Lagos

No reviews yetCity Lagos, Nigeria

Falomo view from the bridgeto MTN PLaza, Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

National Theater in Lagos State Nigeria, Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

Lagos Nigeria Jhalobia Gardens IMG 6160, Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

About Lagos

Lagos is Nigeria at full volume: a coastal megacity of lagoons, creeks and bridges where yellow danfo buses, Afrobeats and Nollywood set the tempo. It spreads from Lagos Island and the waterfront towers of Ikoyi and Victoria Island across the lagoon to the vast mainland and east along the Lekki Peninsula, and it ranks among the most populous cities in Africa.

The Yoruba name for the island is Eko; Lagos comes from the Portuguese word for lakes. A royal town under the Oba of Lagos, it became a British colony in 1861 and later the capital of independent Nigeria, a role it kept until the government moved to Abuja in 1991. It remains the country's commercial engine and its main port.

Visitors come for the music of the New Afrika Shrine and Fela's Kalakuta home, the galleries and craft markets of Lekki, colonial Lagos Island around Tinubu Square and Freedom Park, and the canopy walkway at the Lekki Conservation Centre. Boats run to Tarkwa Bay for a beach day away from the traffic.

Best seasonNovember to March, the dry season, with less rain; December is the busiest month for concerts and festivals.

Ideal stayThree to four days to cover Lagos Island, Victoria Island, Lekki and Ikeja without fighting traffic too hard.

ArrivingMurtala Muhammed International Airport is in Ikeja on the mainland; traffic to the islands can take well over an hour.

Top 12 Experiences in Lagos

Nature 2

Lekki Conservation Centre

Run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, this protected reserve on the Lekki Peninsula preserves swamp forest and savanna in t...

LUFASI Nature Park

Tucked off the Lekki-Epe Expressway, LUFASI protects a patch of native coastal forest that once covered much of the peninsula. Sha...

Arts 1

Nike Art Gallery

Founded by the textile artist Nike Davies-Okundaye, famed for her indigo adire cloth, this Lekki gallery is one of the largest in...

Landmarks 2

National Theatre Lagos

Completed in 1976 in Iganmu, the National Theatre was built for FESTAC '77, the vast Second World Black and African Festival of Ar...

Third Mainland Bridge

Opened in 1990 and running for about 11.8 kilometres over the Lagos Lagoon, the Third Mainland Bridge links Lagos Island with the...

History 2

Freedom Park Lagos

On Broad Street on Lagos Island, this leafy park stands on the site of the old colonial-era Broad Street Prison, and elements of t...

Tinubu Square

In the business heart of Lagos Island, this square with its central fountain honours Madam Efunroye Tinubu, a powerful 19th-centur...

Museums 1

Kalakuta Republic Museum

The Ikeja house where the Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti lived is now a museum, with his bedroom, stage outfits, saxophones,...

Entertainment 1

New Afrika Shrine

Opened by Femi and Yeni Kuti as the successor to their father Fela's original Shrine, this huge open-sided hall in Ikeja is where...

Shopping 2

Balogun Market

Spilling across a web of streets on Lagos Island, Balogun is one of the busiest markets in West Africa, famous for bolts of ankara...

Lekki Arts and Crafts Market

Locally called the Jakande market, this cluster of stalls in Lekki is the place for handmade souvenirs from across Nigeria and Wes...

Beaches 1

Tarkwa Bay Beach

Sheltered by the breakwater at the entrance to Lagos Harbour, Tarkwa Bay is reached only by boat, which keeps it calmer than the o...

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