispensary, stands as a restored charitable dispensary in Zanzibar City's Stone Town.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  10. Hamamni Persian Baths Hamamni Persian Baths
    10 45 min

    Hamamni Persian Baths

    Hamamni Persian Baths stand as the best-preserved public bath complex in Stone Town, Zanzibar City. Built during the nineteenth century, these baths reveal the Persian and Omani layer of the city's social history.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  11. St. Joseph's Cathedral, Zanzibar St. Joseph's Cathedral, Zanzibar
    11 30 min

    St. Joseph's Cathedral, Zanzibar

    St. Joseph's Cathedral

    St. Joseph Roman Catholic Cathedral is a twin-spired Catholic church in Stone Town, Zanzibar City. It stands as the most prominent Roman Catholic landmark in the historic district and contributes significantly to the area's multi-faith skyline.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
  12. Freddie Mercury Museum Freddie Mercury Museum
    12 1 hr 30 min

    Freddie Mercury Museum

    The Freddie Mercury Museum, locally known as Mercury House, is a cultural attraction in Zanzibar City commemorating the life of Farrokh Bulsara, who became the global rock icon Freddie Mercury.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  13. Malindi Mosque Malindi Mosque
    13 30 min

    Malindi Mosque

    Malindi Bamnara Mosque

    Malindi Mosque, also known locally as Malindi Bamnara Mosque, stands among the oldest mosques in Stone Town, Zanzibar City.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
  14. Mtoni Palace Ruins Mtoni Palace Ruins
    14 45 min

    Mtoni Palace Ruins

    Mtoni Palace Ruins, known locally as Magofu ya Kasri la Mtoni, constitute the remains of an early nineteenth-century waterfront palace and court complex associated with Sultan Said bin Sultan.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  15. Maruhubi Palace Maruhubi Palace
    15 45 min

    Maruhubi Palace

    Maruhubi Palace Ruins, known locally as Magofu ya Kasri la Maruhubi, stand as the remains of a 19th-century royal residence built for Sultan Barghash bin Said.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  16. Livingstone House Livingstone House
    16 1 hr 30 min

    Livingstone House

    Livingstone House, locally called Nyumba ya Livingstone, is a historic building on the northern approach to Zanzibar City. The structure served as both a palace and a mission house during the nineteenth century.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  17. Nakupenda Sandbank
    17 1 hour

    Nakupenda Sandbank

    Nakupenda Sandbank is a slender, shifting sandbar located off the coast of Zanzibar City, near Stone Town. It emerges from the Indian Ocean at low tide, creating a temporary island of pure white sand surrounded by turquoise water.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  18. Chumbe Island Coral Park Chumbe Island Coral Park
    18 1 hour

    Chumbe Island Coral Park

    Chumbe Island Coral Park is a private marine protected area and nature reserve located off the coast of Zanzibar City. It encompasses a coral rag forest and surrounding coral reef ecosystem.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  19. Forest Forest
    19 45 min

    Forest

    Forest in Zanzibar City is a designated natural area marked on OpenStreetMap. Its precise classification as urban woodland, municipal park, or protected coastal vegetation remains Not recorded pending review.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  20. Kizimbani Spice Farms Kizimbani Spice Farms
    20 2 hours

    Kizimbani Spice Farms

    Kizimbani Spice Farms is a working agricultural area near Zanzibar City where visitors observe cultivation of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and other aromatic crops.

    • Must see
    • Activity
  21. Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
    21 1 hour

    Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park

    Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is a protected area on Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago. It encompasses Jozani Forest, the largest remaining tract of indigenous forest on the island, alongside mangrove ecosystems and coastal waters.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  22. Princess Salme Museum Princess Salme Museum
    22 1 hr 30 min

    Princess Salme Museum

    The Princess Salme Museum is a small heritage museum located within Emerson on Hurumzi, a historic hotel in Zanzibar City's Stone Town.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  23. Natural History Museum Natural History Museum
    23 1 hr 30 min

    Natural History Museum

    The Zanzibar Natural History Museum occupies Beit el-Amani, a historic building in Zanzibar City's Stone Town. The museum presents natural history collections relevant to the Zanzibar archipelago.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  24. Dhow Countries Music Academy
    24 1 hour

    Dhow Countries Music Academy

    The Dhow Countries Music Academy, known locally as DCMA Zanzibar, is a music institution in Zanzibar City dedicated to preserving and teaching the musical traditions of the dhow countries region along the western Indian Ocean.

    • Must see
    • Art and culture venue
  25. Tippu Tip's House Tippu Tip's House
    25 45 min

    Tippu Tip's House

    Tippu Tip's House is the historic residence of Hamed bin Mohammed al-Murjebi, the notorious nineteenth-century Zanzibari merchant whose trading empire spanned Central and East Africa.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

How the city is laid out

Stone Town occupies the western waterfront and is organised around the harbour, Forodhani Gardens, the Old Fort and Darajani Market. Its narrow lanes are best understood through a few fixed landmarks rather than a road grid. Ng'ambo begins beyond Creek Road and contains the newer city. The airport lies south of the centre, while beach villages and nature sites spread far beyond Zanzibar City across Unguja and require road transfers.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting around

Walk inside Stone Town, where many lanes are too narrow for ordinary vehicle access. The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism lists taxis, buses and rental cars among the island's transport options. For movement beyond the old town, arrange suitable road transport and confirm the pickup point, because vehicles generally meet passengers on wider perimeter roads rather than inside the historic lanes. Check current operator terms before making a longer journey.

Checked 2026-08-26

Common questions

How many days should I plan for Zanzibar City?

No fixed stay length is recorded. Separate the Stone Town walking programme from any spice-farm, beach, forest or island excursion elsewhere on Unguja.

Is Stone Town walkable?

Yes. Its principal seafront, market and heritage sites sit within a compact network of narrow lanes, and walking is the practical way to move between them.

How do I reach places outside Stone Town?

The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism lists taxis, buses and rental cars. Choose the suitable option for the distance and confirm the operator terms and return arrangement before departure.

Where should a taxi meet me in Stone Town?

Use an agreed point on a wider perimeter road or near a recognised landmark. Many interior lanes do not provide normal vehicle access.

Are Zanzibar beaches part of the city walking route?

No. Zanzibar City and Stone Town form the urban base; the island's principal beach villages and nature areas require separate road or boat excursions.