Bujumbura
Bujumbura, formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, former political capital, largest city and main port of Burundi.
Bujumbura, formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, former political capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's political capital. In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow through on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economical capital and center of commerce. A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, and as of late 2025, the transition is still ongoing, having been estimated to end in 2022.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Bujumbura
6 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.
- 01Université du Burundi
The University of Burundi is the biggest public university in Burundi, with its main campus located in Bujumbura, Burundi. Founded in 1964, it comprises eight faculties and five institutes and has a student enrollment of approximately 13,000.
2.8 km · public university in Burundi (IAU-019693) · Wikipedia - 02Intwari Stadium
Intwari Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bujumbura, Burundi. It is currently used mostly for football matches.
2.5 km · stadium in Bujumbura, Burundi · Wikipedia - 03Regina Mundi Cathedral, Bujumbura
The Regina Mundi Cathedral is a Catholic church in the city of Bujumbura, the former capital of the African country of Burundi. It functions as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bujumbura that was created on November 25, 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI through the bull Cum ad aptius.
3.2 km · building in Burundi · Wikipedia - 04Université Espoir d'Afrique
Hope Africa University was established in 2000 with support from the Free Methodist Church in Karen, Kenya. It relocated to Bujumbura in December 2003.
1.8 km · private university in Burundi (IAU-021926) · Wikipedia - 05Living Museum of Bujumbura
The Living Museum of Bujumbura is a zoo and museum in Burundi. The museum is located in Bujumbura, the country's largest city and former capital, and is one of the country's two public museums.
3 km · Zoo and museum in Bujumbura, Burundi · Wikipedia - 06Université Lumière de Bujumbura
Bujumbura Light University is a private university located in Bujumbura, founded in 2000 by the Center for the Production and Distribution of Christian Literature, a non-profit association in Burundi.
3.7 km · private university located in Bujumbura, Burundi (IAU-019769) · 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.
Things to do
Karera Beach, Uvira Roadway (on Lake Tanganyika about 20 min from the city). Nice beach resort. Saga Plage, Uvira Roadway (on Lake Tanganyika about 20 min of town),. Beach with restaurant, entertainment complex and hotel. Nice place to pass some time. Bora Bora Plage is next to Saga. Association Burundaise pour la protection de la Nature (ABN),.
From Wikivoyage: Bujumbura, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
The people in Bujumbura love their food and enjoy eating out with friends or family. A beef or fish brochette, chips or fried plantain and a fresh salad is available in all restaurants. But take your time. All food is freshly prepared and the cooks take time. Waiting an hour before the food arrives is certainly not abnormal. Restaurants are scattered all over town, but the best are in Rohero and Kiriri.
From Wikivoyage: Bujumbura, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Bujumbura
- Airports
- Bujumbura Melchior Ndadaye (BJM), 7 km · Kigali (KGL), 177 km · Goma (GOM), 189 km
- Stations
- Bujumbura International Airport, 6.8 km · Port of Bujumbura, 2.7 km
- Kigali → Bujumbura177 km · quickest by road, 4h 7m · RF11,650–15,550
- Goma → Bujumbura190 km · quickest by road, 5h 33m · $29–40
- Mwanza → Bujumbura405 km · quickest by air, 6h 59m · TSh204,240–316,580
- 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 Bujumbura
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 Bujumbura. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get aroundMinibuses serving the north of the city arrive and depart at the front of the central market (Marché Central), while those heading south use the parking lot in the back of the market near the Interbank head office.
- Get aroundThey range from high-end SUVs driven by white-collar workers to flat bed pickup trucks where you must stand up.
- Get aroundPayment is generally not expected for hitchhiking short distances, but working-class Burundians regularly give each other money for small favours, so there is no harm in offering.
- Go nextAbout 60 km south of Bujumbura are two lakeside resort hotels, Blue Bay and Resha Royal Imperial Hotel [http://www.enjoyburundi.info/where-to-stay/resha-royal-imperial-hotel/ which make for nice day trips or as somewhere to stay overnight.
From Wikivoyage: Bujumbura, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01260 km
- 02457 km
- 03512 km
- 041,115 km
- 051,131 km
If you know how people move in Bujumbura – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Bujumbura
Bujumbura is 26 km from Uvira, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.