Niamey
Niamey is the capital and largest city of Niger.
Niamey is the capital and largest city of Niger. It is in the western part of the country, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the river's left bank. The capital of Niger since the colonial era, Niamey is an ethnically diverse city and the country's main economic centre.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Niamey
9 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.
- 01Stade Général Seyni Kountché
Seyni Kountche Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Niamey, Niger. Used for football matches, it is home to the Niger national football team, as well as Niger Premier League clubs Sahel SC, Olympic FC de Niamey, Zumunta AC and JS du Ténéré, as well as club competitions such as the Niger Cup.
1.5 km · football stadium in Niger · Wikipedia - 02Niamey Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque of Niamey is a Sunni mosque located in Niamey, Niger that was built in the 1970s. The largest mosque in the city, it is located along Islam Avenue.
2.8 km · mosque in Niamey, Niger · Wikipedia - 03Boubou Hama National Museum
Musée national Boubou-Hama is the national museum of Niger, located in Niamey. It was founded on December 18, 1959 as Musée National du Niger.
300 m · museum in Niamey, Niger · Wikipedia - 04Université Abdou Moumouni
Abdou Moumouni University, formerly the University of Niamey from 1974 to 1994, is a public university based in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The main campus is situated on the right bank of the Niger River.
1.8 km · public university in Niamey, Niger · Wikipedia - 05Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral
The Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral or simply Cathedral of Niamey, is a religious building of the Catholic Church located in Niamey, the capital city of the African country of Niger.
500 m · Roman-Catholic cathedral in Niamey, Niger · Wikipedia - 06Higher Institute of Mining, Industry and Geology
Higher Institute of Mining, Industry and Geology is the only Institute of technology in Niger dedicated to the formation of engineers and technicians.
2.8 km · institute of technology in Niamey, Niger · Wikipedia - 07Niamey Grand Market
The Niamey Grand Market is the largest market and shopping center in Niamey, the capital and largest city in the West African state of Niger.
1 km · market in Niamey · Wikipedia - 08Université Canadienne du Niger
The Canadian University of Niger is a private university located in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
3 km · private university in Niamey, Niger · Wikipedia - 09WAQF Tower
WAQF Tower is a Highrise in Niamey, Niger, and is the country's tallest building, standing at 58.85 m. Construction finished in 2019.
200 m · skyscraper in Niamey, Niger · 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
- 01Musée National Boubou-Hama and Zoo
- 02Grande Mosquée
You can tour the Grande Mosquée, a gift to Niger from Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
- 03Cathedral de Maorey
The largest place of worship for the city's minority (but still sizable) Christian population, the cathedral mixes local and European architecture & décor.
- 04Grande Marché
The largest market in Niger and the country's commercial centre, this colourful and vibrant site contains over 5000 stalls (1500 of which are enclosed).
- 05Centre Culturel Franco-Nigerien
- 06Centre Culturel Oumarou Ganda
From Wikivoyage: Niamey, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
The CCFN & CCOG (see above) frequently host concerts and with capacities of a few thousand, they can be quite lively. At the Centre Pour la Formation et Promotion Musicales (CFPM) there is a Rap Zone every Wednesday afternoon at 16:30. Often there are people just jamming underneath the trees. They sell instruments, and they give drum, dance, and guitar lessons.
- 01The Hippodrome
From Wikivoyage: Niamey, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Be sure to try all the local specialties rather than only sticking to ex-pat restaurants. Niamey food is incredible, unique and not-to-be-missed. You didn't come all this way to eat the same food you get at home. Le Gawlo senegalese restaurant (on the other side of the road of the nouvelle cité EAMAC in the Plateau quarter, next to a Tuareg jeweller which is worth the visit as well.),.
- 01Amandine Cakes
Lattes, goat cheese soup, pain de chocolat, pain des epinards, salads, sandwiches, Lebanese specialties, and many other good things.
- 02Bellissimo’s
A swanky rooftop escape overlooking Rond Point Maorey.
From Wikivoyage: Niamey, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Niamey
- Airports
- Diori Hamani (NIM), 9 km
- Stations
- Diori Hamani International Airport, 7.5 km · Niamey railway station, 3.3 km
- Sokoto → Niamey343 km · quickest by road, 7h 56m · ₦28,500–38,000
- Ouagadougou → Niamey415 km · quickest by air, 4h 57m · $200–300
- Tamale → Niamey559 km · quickest by road, 12h 15m · GH₵410–540
- 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 Niamey
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 Niamey. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFrom the arrival hall, simply exit to catch a taxi or bush taxi.
- Get inBush Taxi: During the day, simply walk out of the airport to the main road (Route Nationale 1) and flag down a bush taxi (van) heading right.
- Get inIn front of one you will see several bush taxis (vans) lined up facing away from the Grand Marché and towards the airport.
- Get inThere are also buses and minibuses to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, taking around 10 hours.
- Get inBuses and bush taxis connect Niamey to other destinations in Niger, including Zinder and Agadez.
From Wikivoyage: Niamey, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 011,446 km
- 022,053 km
- 032,519 km
- 042,950 km
- 053,447 km
If you know how people move in Niamey – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.