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Harare
Capital and largest city of Zimbabwe

Harare

Harare is the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe.

Plan a trip to Harare→From Bulawayo

The city proper has an area of 982.3 km2 (379.3 sq mi), a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 census, and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metropolitan province. The city is situated in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the country's Mashonaland region. Harare Metropolitan Province incorporates the city and the municipalities of Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa. The city sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,483 metres above sea level, and its climate falls into the subtropical highland category.

Get in

Getting to Harare

Harare's airport is the major gateway for flights into the country. Air Zimbabwe also operated a small network of domestic flights before ceasing operations. However, an increasing number of foreign airlines are flying into Harare these days. They include South African Airways with direct flights from Johannesburg.

  1. 01
    Mbare Musika
  2. 02
    Roadport
See

Worth seeing

There is a strong appreciation for the city's cultural and historical heritage and a number of the older buildings have been preserved. The Mining Pension Fund Building at Central Avenue and Second Street is one example and many more are to be found along Robert Mugabe Road between Second Street and Julius Nyerere Way.

Do

Things to do

Cricket:

  1. 01
    Harare Sports Club

    The country's main cricket ground, established in 1900.

  2. 02
    Epworth Balancing Rocks

    Chiremba Rd, Epworth (10 km southwest of Central; look for the signs on the left; 4th Street Terminal has frequent minibus services (the driver will know where to let you out)).

Eat

Where to eat

Zimbabwe's staple food is sadza: a thick white porridge (a bit like mashed potato), that's made from corn (maize) meal, seen throughout Southeastern Africa. It's eaten for lunch and dinner, accompanied by vegetables or meat in some form. In Harare there are many cafes and restaurants serving various cuisines, a good place to start are its numerous outdoor cafes: Cafe Espresso on Cork Road, Avondale.

  1. 01
    Khaya Nyama Wombles

    158 Enterprise Road (A2), Highlands,.

  2. 02
    Coimbra

    This Portuguese restaurant has invested little in the decor but that is no problem.

How locals move

Getting around Harare the local way

  • Get inYou should be all right without a 4x4 unless you head into rural areas and game parks.
  • Get inAlthough minibuses to Mbare depart from the 4th Street Terminal in Central (at 4th and Mugabe), it may be worth taking a taxi, which will be able to find a bus to your destination for you.
  • Get aroundIn 4+1 style shared taxis, it is very common to fit as many as 8 people inside.
  • Get aroundMinibus taxis are readily available with frequent services between central and all suburbs.

From Wikivoyage: Harare, 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.