Accra

About Accra

Highlife on the radio, kente in the markets and the Atlantic surf at the end of almost every road: Accra is Ghana's capital and one of West Africa's most welcoming big cities. It sprawls along the Gulf of Guinea, from the fishing canoes of Jamestown to the bars of Osu and the long sand of Labadi, and its energy is easiest to feel in Makola Market's crowded lanes.

The city grew around three 17th-century European forts built by the Dutch, English and Danes, and became the capital of the British Gold Coast in 1877. On 6 March 1957 Kwame Nkrumah proclaimed independence here, making Ghana one of the first African colonies to win its freedom, and the city is full of reminders: the Black Star Gate, Nkrumah's mausoleum and the home of W.E.B. Du Bois, who spent his last years in Accra.

Today Accra mixes that history with a lively arts scene, from galleries and the National Theatre to the Chale Wote street festival. It is also the natural base for trips to Cape Coast's castles, Kakum's canopy walk and the cool Aburi hills.