Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region.
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about 1.2 million. Bulawayo covers an area of 546 square kilometres in the western part of the country, along the Matsheumhlope River. Along with the capital Harare, Bulawayo is one of two cities in Zimbabwe that are also provinces.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Bulawayo
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.
- 01Barbourfields Stadium
Barbourfields Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Barbourfields Suburb in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The stadium is currently used mostly for football matches.
4.5 km · building in Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 02Bulawayo Railway Museum
Bulawayo Railway Museum is a railway museum located at Bulawayo railway station in Zimbabwe that houses several exhibitions on the history of the railway system in Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia. Its oldest exhibits date back to 1897, and include Cecil Rhodes' personal railway coach.
900 m · railway museum in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 03Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Bulawayo
The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the name given to a temple that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and serves as the seat of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. In addition, the June 21, 2013 by decree of Pope Francis was elevated to the status of Minor Basilica.
1.7 km · church in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 04Queens Sports Club
Queens Sports Club Ground is a stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is used primarily used for cricket matches.
2.9 km · stadium in Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 05Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe
The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe is located in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on Leopold Takawira Avenue. Designed by architect James Whalley, the museum officially opened in 1964, the museum contains exhibits illustrating the history, mineral wealth and wildlife of Zimbabwe, including the second largest mounted elephant in the world.
2.3 km · natural history museum in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 06Bulawayo Athletic Club
Bulawayo Athletic Club is a sports club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The Bulawayo Athletic Club Ground is a 12,000-capacity stadium.
1.5 km · cricket ground · Wikipedia - 07National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
The National University of Science and Technology is the second largest public research university in Zimbabwe, located in Bulawayo. It was established in 1991.
6.5 km · Public research university · Wikipedia - 08Hillside Dams
Hillside Dams also called Hillside Dams Conservancy is a national monument of Zimbabwe located in the city of Bulawayo.
5.5 km · dam in Bulawayo Province, Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 09Nesbitt Castle
Nesbitt Castle, formerly Holdengarde Castle, is a 20th-century neo-gothic castle near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It was built by businessman Theodore Holdengarde in the 1920s.
4.9 km · building in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe · Wikipedia - 10National Library of Zimbabwe
The National Library of Zimbabwe also known National Free Library of Zimbabwe is located in Bulawayo, the second biggest city in Zimbabwe. It was established under the National Library and Documentation Service Act Chapter 25:10 act of 1985 which was passed by the Zimbabwean Government in 1985.
1.5 km · national library; part of NLDS (National Library and Documentation Service (of Zimbabwe)) · 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
- 01Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe
Corner of Park Road & Leopold Takawira Avenue, natmuse@netconnect.co.zw.
- 02National Art Gallery
There are artists studios on-site; the artists are happy to chat about their work.
- 03Bulawayo Railway Museum
This includes Cecil Rhodes' private carriage, plus a range of decaying steam engines and other locomotives.
- 04Khami Ruins
Ruins of capital of former Butua State civilization that existed from around 1450 to 1644 AD.
From Wikivoyage: Bulawayo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Cricket:
- 01Queens Sports Club
Established in 1890, the ground mainly has grass banking surrounded by picturesque trees providing shade to the spectators.
- 02Swimming
The city's outdoor swimming pool is like something out of a 1920s movie, with its ranks of brightly painted changing booths.
- 03Hillside Dams
Hilly area on the south side of Bulawayo that used to be the city's water supply but now is a park with walking and mountain biking trails along with fishing and bird watching.
From Wikivoyage: Bulawayo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
New Orleans Restaurant, Banff Road, Hillside. Classy, for Bulawayo. Excellent staff and reasonable prices. Haefelli's Bakery, On Fife Street in Town: ask anyone for directions. el's (pronounced hay-flees) offers a strange mix of food services. It is a bakery (offering various breads and pastries), it is a pizza shop (Pizza Inn), it offers ice cream (Dairy Inn), and sandwiches, mostly pre-made.
- 01Indaba Book Cafe
From Wikivoyage: Bulawayo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Bulawayo
- Airports
- Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo (BUQ), 18 km · Phillip Gaonwe Matante (FRW), 160 km
- Harare → Bulawayo366 km · quickest by air, 4h 40m · $170–250
- Victoria Falls → Bulawayo380 km · quickest by road, 6h 22m · $35–48
- Francistown → Bulawayo159 km · quickest by road, 2h 42m · $16–21
- 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 Bulawayo
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 Bulawayo. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inMinibus taxis run from the township outside Victoria Falls to Bulawayo in the very early morning and takes approximately 7 hours.
- Get aroundLocal transport is mainly by 18 seater minibuses called "kombis".
From Wikivoyage: Bulawayo, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01857 km
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- 041,449 km
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If you know how people move in Bulawayo – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.