Antananarivo
Antananarivo, also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar.
Antananarivo, also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra, is the capital of Analamanga region.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Antananarivo
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01University of Antananarivo
University of Antananarivo is the primary public university of Madagascar, located in the capital Antananarivo.
3.3 km · public university in Madagascar · Wikipedia - 02National Library of Madagascar
The National Library of Madagascar is the national library of Madagascar. It was established in 1961 and it is located in Antananarivo.
1 km · national library · Wikipedia - 03Lake Anosy
Lake Anosy [anˈuːsi] is an artificial lake in the southern part of the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo, about two miles south of Haute-Ville. Ampefiloha is located to the west of the lake, Isoraka to the northwest and Mahamasina to the north.
700 m · lake in Madagascar · Wikipedia - 04Andafiavaratra Palace
The Andafiavaratra Palace, located on the highest hilltop of the capital city of Antananarivo, was the residence of Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony of Madagascar, who governed the island kingdom in the late 19th century. The building currently is now a museum and the estimated 1,466 objects of historical importance to the Kingdom of Madagascar that were rescued from the 1995 fire at the Rova of Antananarivo are housed here.
1.5 km · museum of Antananarivo · Wikipedia - 05Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Antananarivo
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral is a religious building that serves as a Catholic cathedral located in the district of Antananarivo Renivohitra in the region of Analamanga, specifically in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. It is located in the area of Andohalo in the upper town, the facade facing the city center to the west.
1.1 km · building in Madagascar · Wikipedia - 06Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza
The Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza is a zoological and botanical garden in the neighbourhood of Tsimbazaza in Antananarivo, Madagascar, located just north of the National Assembly of Madagascar building. It is said to house "the finest collection of Malagasy wildlife", with several unique species on display.
2.2 km · Zoological and botanical garden in the neighbourhood of Tsimbazaza in Antananarivo, Madagascar · Wikipedia - 07University of Madagascar's Museum of Art and Archaeology
University of Madagascar's Museum of Art and Archaeology is a museum located in Isoraka in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It is operated by the University of Antananarivo and was established on January 27, 1970.
500 m · ethnology museum, Paleontology museum in Isoraka, Antananarivo · Wikipedia - 08Stade Olympique l'Emyrne
Stade Olympique l'Emyrne is a multi-purpose stadium in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It is currently used mostly for and football matches and hosts the homes matches of SO l'Emyrne, a former member of the THB Champions League.
2.7 km · building in Madagascar · Wikipedia - 09Saint Laurent's Cathedral, Ambohimanoro
St. Lawrence Anglican Cathedral Ambohimanoro is an Anglican cathedral in Madagascar's capital of Antananarivo.
1.2 km · Anglican cathedral in Antananarivo · Wikipedia - 10Town hall Antananarivo
The Antananarivo City Hall "Lapan'ny Tanàna" is the building that houses the municipal institutions of Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 1935 to 1972 and since 2010.
500 m · City hall in Antananarivo, Madagascar · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
The city is really attractive and a photographers dream. The architecture is a mix of French countryside and Indonesia. Rice paddies scattered all over the city add a brilliant green to the pastel terracotta of the buildings.
- 01Rova
Royal palace complex and former residence of the rulers of the Merina Kingdom.
- 02Prime Minister's Palace
- 03Lemurs' Park
Route Nationale n°1, PK 22, Katsaoka Imerintsiatosika - Route d'Ampefy (25 km West of Antananarivo on RN1),.
- 04Croc Farm
- 05Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza
Zoo and herbarium with animal skeletons on display too.
- 06Cathedrale catholique d Andohalo
Cathedral with a big statue of Mary that was built in 1890.
From Wikivoyage: Antananarivo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Jean Be Tours, Lot IVD 63 Ter AA, Ambohibahiny, Ankaraobato, marivelo.trekk@yahoo.fr. Jean Be Tours is a concierge travel guide service. The owner Jean is an experienced tour guide for Madagascar who speaks English and French. On individually organized trips, one can meet local people, take photographs and collect souvenirs and memories. Mada-Liberté Off Road Motorcycle Tours in Madagascar (4WD Off Road Tours).
From Wikivoyage: Antananarivo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
- 01La Table de Mariette
This is a good choice for high quality Malagasy food.
- 02Ile Bourbon
- 03La Brasserie at the France Hotel
Also vegetarian (non vegan) dishes, a very cheesy veg lasagne for 13,000 Ar.
- 04Grill De Rova
Near Palace de Rova.
- 05KudeTa
A slick setting for excellent French-influenced Malagasy food.
From Wikivoyage: Antananarivo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Antananarivo
- Airports
- Ivato (TNR), 13 km · Toamasina Ambalamanasy (TMM), 216 km
- Toamasina → Antananarivo214 km · quickest by road, 13h 38m · $41–55
- Mahajanga → Antananarivo378 km · quickest by air, 4h 24m · $150–230
- Nosy Be → Antananarivo628 km · quickest by air, 4h 43m · $170–260
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Antananarivo
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Antananarivo. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThe taxi brousse is an incredibly cheap option, and should cost 2×800=1600 Ar from the airport to downtown.
- Get inFor travelling by road, there are three options: a private vehicle hire, a scheduled bus service or taxi brousse (bush taxi).
- Go nextRoad transport is by bus to limited destinations, taxi-brousse (shared taxi) to a variety of destinations or by car rental (usually with driver).
- Go nextAlthough travel by taxi-brousse is guaranteed to try one's patience and sanity, there is quite possibly no better way to meet and interact with the locals and experience Madagascar as the Malagasy do.
From Wikivoyage: Antananarivo, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01841 km
- 021,456 km
- 031,680 km
- 041,745 km
- 051,800 km
If you know how people move in Antananarivo – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Antananarivo
- Antananarivo-Atsimondranodistrict in Madagascar9.3 km
- Ankadikely Ilafyurban commune in Madagascar, Antananarivo-Avaradrano District, Analamanga Region7.5 km