TravPa

Stone Town

Zanzibar's World Heritage old town of coral-stone houses and carved doors, with the Old Fort, the slave market cathedral and Forodhani's evening food stalls.

Approved by TravPa Editors, Nov 7, 2026

Itineraries

[Photo: Stone Town]
Stone Town in 1 dayFreddie Mercury Museum, Christ Church Cathedral, Darajani Market, Hamamni Persian Baths, Old Fort, Old Dispensary, Forodhani Gardens1 day, TanzaniaPacked pace

Where to stay

Shangani for the seafront, Forodhani and the Freddie Mercury Museum; Mkunazini for the cathedral and Darajani Market; Malindi for the dhow harbor.

The areas: Shangani, Mkunazini, Malindi.

Where to stay in Stone Town: areas and adviceHotels in Stone Town

Places to see

All things to do in Tanzania
TransportAbeid Amani Karume International AirportZanzibar's international airport, linked to Arusha by daily Coastal Aviation flights.Entry: Free to visit
ChurchChrist Church Cathedral and former slave marketAnglican cathedral begun in 1873 on the site of the last slave market, its altar over the whipping post.Entry: TZS[fee]
MarketDarajani MarketStone Town's central market, built in colonial times, where locals and visitors buy fruit, vegetables and essentials.Entry: Pay as you go
FoodForodhani GardensSeafront gardens below the Old Fort that become Stone Town's open-air food market every evening.Entry: Pay as you go
MuseumFreddie Mercury MuseumA museum in the Shangani Street house where Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, spent his later childhood.Entry: TZS[fee]
RuinsHamamni Persian BathsA Persian bathhouse in the Hamamni quarter, one of the buildings named in the World Heritage listing.Entry: TZS[fee]
NeighborhoodMalindi and the dhow harborThe northern seafront quarter, where wooden dhows are still built and repaired beside the harbor.Entry: Free to visit
ViewpointOld DispensaryA landmark seafront building on Mizingani Road, named among the major monuments of the World Heritage town.Entry: Seen from the street
RuinsOld Fort (Ngome Kongwe)Omani fort built after the Portuguese were expelled in 1699, Stone Town's oldest standing structure.Entry: TZS[fee]
NaturePrison Island (Changuu)A small island off Stone Town visited by boat for its colony of giant tortoises.Entry: TZS[fee]
ChurchSt Joseph's CathedralThe Roman Catholic cathedral of Stone Town, one of the monuments named in its World Heritage listing.Entry: Seen from the street
NeighborhoodTippu Tip's HouseThe former residence of the slave trader Tippu Tip in Shangani, seen from the street outside.Entry: Seen from the street