Accra in a day: what to see

Independence Square is where you should start: dominated by the Black Star of the Stars, erected to celebrate Ghana's independence in 1957, the first sub-Saharan African country to obtain it from colonial rule, it remains the symbolic heart of the nation.

A few steps away is the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, a mausoleum dedicated to Ghana's first president, with a museum that traces the country's struggle for independence.

Heading toward the sea you reach Jamestown, the city's oldest neighborhood, with its colonial lighthouse and a community of fishermen who still pull nets by hand on the beach, among murals of street art painted on the houses.

For lunch, the restaurants around Jamestown or downtown offer jollof rice and banku, among the most representative dishes of Ghanaian cuisine.

The Makola Market, the most large and lively market in the city, where kente fabrics, spices, and handicraft products are sold between crowded corridors.

The Labadi Beach, the most frequented stretch of coast in the city, comes alive with live music and street food stalls on weekends.

As evening falls, heading back to the center, the restaurants around Osu, the city's nightlife neighborhood, remain an excellent base for dinner.

Independence Square, Nkrumah Memorial, and Jamestown are enough to show Accra's historical identity, while an afternoon choice between Makola Market and Labadi Beach flanks it with the commercial or seaside dimension.

Osu Castle, former colonial fort, and a trip to Kakum rainforest, with its suspended bridges between tree canopies, remain chapters for a second journey. Watching fishermen pull nets on Jamestown beach at dawn remains Accra's most memorable detail.