In March, I went to Ethiopia for a Photovoice project in Sidama (the southern part of Ethiopia), but as usual. This meant flying into Addis Ababa, as well as spending some more days there. Though the city has a reputation as a transit hub (the airport of Addis is one of the biggest hubs of Africa, which means you can also use it as a stopover, read more about adding free stopovers to your flight here), a place you pass through on the way to somewhere more interesting. That reputation is not entirely correct, though.
Addis is dense, contradictory, and genuinely alive in a way that takes a few hours to start reading correctly. But in my opinion, it’s also one of the better cities in Africa to eat, drink coffee, and hear live music, often all in the same evening. So, let me share some things to do in Addis with you, and who knows…you might just end up staying a little bit more than you´d thought! (and remember, if you need a travel insurance that´s good, that´s got you covered and that´s affordable, use my link for SafetyWing insurance. Nothing extra for you, but a nice detail for me.
Some facts and opinions on Addis
Addis sits at around 2,400 meters, so give yourself a day before doing anything strenuous. The altitude headache is real. The city is large and traffic is significant; budget more transit time than you think you need. The Bole area, near the airport, is where most international visitors stay, but the older Piazza and Kazanchis neighborhoods have more character and easier access to the things worth seeing. One day here is possible. Two or three is better. And if you’re passing through on the way to somewhere else in the country (or continent), consider building in the extra night for the jazz alone.
First things first: the coffee
You’re in the country where coffee was born. So just accept it, sitting in an Addis café is not a neutral act.
If you ask the locals for the best coffee in Addis they will direct you to Tomoca. Tomoca has been serving coffee since 1953, and its signature blend uses Arabica beans from the Sidamo region (yes, indeed, the famous coffee region where I worked with coffee farmers). It’s tiny, counter-service, and absolutely not trying to impress anyone. You order, you drink, you leave. Sorry, but not even chairs there (so not great if you also want to get some work done, unless you´re a big fan of the standing desk thing).
The macchiato is sharp and creamy in a way that I love it. There are a few branches around the city now but the original on Wavel Street in the old Piazza district is the one worth seeking out. And yes, they also sell their beans to take home with you. Just tell them what kind of coffee maker you use and they will do the rest (this is the real good coffeebags, so expect to pay the price for real good coffee though, not that much cheaper than in Europe).
Extra tips:
- Galani Coffee roasts in-house and sits in the third-wave specialty end of things, with a calm atmosphere in which it´s ok to take out your laptop and do some work. Hadero Coffee Company, named after a village in southern Ethiopia, sources from that area and offers guided tastings and coffee ceremonies on-site. You´ll need to book these ahead though, but it´s really cool to understand a bit more about it. I personally did not do this tasting since I just spent 4 weeks only seeing coffee, coffee and coffee in Sidama, but it´s definitely worth doing if you want to understand more about your everyday cup of coffee (so I´ve heard from friends).
Ethiopian food does not need an introduction.
Eating it in Addis is different from eating it anywhere else in the country, partly because the country´s staple food injera is made from teff grown in the right altitude and fermented properly (according to some of the locals, the injera from Addis is the best), and partly because the range of what’s on offer is wider than most diaspora restaurants abroad would suggest.
- Kategna is widely considered one of the best spots for traditional cuisine in the city, known for its doro wat and the authenticity of its dishes. It has multiple locations and draws locals as much as visitors, which is usually a reliable signal.
- 2000 Habesha serves food in a tukul-style round-hut setup with occasional music and dance performances. Yes, it´s one of the more touristy spots, but sometimes that´s ok because you get something cool back.
- One thing: don’t leave without trying doro wat, a spicy chicken stew best tempered with injera and mild goat cheese. On Wednesdays and Fridays, many restaurants observe the Orthodox fasting tradition and serve plant-based only, which is its own excellent reason to visit on those days if you are vegan or vegetarian. In general, it´s fairly easy to find vegan/veggie options on the menu wherever you are.
- Of course, if you want some more Western food, all of the big hotel chains have their restaurants. For a skyview experience, go to Marcus Addis, at the top of the tallest building in East Africa (this is not the cheapest option, but if you really want to go all out, this might be it!)
The evenings are for music
Ethio-jazz is its own thing. It blends traditional Ethiopian pentatonic melodies with jazz instrumentation and has grown to absorb elements of afrofunk, soul, and Latin rhythms over decades. It´s something I´ve never heard before and really have come to love!
One of the best places to hear Ethio-Jazz live is in The African Jazz Village at the Ghion Hotel. This spot is owned by Mulatu Astatke, the legendary figure widely credited with creating Ethio-jazz, which makes it less a bar and more a place of origin. Friday nights feature Girum Gizaw and Friends, doors at 7pm, music from 9pm. Monday nights bring the Four Stars Band alongside Girma Beyene, with occasional appearances from Astatke himself. Either night works. Arrive early (really!), get a table, order food, and let the evening take its time.
Fendika Azmari Bet is the other essential venue: a long-standing, intimate space that showcases traditional Ethiopian music and also runs workshops in dance and music for anyone who wants to go deeper. Since this one is also based within the Hyatt hotel, also here, expect to be surrounded by both locals and foreigners.
Extra tip: Atmosphere
I ended up at Atmosphere Gallery because of a photo exhibition, and I stayed longer than expected. The space is in Bole and it has the feeling of somewhere that the city’s creative community has quietly adopted as its own. They host rotating exhibitions across photography, painting, and textile art, and the programming seems to follow a genuinely curatorial logic rather than just filling wall space. Though I went during the day, I think that in the evenings there are more people and more vibe. They also run salsa classes, which I did not expect and which somehow made complete sense given the energy of the place. Worth checking their schedule before you go, since the programming changes, but even if you arrive between exhibitions there’s usually something worth seeing. Addis Today lists their upcoming events and is the most reliable way to know what’s on.
What to bring home
Skip the airport gift shop. There are better options in the city.
Shiro Meda Market is the place for hand-woven textiles: shawls, scarves, and the habesha kemis, the white cotton garment with colorful embroidered borders that you’ll see everywhere. I literally could not stop getting presents for everyone at home here. Prices are fair without being tourist-inflated (though some haggling is expected)
Merkato is claimed to be Africa’s largest open-air market, organized into sections by category: spices, textiles, crafts. It’s an experience as much as a shopping trip, and worth taking a local guide if you’re not confident navigating. For spices, look for berbere, the red blend used in almost everything, and mitmita if you like serious heat.
As said before, Tomoca and Abyssinia Coffee both sell beans to take home, and Tomoca offers international shipping if you really want to bring the big stuff home. Buying coffee here, having seen where it grows, it does feel special.
So there you go, some things to do in Addis. And as always, please let me know how it went!
