Things to do in Addis Ababa

Culture · Near Addis Ababa University, Arat Kilo

Home to Dinkinesh — the hominid fossil the world calls Lucy — alongside Ethiopia's national archaeological and royal collections.

Local tip: The Lucy display is a cast; ask about the context rather than just looking at the case. The upper floors of royal and ethnographic material are quieter and arguably more interesting.

Neighborhood · West of the centre

Reputedly the largest open-air market in Africa, organised into sections by trade — spices, recycled metal, textiles, coffee.

Local tip: Go with someone who knows it and go for something specific. The recycled-materials section, where oil drums become stoves, is the part visitors never see and the part worth seeing.

Nature · North of the city, above 3,000 m

The eucalyptus-covered mountain the city was founded on, now a large public park with trails, viewpoints and Menelik's original church and palace.

Local tip: It is 700 metres above an already high city — do not go in your first fortnight. Sunday morning is when Addis walks and runs here, and it is the best view over the whole basin.

Culture · Sidist Kilo

Ethiopia's cultures presented through the life cycle, housed in Haile Selassie's former palace with his bedroom and bathroom preserved as they were.

Local tip: Barely visited and one of the best museums on the continent. The palace rooms at the end land hardest, and the icon and cross collection upstairs is remarkable.

Landmark · Arat Kilo

The principal cathedral of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the burial place of Haile Selassie.

Local tip: Go on a Sunday morning to see it in use rather than as a monument. Dress modestly, remove shoes where indicated, and stand at the back to watch rather than moving through.

Food · Piazza and across the city

Ethiopia grows the coffee and drinks it seriously — and the Italian occupation left behind a macchiato habit that persists in every neighbourhood.

Local tip: A macchiato costs less than almost anywhere on earth and is drunk standing up in the middle of the morning. It is also the easiest social opening you will find in this city.