Djibouti (city) travel guide

Djibouti (جيبوتي) is the capital city of Djibouti and has a population of around 400,000.

Djibouti city (Photo: Abass Chirdon, CC BY 3.0)

Understand

The city was founded in 1888 and was designated the capital of French Somaliland three years later. The city has some beaches along its eastern shore. Today it's mostly notable for its harbour, which accounts for much of the local economic activity.

Get in

By plane

• Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (JIB IATA). There are regular flights by Air France (to Paris-CDG), Ethiopian Airways (Addis Ababa) and Kenya Airways (Nairobi via Addis Ababa) flights. There are also regular flights with Fly Dubai (to UAE-Dubai-DXB terminal 2).

By train

There are passenger trains from Addis Ababa via Dire Dawa every second day. Journey time for the full trip is about 12 hours. The new trains are comfortable and there is a dining car on board. Tickets are sold at the station and should be bought at least few days beforehand. Additionally, there is a ticket office in central Djibouti.

• Nagad railway station (10 km south of city centre).

Get around

Get around by Green TaxiCabs. Some people will tell you to avoid taxis whose drivers are chewing khat, which is a natural, amphetamine-like stimulant. It gives the local Djiboutians and Somalis something called Merran, which is the Somali word for 'energy'.

Taxis cost from 500 Fdj to any amount, depending on distance. For example: Camp Lemonier to the city centre cost 1,500 Fdj. Negotiate and you may get a lower price, but there are better things to do than to argue over 500 Fdj.

See

• Beaches on the eastern shore.

Do

• Aden Bay Casino, Sheraton Djibouti, ☏ +253 356549. Open Fri-Wed 18:00-04:00, Thu 18:00-05:00. The casino in the Sheraton Hotel has 40 poker machines, black jack, poker and roulette tables.
• Bawadi Mall, Rue De Venice, ☏ +253 21 35 28 40. Mall that is also home to a Geant hypermarket, a movie theater, and several western style fast food outlets (ie Burger King, Pizza Hut, ChicKing).

Eat

• Melting Pot, Heron (At Bernard Street), ☏ +253 21350399. 11:00-23:00. A fusion cuisine restaurant a few hundred metres from the port. On the menu are camel meat, sushi, sashimi, fish, lobster, crab, excellent steaks, beers and mojitos. Nice atmosphere with outdoor and indoor setting. US$4-30.
• La Mer Rouge Restaurant, Ambouli Street Nelson Mandela, 534 (in the Golden Airport), ☏ +253 21340005. 11:00-23:00. A pricey seafood restaurant. Nice outdoor and indoor settings. On the menu are live crabs, lobsters, fresh fish, clams and other food from the Red Sea. The fish is cooked in a traditional Yemenite clay oven on acacia wood.

Drink

• Club Hermes. Underground club, low key. Good security at the door. 1,000 Fdj per beer.
• Club Menelik. Inside the Menelik Hotel, security is good here. Drinks are 1,000 Fdj/beer & 1,500 Fdj/mixed drink. The music ranges widely, but often consists of 1990s to current hip-hop & R&B.
• La Galette. An underground club. 1,000 Fdj for beer, 1,500 Fdj for mixed drinks and 1,000 Fdj for sheesha (hookah).
• La Oasis. Nice place with a second, smaller bar upstairs.
• Le Maries. Nice place with a dancefloor in the front alongside a bar. In the back are some couches for sitting and smoking Sheesha smoking (1,000 Fdj to participate).

Sleep

Budget

There are no budget options in Djibouti city because accommodation is very expensive for what you get.

Mid-range

• Golden Airport Hotel, Nelson Mandela, 534, ☏ +253 213 496 10. 30 guest rooms and 2 suite rooms. International buffet restaurant. 2 minutes from the airport. WhatsApp +253 774 901 73 Double €105.

Splurge

• Djibouti Palace Kempinski (Ilot Du Heron), ☏ +253 325555.

Stay safe

For taxis, make sure you go with someone who knows the city; otherwise, you will pay way more than you should. Agree on the price in advance, and only enter the taxi once you have agreed.

Photography, particularly of people, in Djibouti city seems to be prohibited. If a policeman spots you taking a photo, you may be in for a stern warning, or worse.

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