If this is your first visit to vibrant Accra, haggle for bargains at Makola Market and see traditional drums and artefacts in the National Museum. Come back to spend the day relaxing at a Kokrobite beach resort and to feast on fresh peppered fish.
Perched on the Gulf of Guinea, Accra is a lively port city with great food, white sandy beaches and very friendly locals. Accra's colonial roots lie in its three forts - British Jamestown, Dutch Usshertown and Danish Osu, formerly Christiansborg. Today, the 17th-century Osu Castle is Ghana's seat of government. You'll find the best mix of colonial and African architecture in the atmospheric old quarters of Usshertown and Jamestown. Shop for traditional Ghanaian fabrics on Cantonments Road or at the market of the colourful Centre for National Culture.
Visit the National Museum for its collection of log-like slit drums and Ashanti gold trading weights. Then drop into the Centre for National Culture to shop for bags, colourfully striped Kente cloth and wooden statues from the covered market stalls. Pay homage to Ghana's first president at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and learn about his life at the nearby museum. Then take a walk to Independence Square to see its triumphal Independence Arch.
Relax on the beach at Labadi or Kokrobite, and go for a dip in the Gulf of Guinea's clear blue waters. Then take a sobering trip down the Gold Coast west of Accra to visit the fort at coastal Elmina. This is where slaves were held during the 16th-19th centuries before being sent to the Americas. See a cultural show at the distinctive boat-shaped National Theatre of Ghana or visit the Osu Night Market to enjoy Ghanaian peppered fish by candlelight.
