Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia.
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia on the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 m (5,600 ft) above sea level in the geographical centre of the country. The population was 486,186 in 2023, and growing, due to migration from other regions in Namibia.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Windhoek
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 Namibia
The University of Namibia, once named the Akademie, was founded in 1978 by Prof. AJH Buitendacht, and he has transformed it into a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country.
5.3 km · public university in Windhoek, Namibia · Wikipedia - 02Alte Feste
The Alte Feste is a fortress and museum in downtown Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It is situated in Robert Mugabe Avenue, next to the Independence Memorial Museum.
500 m · museum · Wikipedia - 03Tintenpalast
The Parliament Building, Windhoek, also known as the Tintenpalast, is the seat of both houses of the Parliament of Namibia. It is located in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.
700 m · building in Namibia · Wikipedia - 04Sam Nujoma Stadium
Sam Nujoma Stadium is a football stadium in Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia. The stadium holds 10,300 and was finished in 2005.
4.3 km · football stadium · Wikipedia - 05Namibia University of Science and Technology
The Namibia University of Science and Technology, formerly known as Polytechnic of Namibia, is a public university located in the city of Windhoek, Namibia. NUST was headed by the founding vice-chancellor Tjama Tjivikua from 1995 until 2019.
900 m · public university in Windhoek, Namibia · Wikipedia - 06Independence Stadium
The Independence Stadium in Windhoek's Olympia suburb is the national stadium of the Republic of Namibia. Owned by the Government of Namibia it holds 25,000 spectators and is mainly used for association football events.
4.3 km · building in Namibia · Wikipedia - 07National Library of Namibia
The National Library of Namibia is the legal deposit and copyright library for Namibia. The library is situated in Windhoek.
1.5 km · national library · Wikipedia - 08Goreangab Dam
Goreangab Dam is a dam in the north-western suburbs of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It dams the ephemeral Arebbusch River and its tributary, the Gammams River, which both run across Windhoek.
8.9 km · dam · Wikipedia - 09St. Mary's Cathedral, Windhoek
St. Mary's Cathedral, known as St.
600 m · building in Namibia · Wikipedia - 10Reiterdenkmal, Windhoek
The Equestrian Monument, more commonly known under its German original name Reiterdenkmal and the name Südwester Reiter, was a monument in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It was inaugurated on 27 January 1912, the birthday of German emperor Wilhelm II. The monument honoured German soldiers and civilians who died during the Herero and Nama genocide of 1904–1908, which later caused controversy in independent Namibia due to the monument’s association with German colonial rule.
500 m · National Monument of Namibia · 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
- 01Parliament of Namibia
It was the legislative assembly during the Apartheid days and is now the home of the National Assembly.
- 02Christuskirche
In the middle of a big traffic circle where Robert Mugabe Ave.
- 03Heroes' Acre
From Wikivoyage: Windhoek, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
AJ du Plooy Sports Fields, Socrates Street, Academia (between Academia High School and Windhoek Technical High School; follow the way to the University of Namibia (UNAM), it is roughly opposite). Football and rugby fields, tennis courts, basketball court. Also suitable for a picnic. Not all amenities are in good shape but it is free to use for everyone. Not safe after dark.
- 01Daan Viljoen Nature Reserve
Rolling savannah, giraffes, ostrich, nasty acacia-like thorns and the like.
- 02Avis Dam Nature Reserve
Hiking, biking, birding, wildlife viewing.
From Wikivoyage: Windhoek, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Windhoek
- Airports
- Hosea Kutako (WDH), 41 km · Walvis Bay (WVB), 254 km
- Stations
- Eros Airport, 4.7 km · Windhoek railway station, 1.2 km
- Walvis Bay(Rooikop) → Windhoek266 km · quickest by road, 4h 56m · $25–34
- Maun → Windhoek716 km · quickest by air, 6h 47m · $290–430
- Johannesburg → Windhoek1181 km · quickest by air, 8h 10m · R2,720–4,200
- 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 Windhoek
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 Windhoek. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inMinibuses run from everywhere in Namibia, and through some combination of different routes, one can always find their way to Windhoek.
- Get inHowever, it is easier to arrange for a minibus to take you (check opposite SAA in Independence Avenue).
- Get aroundThere are a number of car rental agencies operating in Windhoek: There is no scheduled public transport in Windhoek but there is a system of shared taxis that do not have fixed routes.
- Get aroundShared taxis are generally in bad condition, and their operators' aggressive driving is legendary.
From Wikivoyage: Windhoek, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01297 km
- 021,877 km
- 032,100 km
- 042,622 km
- 052,755 km
If you know how people move in Windhoek – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Windhoek
- Katuturatownship of Windhoek, Namibia5.8 km
- Hakahanahuman settlement9.6 km
- Klein Windhoekhuman settlement2.2 km
- Khomasdalhuman settlement3 km
- Pioneers Parksuburb of Windhoek, Namibia2.9 km
- Windhoek WestSuburb of Windhoek1.3 km