The best things to do in Addis Ababa are its museums (above all the National Museum and the new Adwa Victory Memorial), Unity Park in the old palace compound, the great Orthodox cathedrals, and the Entoto hills above the city. Round it off with coffee, injera and live music. Two full days covers the highlights at a sensible pace.

Addis is often treated as a place to change planes, which undersells it. It holds the country's best museums, its most important cathedral and some of Africa's newest public parks, plus the everyday rituals that make Ethiopia feel different: coffee roasted in front of you, food shared from one plate, and music that sounds like nowhere else.

The city sits at roughly 2,350–2,400 metres, so walk slowly on your first day and drink plenty of water. Below, sights are grouped so you can plan them by area.

Which museums in Addis Ababa are worth visiting?

National Museum of Ethiopia (Lucy)

This is where most visitors start. The fossil galleries tell the story of human origins in Ethiopia, including Lucy, the roughly 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton found in 1974. One thing to know: the Lucy on display is a replica. The real bones are kept in a secure vault and the public has only occasionally seen them. In 2025 the original Lucy, together with the child fossil known as Selam, was lent to the National Museum in Prague for about two months, only her second trip abroad. The upper floors cover later history, art and crafts.

Adwa Victory Memorial

The newest major sight in the city, in Piassa near the statue of Emperor Menelik II. It commemorates the Battle of Adwa in 1896, when Ethiopian forces defeated an invading Italian army. It was inaugurated on 11 February 2024 and opened to the public on 16 March 2024. Alongside the museum there is a large Pan-African hall, a children's museum, restaurants and cafés, and more than 31,000 people visited in its first month. It is a good place to understand why Adwa matters so much to Ethiopians and to the wider African story.

Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

Close to Meskel Square, this small museum, opened in 2010, documents the violence of the Derg military government, which peaked in 1977–78. It is harrowing, with photographs, coffins, clothing and human remains, and some guides are survivors themselves. Entry has traditionally been free, with donations welcome. Go when you have the emotional space for it.

Ethnological Museum

Housed in Emperor Haile Selassie's former palace on the Addis Ababa University campus, this museum covers the customs, crafts, food and religion of Ethiopia's many peoples over two floors. The building itself is part of the appeal.

What are the best parks and viewpoints?

Unity Park

Opened in October 2019 inside the National Palace compound at Arat Kilo, Unity Park lets you walk through the grounds and historic buildings where Ethiopia's emperors lived and ruled. There are history exhibits, including Emperor Haile Selassie's throne, gardens, and a zoo with animals such as geladas, zebras and cheetahs. Tickets have normally had to be bought before your visit, by phone payment or online, and the park has been closed on Mondays, so check current arrangements before you go.

Entoto

The hills on the northern edge of the city were Menelik II's base before he founded Addis Ababa in 1886. They rise to around 3,000 metres, and today much of the slope is Entoto Park, with paths through eucalyptus forest, cafés and wide views back over the capital. Nearby is Entoto Maryam, the octagonal church where Menelik was crowned emperor in 1889, with a small museum of belongings of Menelik II and Empress Taytu. It is noticeably cooler up here, so bring a layer.

Which churches should you see?

Holy Trinity Cathedral is the most important Orthodox cathedral in the city. Work began in 1931 and it was completed in 1942, after the Italian occupation ended. Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen are entombed inside, and the British campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst is buried in the grounds. Dress modestly and remove your shoes where asked.

St George's Cathedral in Piassa is an octagonal church commissioned by Menelik II to mark the victory at Adwa and completed in 1911. Empress Zewditu and Emperor Haile Selassie were both crowned here. Its museum holds crowns, crosses and coronation robes, and it sits a short walk from the Adwa Victory Memorial, so the two pair well.

What about markets, coffee and food?

Merkato is often described as the largest open-air market in Africa: a maze of lanes selling spices, coffee, baskets, recycled metalwork and almost everything else. It is fascinating but crowded, and pickpockets work busy places, so go with someone who knows it and carry little.

Coffee is the other essential. Ethiopia is where coffee comes from, and a traditional ceremony, with beans roasted over coals and poured from a clay jebena, is worth sitting through at least once. Pair it with a proper Ethiopian meal: a shared platter of injera with stews, and on Wednesdays and Fridays a colourful vegan beyaynetu.

In the evening, several restaurants host traditional music and dance from Ethiopia's regions over dinner, and azmari houses, where singers improvise witty verses, are the more intimate version. Some well-known venues have had to move because of redevelopment, so ask your hotel what is on that week.

How has the city changed recently?

Since 2024 the city's corridor development project has rebuilt large stretches of central Addis with wider roads, pavements, lighting and bus lanes. It has also meant the demolition of most of old Piassa in 2024 and much of Kazanchis from late 2024. If older guides describe crumbling Italian-era streets, expect something quite different now, and confirm that any specific shop, café or venue still exists before you set out.

How do you plan a day of sightseeing?

• Group sights by area: Piassa (Adwa Memorial, St George's, Merkato) in one block; Arat Kilo and Sidist Kilo (Unity Park, Holy Trinity, the National Museum, the Ethnological Museum) in another; Entoto on its own half-day.
• Start early. Traffic builds through the day and moving between areas can take far longer than the map suggests.
• Be back at your hotel by dark. US advice is not to walk or drive at night, as violent crime is more common after dark.
• Carry a scarf or light layer for churches and for Entoto's cooler air.
• Keep a little cash in small notes for entry fees, donations and coffee.
• Ask before photographing people, priests or inside churches.

Two full days lets you see the highlights comfortably. With one day, pick one cluster plus Entoto or Unity Park. Our guide to how many days to spend in Addis has sample plans.