Ethiopia 2 Day Itinerary
Travel advisory: Ethiopia is in an active conflict, with fighting in the north resumed in late September 2026. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Tigray, Amhara and Gambela and to parts of Oromia, Afar and other regions, and the US State Department rates Ethiopia Level 3 (Reconsider Travel). Check the current UK FCDO and US State Department advice before you book and again before you fly. Addis Ababa itself is not in the FCDO’s advise-against list, but it warns of a high terrorism threat, crime hotspots including Meskel Square, Bole and Entoto, and security checkpoints. This guide covers Addis Ababa and the Bishoftu corridor only; the northern historic sites are not currently visitable.
Two days is a short stay for Ethiopia, so this itinerary stays in Addis Ababa and uses the time for the capital’s museums, cathedrals and coffee houses. Treat it as the opening instalment of a longer trip. The historic north, including Lalibela and Gondar, is in Amhara, where the UK FCDO advises against all travel, so it is not part of this plan.
Visas: Most nationalities require a visa. Apply online through the official portal at www.evisa.gov.et before departure, and do not pay anyone else to process it.
Day 1: Addis Ababa, Arat Kilo
Bole International Airport sits within the city, about 5 kilometres from the centre. Use a hotel transfer or a yellow or app-based taxi rather than a blue-and-white one, and agree the fare before you get in. Cash birr is the practical currency, at about 160 to 165 birr to the US dollar in October 2026.
Start at the National Museum of Ethiopia in Arat Kilo. The basement holds the hominid fossils, and the Lucy on display is a cast, with the original kept in a vault. Upper floors cover ancient and medieval objects, Haile Selassie’s regalia, art including Afewerk Tekle’s African Heritage, and ethnography. Pay the modest fee in cash at the door.
The Holy Trinity Cathedral is a short drive away. Haile Selassie and Empress Menen are buried in the north transept, and it also holds the remains of people massacred by the Italians in 1937. It is a solemn place: dress modestly and speak quietly. A foreigner entrance fee applies, so confirm it at the ticket office.
For the evening, go by car to a restaurant that serves traditional food, such as Yod Abyssinia in Bole, which advertises nightly traditional music with dinner. Return by car as well.
Day 2: Unity Park and Entoto
Spend the morning at Unity Park, the former palace compound of Menelik II at Arat Kilo. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Monday. Foreigners are reported to pay about USD 20 for the regular self-guided ticket and about USD 50 for the special ticket with a guide, priority queues and Menelik II’s rooms, so confirm at the gate. Inside are a zoo with black-maned lions seen through glass, an aviary, an aquarium and the throne hall.
Have lunch and a coffee at a Galani Coffee cafe or at Tomoca, which has a Piassa branch. The coffee ceremony runs to three rounds, called abol, tona and baraka. Accept if you are invited to stay for all three.
In the afternoon, go by car to Entoto Maryam Church, where Menelik II was crowned in 1889, and the museum nearby that holds belongings of Menelik II and Empress Taytu. The UK FCDO names Entoto as a crime hotspot and a driver-service guide reports walkers robbed on quiet stretches, so go in daytime and in company rather than walking the trails. The altitude is 2,600 to 3,100 metres, so go easy.
Practical Notes
Food: Ethiopian food is built around injera (a sourdough flatbread made from teff), which functions as both plate and eating utensil. Stews (wot) are ladled on top; you tear injera and scoop. Use your right hand. Wednesdays and Fridays are Orthodox fasting days, when restaurants serve vegan menus.
Altitude: Addis Ababa sits at about 2,355 metres. Drink water and do not rush the first day.
Safety: The FCDO warns of a high terrorism threat and crime hotspots including Bole Medhanealem, Bole Atlas, Meskel Square and Entoto, with knifepoint robberies and bag snatching at traffic lights. Travel door to door by car after dark and keep your phone out of sight.
With a third day: Hire a car and driver for the Bishoftu crater lakes, about 48 to 62 kilometres southeast on the Addis-Adama Expressway. Stay on that corridor and do not go on to Adama or Awash.
Weather: The dry season (October to February) is the best time to visit. The main rains fall from about June to mid-September.