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Best art destinations in Africa

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Valley of the Kings
Ancient tombs in Egypt's desert
7.6
Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamun here in 1922. It is one of more than 60 royal tombs cut into the valley rock. Painted reliefs and star filled ceilings cover walls in tombs such as Ramesses VI. The tomb of Seti I needs a separate ticket but has detailed painted reliefs.
Highlights:
  • 🏛️ Marvel at Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple nearby
  • 🖼️ Visit Ramses II tomb with detailed hieroglyphic art
  • ⚱️ Explore the intricately decorated tomb of Tutankhamun
Cape Town
Mountains, Beaches and a Vibrant Culture
7.6
A 57 metre grain silo at the V&A Waterfront harbour now holds the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. The silo was built between 1921 and 1924 and Heatherwick Studio converted it. The museum opened in 2017 with 6,000 square metres of exhibition space. Table Mountain rises behind the harbour.
Highlights:
  • 🍽️ Explore the V&A Waterfront and dine by the sea
  • 🚡 Ride the cable car for breathtaking city views
  • 🥾 Hike to the top of Table Mountain
Marrakech
A vibrant maze of colors and spices
8.0
French painter Jacques Majorelle began his garden in the 1920s and painted the villa a bold cobalt blue. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought and saved it in 1980. The Musée Yves Saint Laurent opened next door in 2017. MACAAL, a museum of African contemporary art, opened in 2016 outside the old city.
Highlights:
  • 🧖‍♀️ Relax in a traditional hammam and experience Moroccan spa culture
  • 🏛️ Wander through the serene courtyards of Bahia Palace
  • 🕌 Lose yourself in the vibrant souks of Jemaa el-Fnaa
Dakar
Vibrant markets and historic waterfront charm
7.6
Every two years the Dak'Art Biennale fills the city with exhibitions of contemporary African art. The Senegalese government founded it and the focus has been African art since 1996. The Museum of Black Civilisations opened in December 2018. It has asked for African artworks held abroad to be returned.
Highlights:
  • 🏝️ Visit Gorée Island's historic slave trade museum
  • 🚶‍♂️ Stroll along the bustling Boulevard de l'Indépendance
  • 🛍️ Explore Dakar's vibrant Sandaga market for local crafts
Cairo
Where ancient history meets bustling life
7.8
Gold glints in the Tutankhamun galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum. All 5,398 pieces from his tomb are shown together there. The museum was inaugurated on 1 November 2025 about 2 kilometres from the Giza pyramids. An 11 metre statue of Ramesses II stands in the atrium.
Highlights:
  • 🌆 Climb Cairo Tower for panoramic city views
  • 🏺 Visit the Egyptian Museum to see ancient treasures
  • 🗿 Explore the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
Tunis
Where Ancient Meets Vibrant Modernity
6.6
Sidi Bou Said clings to a cliff above the Gulf of Tunis with blue and white houses. Paul Klee visited Tunisia with August Macke and Louis Moilliet in 1914. The trip changed how he used colour. The Bardo National Museum in a former palace holds a large collection of Roman mosaics.
Highlights:
  • 🎨 Admire Roman mosaics at the Bardo National Museum
  • 🏛️ Explore the ruins of Carthage overlooking the sea
  • 🕌 Wander through the ancient medina of Tunis
Addis Ababa
Vibrant capital where history meets modernity
8.1
Ale Felege Selam opened Ethiopia's first formal art school in Addis Ababa in the late 1950s. It is now part of Addis Ababa University. Zoma Contemporary Art Center is a house made of mud and straw. Artists Elias Sime and Meskerem Assegued began building it in 2002.
Highlights:
  • 🌄 Climb Mount Entoto for sunrise city panorama
  • 🛍️ Stroll through Merkato, Ethiopia's largest market
  • 🏛️ Explore National Museum, view Lucy fossil
Accra
Vibrant Culture and Coastal Charm
6.1
The Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop in Teshie makes fantasy coffins shaped like fish, cars, pineapples and bottles. Ga carpenters began making them in the 1950s. Each August the Chale Wote Street Art Festival fills Jamestown with street art, music and performance. It drew more than 40,000 people in 2018.
Highlights:
  • 🏖️ Relax and swim at Bojo Beach
  • 🛍️ Shop vibrant stalls at Makola Market
  • 🕊️ Visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum
Lagos
Buzzing Metropolis with Coastal Charm
5.7
This city has more residents than Los Angeles and Chicago combined. The Nike Art Gallery in Lekki has five floors and about 8,000 works. Its founder Nike Davies-Okundaye is known for adire, a resist dyed cloth. Art X Lagos, an art fair, is usually held in early November.
Highlights:
  • 🏖️ Relax and swim at beautiful Tarkwa Bay Beach
  • 🌿 Walk the longest canopy walkway at Lekki Conservation Centre
  • 🛍️ Explore vibrant Balogun Market for local crafts and textiles
Nairobi
Where urban life meets wild adventures
6.4
Bright murals and live music spill out of the GoDown Arts Centre. It fills former warehouses in the Industrial Area. Studios, galleries and performance spaces share the site. Circle Art Gallery in Lavington shows contemporary East African artists. Nairobi National Museum has Kenyan art and fossils from the Rift Valley.
Highlights:
  • 🐘 Visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and meet baby elephants
  • 🦩 Feed endangered giraffes at the Giraffe Centre
  • 🦒 Go on a safari at Nairobi National Park
Johannesburg
Vibrant city life meets rich history
6.4
On Sundays locals browse Market on Main in the Maboneng Precinct. Old industrial buildings nearby now hold studios, galleries and cafes. The Johannesburg Art Gallery opened in 1915 in a building designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It holds more than 9,000 works, including Rodin sculptures and Gerard Sekoto's Yellow Houses.
Highlights:
  • 🌆 Enjoy panoramic city views from the Carlton Centre top floor
  • 🏠 Take a guided tour of Soweto and visit Mandela House
  • 🏛️ Learn South Africa’s history at the Apartheid Museum
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