Akwaaba & Welcome to Accra!

Accra has been the capital of Ghana since 1877, and has numerous public buildings that reflect its transformation from being just a suburb of Victoriasborg in the nineteenth century to its current status as a bustling metropolis. There is a wide range of Accra hotels available, both luxurious and budget-friendly, choice restaurants and energetic nightclubs.

With several exciting museums and cultural monuments, modern commercial and business areas, lively markets and residential areas in the suburbs, attractions in Accra are many and varied with lodging hotels to make your Ghana vacation an experience to remember!

Most visitors arrive in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana, after coming in at the Kotoka International Airport, which serves as a good hub for holidays in Africa. Considered as the gateway to the monuments of ancient Africa, Accra is a modern city comprising of everything from museums, historical monuments, beautiful beaches, an exciting nightlife, bustling markets and a variety of Accra restaurants that are a reflection of the myriad of cultures present in Ghana.

Stretching on the Atlantic Coast and into the interior to the north, Accra was built around its port. The city's architecture ranges from nineteenth century colonial style buildings to modern hotels in Accra, skyscrapers and high-rise apartment blocks of glass, steel and concrete, which were built in the 1970s. There are many poor shanty towns in Accra on the outskirts of the city, where Accra's ever-expanding population lives. There have been a number of new buildings built from the 1990s, such as the French-owned Novotel hotel in Accra. The National Theatre was built with Chinese help and is an impressive building. Accra's city centre has many large banks, the Cocoa Marketing Board, department stores and an area called The Ministries, where most of the government's administration offices are located. Take a look at our Accra map to get a feel for the orientation of the city, and also to view the location of the variety of Accra accommodation and Accra Hotels you can book  through our site.

Many people live in shanty towns located all around the edge of the city as well as near the port. Most of the homes here are small and crowded, and are usually built with mud and any material that can be found; sticks, corrugated plywood sheets, woven screens made of palm fronds, concrete breezeblocks, packing cases and other discarded materials. Inside shanty towns like James Town, you will find dogs, chickens and goats scrambling for scraps in muddy lanes. Take an Accra tour to see and experience first hand the magic of Accra!

On the dusty roads leading to Central Accra, you will find shops in Accra along the road set in open-fronted shacks with colourful headboards announcing the name of the store, selling everything from clothing, electrical goods, food, haircuts and cast iron gates. Along the road, you will see women with babies strapped to their backs, selling oranges, plantains and yams. Most of the residents of the shanty towns make a living doing such jobs.

Makola market is quite large and is always very busy, with women sitting under straw hats, babies strapped to their backs, and selling everything from tomatoes, beans yams, peanuts, plantains, and rice, along with dried meat and fish.

In the residential areas north and west of Accra, which are the wealthier areas of the city, there are numerous two-level residences, elegant colonial houses built on stilts, and homes with wide verandas and gardens full of trees and flowering shrubs. Most middle-range homes, usually occupied by government workers, are concrete bungalows with corrugated roofs surrounded by trees. The government has also put up blocks of concrete flats on the outskirts of Accra to meet the expanding population of the city.

The Ga tribe established the city of Accra in the late 1600s. The name of the city derives from Nkran, which means 'ants' in the local language, as a reference to numerous anthills in the area surrounding the city. Accra has been a centre of trade for the Portuguese - who even built a fort in the city - and later for the Swedish, Dutch, French, British and Danish traders by the late seventeenth century.

Modern day Accra is built around the old Ga town, as well as the British, Danish and Dutch forts and the communities surrounding them.

The main areas of the city are Jamestown, near the old British fort, Osu, which is near the old Danish Christianborg fort (now called Osu Castle), and Ussherstown, located near the Dutch Ussher fort.

After the second Anglo-Asante War in 1877, Accra was named the capital of the British Gold Coast colony, replacing Cape Coast. Once the railway to the interiors for mining and agricultural purposes was completed, Accra developed into the economic centre for all of Ghana. Earthquakes destroyed many areas of the city first in 1862 and then again in 1939, but the city continued to grow around its seaport (now shifted to Tema) and later a brewery, expanding into surrounding towns as well.

The Ghanaian campaign for independence was launched in 1948 after the Accra Riots that led to the country's independence from the UK in 1957. Modern Accra is one of the richest and most forward-looking cities in all of Africa, where residents lead a relatively high quality of life compared to other African nations. The city is also known to have Africa's most vibrant nightlife.

Ghana is regarded as the friendliest country in Africa and it is no surprise tourists begin their West African travels in the incredible city of Accra! With interesting history, culture, and a strong love for festivals, Ghanaians are incredibly welcoming. Taking an exciting tour of Accra is a great way to see the sights! So choose your Accra accommodation  or hotel rooms and then come and discover Accra!