Accra, Ghana 6 Day Itinerary
Accra, Ghana: 6-Day Travel Itinerary
Ghana is consistently ranked among the safest countries in West Africa for foreign visitors, and Accra, its coastal capital, is the easiest entry point into a continent that rewards curiosity and punishes laziness. The city has the infrastructure of a genuinely functional African capital, a restaurant scene that has improved sharply since 2020, and a population with the particular quality of being genuinely pleased to see you here rather than merely tolerating tourism. Six days gives you Accra properly, plus the essential Cape Coast day trip, with enough slack to slow down.
Getting In
Kotoka International Airport (ACC) is located within Accra, about 8 km from Osu, the main visitor-facing neighbourhood. Uber operates from the airport and is the most transparent pricing option; expect 50 to 100 GHS for the trip to Osu or the Central Business District, roughly 4 to 8 USD at current exchange rates. Official licensed taxis are also available at a fixed desk in arrivals; agree the price before entering any vehicle not pre-booked. Travel time is 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic; Accra traffic can be severe during rush hours (7:00 to 9:00 AM and 4:00 to 7:00 PM) and airport proximity does not help if your arrival coincides with either window.
Where to Stay
The Kempinski Gold Coast City (Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue) is the premier full-service hotel at around 200 to 350 USD per night with strong infrastructure and central business district access. Labadi Beach Hotel offers a more atmospheric waterfront option at similar prices, with beachfront access and consistent service. For a more neighbourhood-integrated experience, guesthouses and boutique hotels in Cantonments or Labone run 80 to 150 USD and put you within walking distance of Osu’s restaurant strip. The Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel is a reliable business-class option at around 150 to 250 USD if you want consistency.
Day 1: Arrival and Osu
Osu, the neighbourhood along Oxford Street and its surrounding streets, is Accra’s most accessible area for first-time visitors: restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and pharmacies within walking distance of most hotels. It has improved significantly as a food destination in recent years.
Dinner at Buka Restaurant on the Ring Road East, open since 2003, is the most reliable introduction to Ghanaian cuisine that Accra has for visitors. The open-air setting under a covered terrace, with a menu covering kontomire stew, light soup with fufu, groundnut soup, jollof rice, and grilled tilapia, gives an accurate picture of what Ghanaian cooking actually tastes like when it is done without modification for outside audiences. Around 50 to 100 GHS per person (4 to 8 USD).
The Osu Night Market, running informally along Oxford Street in the evenings, has chichinga stalls: grilled meat skewers seasoned with suya spice (a dry blend of ground peanuts, ginger, and peppers) that is the most eaten street food in Accra. Arrive after 7:00 PM when the coals are ready.
Day 2: History, Independence, and Jamestown
Morning
The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park (High Street, Ministries area) honours Ghana’s first president and the architect of its independence in 1957. The museum inside the mausoleum covers Nkrumah’s Pan-Africanist philosophy and the independence movement in a format that is more earnest than polished but genuinely informative. Admission is around 20 GHS. Independence Square nearby is the largest open square in West Africa, used for national ceremonies, and the Black Star Gate and arch form one of the continent’s most recognisable independence symbols.
Afternoon
Jamestown, the old colonial centre of Accra between the harbour and the Ussher Fort, is the historically layered part of the city that generic tourism frequently skips. The neighbourhood has the Christiansborg Castle (Osu Castle), now the seat of the Ghanaian presidency and occasionally open to visitors, and the Ussher Fort museum covering the colonial period. The fishing harbour is active in the early morning and late afternoon; the boats, nets, and processing operations on the beach give a clear picture of how central the sea still is to this city’s economy.
The James Town Lighthouse, open to visitors, has views across the fishing harbour and the colonial townscape worth the modest climb.
Evening
Asanka Local in Osu serves traditional Ghanaian food including jollof rice, banku with okro stew, and fufu in portions described by reviewers as “ample.” The prices are reasonable (30 to 70 GHS per person) and the clientele is mixed local and visitor. This is a useful backup to Buka for anyone who wants a second proper Ghanaian meal in a restaurant rather than at a street stall.
Day 3: Art, Crafts, and Markets
Morning
The National Centre for Culture (NCC) on Barnes Road houses craft stalls, artists’ workshops, and cultural performance spaces within a large compound. The quality of goods varies but the wax print fabric stalls, kente weavers, and wood carvers are genuinely skilled and priced far below what you would pay at airport shops. Bargaining is expected; open with 50 to 60 percent of the asking price and expect to meet somewhere in the middle.
Makola Market, the main commercial market in central Accra, is large, chaotic, and rewarding if you are comfortable in dense urban markets. It is not a tourist attraction so much as a functioning neighbourhood commercial centre where 30,000-plus vendors sell everything from produce and household goods to fabric, electronics, and provisions. Go with a clear idea of what you want to see and no more cash than you plan to spend.
Afternoon
The W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for Pan African Culture (1st Biriwa Lane, Cantonments) is one of Accra’s most undervisited significant sites. Du Bois, the American civil rights scholar and one of the founding figures of Pan-Africanism, moved to Ghana in 1961 at Nkrumah’s invitation and died there in 1963. His house is preserved as a museum and memorial; the small library and the grave in the gardens are thought-provoking in a way that most Accra tourist sites are not. Admission is minimal.
Evening
The Accra Arts Centre in Osu (not the NCC) has a cluster of galleries showing contemporary Ghanaian art. The Nubuke Foundation, a short taxi ride away in East Legon, is a stronger contemporary arts space with international programming worth checking in advance.
Day 4: Cape Coast and Elmina
This day requires an early start: Cape Coast is 170 km west of Accra, roughly 3 hours by car on the N1 highway, and the castles close in the late afternoon.
Depart by 6:30 AM. Hire a driver for the day through your hotel for around 300 to 500 GHS; the driver knowledge and logistics flexibility justify the cost over a shared tour bus. Alternatively, guided day tours depart from major Accra hotels for 80 to 120 USD per person including transport.
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site) was built in the 15th century and became the largest slave-trading post in West Africa under British control. The castle’s slave dungeons held up to 1,000 enslaved people at a time in near-darkness before they were loaded through the “Door of No Return” onto Atlantic crossings. A guided tour of the dungeons, the governor’s quarters directly above them, and the Door of No Return is one of the most historically confronting experiences available to a traveller in West Africa. The guide’s knowledge is essential; do not skip it. Admission is around 40 GHS for foreigners; guides are hired at the castle entrance.
Elmina Castle
Elmina Castle, 15 km west of Cape Coast, is the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa (Portuguese, 1482) and a second slave-holding site. The tour here covers similar history from a Portuguese and Dutch perspective; visiting both on the same day provides a more complete picture of the trade’s scale and organisation than either alone.
Kakum National Park
If you have energy after the castles, Kakum is 30 km north of Cape Coast and has a canopy walkway suspended 30 to 40 metres above the rainforest floor across seven rope bridges. Admission is around 80 GHS for foreigners. The bird and butterfly life in the canopy section is exceptional; the guides pointing out species add significant value. This can reasonably be skipped if the castle visits have taken longer than expected.
Return to Accra by evening.
Day 5: Beaches and Local Leisure
Morning
Labadi Beach (La Pleasure Beach), east of central Accra, is the most accessible city beach. There is an entry fee of around 20 GHS and the beach has food stalls, music, and reasonable facilities on weekends. It is crowded on Saturdays and Sundays; weekday mornings are quiet. The sea here has a strong current; check conditions before swimming.
Kokrobite Beach, 30 km west of Accra, is the better beach for a longer day trip: wider, less commercialised, with a surf scene and a calmer atmosphere. Academy of African Music and Arts (AAMA) at Kokrobite hosts drumming workshops open to visitors; check their schedule online.
Afternoon
The National Botanical Garden at Aburi, 35 km north of Accra in the hills, is a functioning botanical research station in a cooler climate (Aburi sits at 460 metres above sea level and is noticeably cooler than coastal Accra). The gardens are well-maintained, admission is modest, and the views across the Accra plains are expansive. A good afternoon for anyone who has spent too many days in traffic.
Evening
Dinner at Mama Mia (Ringway Estates, Osu area) for Italian food that consistently draws Accra’s expat community for its reliability. Around 80 to 150 GHS per person. Alternatively, stay in the Osu restaurant strip; the range from Ghanaian chop bars to Lebanese, Chinese, and continental options is genuine.
Day 6: Departure Day
Keep the morning flexible. The Arts Centre in Osu is a final chance for fabric, carvings, or kente cloth; prices on departure day are the same as any other day but your bargaining position is weakened if you leave your souvenir shopping to the last hour.
Spend any remaining time in the airport’s Kotoka duty-free, which has a reasonable selection of Ghanaian chocolate (Ghana produces some of the world’s finest cocoa), shea butter products, and small craft items at predictable if not discounted prices.
Things to Know
Currency. The Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) has fluctuated significantly against USD and GBP in recent years; check current rates before travel. Exchange money at reputable forex bureaux (widely available in Osu and the CBD) rather than at bank desks, which typically offer worse rates. Carry smaller bills for street food and markets; 200 GHS notes are not always changeable.
Health. Yellow fever vaccination is required for entry. Malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended; consult a travel health clinic before departure. Bring a supply of oral rehydration salts for any stomach issues.
Traffic. Accra traffic is real and affects every plan. The tro-tro shared minibus system is cheap (1 to 3 GHS per journey) and used by virtually all Ghanaians; it is navigable with a local or a clear map, but route knowledge is required. Uber is reliable in Accra and provides transparent pricing.
Water. Tap water is not safe to drink; buy bottled water or use purification tablets. Sachet water (“pure water”) is sold everywhere for a few pesewas and is safe.
Photography. Ask permission before photographing people; this is standard courtesy and is particularly important around markets, fishing communities, and anywhere a camera could be interpreted as disrespectful. Government buildings and military sites prohibit photography; the restriction is enforced.
Final tip. Book the Cape Coast day trip for a weekday if your schedule allows. The castles are more atmospheric with a smaller crowd and weekday tour guides often have more time for questions in the dungeon sections.