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2 hours
Stone Town
Mji Mkongwe
Stone Town, also called Mji Mkongwe, is the historic heart of Zanzibar City on Unguja Island, Tanzania.
- Must see
- Historic monument
- Zanzibar City
Country guide
Tanzania
Protected land accounts for around 38 per cent of Tanzania's 947,303 km², held in 21 national parks and the reserves between them, so the country is planned as a set of distances rather than a set of towns. Kilimanjaro stands alone in the north at 5,895 m, the highest mountain in Africa. Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi each take a piece of the borders. Dodoma is the capital, but Dar es Salaam and its roughly 6.4 million people are the port and the commercial centre — and the crossing out of it reaches Zanzibar, semi-autonomous since the union of 26 April 1964.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Cities
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
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Zanzibar City
Photograph · Paul Brockmeyer from Chicago, USA · CC BY 2.0
Zanzibar City 457 places
Practical information
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
Planning a visit
- No data recorded for this month
- The current month
- January: no seasonality data recorded
- February: no seasonality data recorded
- March: no seasonality data recorded
- April: no seasonality data recorded
- May: no seasonality data recorded
- June: no seasonality data recorded
- July: no seasonality data recorded
- August: no seasonality data recorded
- September: no seasonality data recorded — this month
- October: no seasonality data recorded
- November: no seasonality data recorded
- December: no seasonality data recorded
Top things to see
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
Filter the list
13 places match
13 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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02 1 hr 30 minOld Slave Mart
Old Slave Market
The Old Slave Market, at the site now associated with Christ Church Cathedral in Mkunazini, is both an active Anglican cathedral and a place of historical remembrance in Stone Town.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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03 1 hr 30 minOld Fort of Zanzibar
Old Fort
Old Fort, also called Ngome Kongwe and Arab Fort, is a substantial coral-rag fortress on Stone Town’s waterfront. Omani Arabs built it after removing the Portuguese in the late seventeenth century, incorporating material from earlier Portuguese construction.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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04 1 hr 30 minHouse 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
- Zanzibar City
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05 1 hr 30 minPalace Museum
Sultan's Palace
Palace Museum, known as Beit al-Sahel, occupies a former waterfront residence of Zanzibar’s sultan in Stone Town. The museum focuses on the Omani royal court and palace life during the nineteenth century.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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06 1 hr 30 minFreddie Mercury Museum
The Freddie Mercury Museum, also known as Mercury House, is a Stone Town attraction connected with Farrokh Bulsara, the Zanzibar-born musician who became Freddie Mercury.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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07 1 hr 30 minLivingstone House
Livingstone House, locally called Nyumba ya Livingstone, is a historic building on the northern approach to Zanzibar City. During the nineteenth century it served as both a palace and a mission house.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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Kizimbani Spice Farms 08 2 hoursKizimbani 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
- Zanzibar City
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09 1 hr 30 minPrincess Salme Museum
Princess Salme Museum is a small heritage museum inside Emerson on Hurumzi, a historic hotel in Stone Town. It focuses on Sayyida Salme, a nineteenth-century Zanzibari princess whose memoirs offer an unusual woman’s perspective on royal life.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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10 1 hr 30 minNatural History Museum
Zanzibar Natural History Museum occupies Beit el-Amani in Stone Town, the historic centre of Zanzibar City. The building’s name means House of Peace, and its architecture forms part of the quarter’s distinctive Swahili coastal heritage.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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East Africa Slave Trade Exhibition 11 1 hr 30 minEast Africa Slave Trade Exhibition
East Africa Slave Trade Exhibition is a heritage centre at the former Slave Market Site beside Christ Church Anglican Cathedral on Mkunazini Road in Stone Town, Zanzibar City.
- Must see
- Museum
- Zanzibar City
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12 2 hoursNg'ambo
Ng'ambo is the larger, modern half of Zanzibar City, located across the creek from the historic Stone Town. Its name means 'the other side' in Swahili, reflecting the historical social and physical division of the city.
- Must see
- Activity
- Zanzibar City
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13 2 hoursMenai Bay Conservation Area
Hifadhi ya Ghuba ya Menai
Menai Bay Conservation Area is a protected marine zone on the southwest coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago.
- Must see
- Activity
- Zanzibar City
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Common questions
How long should a first trip to Tanzania be?
Ten to fourteen days lets a first Tanzania itinerary combine one safari circuit with Zanzibar without turning every dawn into a transfer. Use Arusha for the northern parks or Dar es Salaam for the coast and southern routes; adding both safari circuits usually calls for a longer trip.
What entry documents are needed for Tanzania?
Tanzania Immigration, rather than a tour operator, should decide whether your passport needs an eVisa or another entry permission. Check the official portal for the permitted stay and required documents before buying inflexible flights, then recheck it before departure because nationality and purpose change the answer.
What is the best way to travel around Tanzania?
Long distances make transport choice part of the itinerary: scheduled or safari flights link remote park regions, road transfers join lodges within a circuit, and ferries serve Zanzibar. Confirm the named airstrip or port and its baggage rules, because a Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar connection is not interchangeable.
When is a practical time to visit Tanzania?
June through October suits many dry-season safari routes, while January and February can also work well in the north; Zanzibar and the southern parks follow their own rainfall patterns. Choose dates around the safari circuit or island stay that matters most instead of applying one weather label to the whole country.
What money and payment basics apply in Tanzania?
The Tanzanian shilling is the recorded currency. Cards may work at larger hotels, but park-route stops, small vendors and remote services can require cash; obtain it through a bank or authorised exchange and confirm whether lodge, transfer and conservation charges are quoted in TZS or another currency.
What practical safety details should I save for Tanzania?
Keep 112 saved for emergencies, and pack for Type D and G sockets at 230 V. This dataset has no verified nationwide tap-water statement, so water safety is Not recorded; ask the accommodation or responsible local authority at each stop, especially on safari and island legs.