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Addis Ababa
Capital and largest city of Ethiopia

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia.

Plan a trip to Addis Ababa→From Hawassa

With an estimated population of 6,287,000 inhabitants as of 2025, it is the tenth largest city in Africa. At an elevation of 2,355 metres (7,726 ft), it is the fourth-highest capital city in the world and the highest capital in Africa. Addis Ababa is a highly developed and important cultural, artistic, financial and administrative center of Ethiopia.

See

Worth seeing

If you walk along the road from Meskel Square to Sidist Kilo (6 Kilo), you'll probably find it quite entertaining and interesting. You'll see the Africa Hall, the palaces and the Parliament building, the Hilton Hotel, the marvellous architectural adventure of a building hosting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Sheraton Hotel, the first modern school (which Emperor Menelik II built in the 1880s), the Trinity…

  1. 01
    Addis Ababa Museum

    Bole Rd / Airport Rd / Africa Ave (near Meskel Square).

  2. 02
    Ethiopian Railway Museum

    In the old French-built railway station of the city.

  3. 03
    Ethnological Museum

    Also known as the Museum and Library of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, this is a fascinating museum with exhibits about the history and culture of Ethiopia.

  4. 04
    National Museum of Ethiopia

    King George VI St (between Arat Kilo Ave and the University of Addis Ababa Graduate School).

  5. 05
    The Zoological Natural History Museum

    Queen Elizabeth II St (at the University campus).

  6. 06
    Anwar Mosque

    It's quite impressive, with its arcades and several minarets.

Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    Hager Fikir Theatre

    Event venue, not just used for horse racing but other events too.

  2. 02
    Bihere Tsige Recreation Center

    Green area in southern Addis, bisected by the Akaki stream.

  3. 03
    Addis Ababa Golf Club

    18 hole golf course with a restaurant.

  4. 04
    Entoto Mountain

    Mary church, the first church of Addis, and St Urael church and see the city from the top of the mountain.

  5. 05
    Yewedale

    Performances by traditional azmari minstrels.

  6. 06
    BailAmor Dance Group

    Pick up some dance lessons in salsa and bachata here so that you can impress the world later.

Eat

Where to eat

Food is generally cheap. Make sure you try the national dish injera at least once, since there is no other food like it. It is a yeast-risen flat bread with a unique, slightly spongy texture. It is traditionally made out of teff flour. In making injera, teff flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, as with sourdough starter. As a result of this process, injera has a mildly sour taste.

  1. 01
    Purple Cafe
  2. 02
    National Cafe
  3. 03
    Finfine Restaurant

    Ethiopian restaurant, vegetarian menu available.

  4. 04
    Yohannes Kitfo Bet
  5. 05
    Antica
How locals move

Getting around Addis Ababa the local way

Share-taxi routes mapped nearby
  • TX200 Minibus TX200 : Kera => Wello Sefer · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX200 Minibus TX200 : Wello Sefer => Kera · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX065 Minibus TX065 : Safari (Summit) => Megenagna · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX065 Minibus TX065 : Megenagna => Safari (Summit) · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX341 Minibus TX341 : Olympia => Agona Cinema · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX341 Minibus TX341 : Agona Cinema => Olympia · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX002 Minibus TX002 : Kera => Total 3 Kuter Mazoria · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX001 Minibus TX001: Arada => 18 Mazoria · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX001 Minibus TX001: 18 Mazoria => Arada · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX005 Minibus TX005: 4 Kilo (Menlik) => Kality Menaheria · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX002 Minibus TX002 : Total 3 Kuter Mazoria => Kera · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations
  • TX005 Minibus TX005: Kality Menaheria => 4 Kilo · Addis Ababa Taxi Associations

OpenStreetMap contributors.

  • Get aroundBlue and white minibuses Blue and white minibuses/taxis travel quite efficiently around town.
  • Get aroundTo catch a minibus, stand on the side of the road and hail it.
  • Get aroundIt is worth having an Ethiopian guide with you if it is your first time using these taxis, since it can be quite chaotic to find out what minibuses go where, and from what places.
  • Go nextAdama is accessible by bus and train, from there minibuses go to Sodere.
  • Go nextIt's the only other chartered city in the country.
  • Go nextMinibus vans depart from Kality Menaharia, take the route that goes to Butajira and get off at Tiya.

From Wikivoyage: Addis Ababa, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.