Accra
Ghana's capital on the Gulf of Guinea: the monuments of independence, the old forts and fishing boats of Jamestown, and an airport only minutes from town.
- Arrival
- Accra International (formerly Kotoka) · ACC
- To the city
- About 9 km from the centre
- Private jets
- At ACC, open around the clock
- Best time
- November to March · July to September
The city
Forts and monuments on the Gulf.
Accra began with the forts: the British James Fort and the Dutch Ussher Fort, around which the Ga fishing quarters of Jamestown grew from the seventeenth century. Inland lie the monuments of independence, Black Star Square and the park where Kwame Nkrumah declared the new nation, and further east the airport district and the hotels along the Labadi shore.
Accra is warm in every month and has two drier spells. From November to March the rain is light; June is the wettest month, and then a short, cooler lull from July to September brings the sea down to 23 or 24 °C before the October showers.
Arriving
One airport, close to town.
The airport known since 1969 as Kotoka took back its old name, Accra International, in February 2026; its code is still ACC. It lies about nine kilometres from the centre, with a single runway of some 3,400 metres, and international flights use Terminal 3, opened in 2018.
- Lagos 55 min
- Abidjan 55 min
- Tunis 5 h 00
- Nice 5 h 50
- London 6 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
November to March, and July to September.
Hot throughout, with afternoons between 28 and 32 °C. The main rains fall from April to June; November to March is the driest and sunniest stretch, and July to September is a second, cooler dry spell.
- 32° J 13 27°
- 32° F 33 27°
- 32° M 67 28°
- 32° A 102 28°
- 31° M 140 28°
- 29° J 202 27°
- 28° J 70 24°
- 28° A 36 23°
- 29° S 69 24°
- 30° O 88 26°
- 31° N 45 28°
- 31° D 24 28°
What to see and do
Days in and around Accra.
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Landmark
Black Star Square
A parade ground built in 1961 for Nkrumah, with the Independence Arch and the Black Star Gate.
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Landmark
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
The mausoleum and museum of Ghana's first president, on the old polo ground where independence was declared.
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Landmark
Jamestown
Fishing quarters around James Fort and Ussher Fort, watched over by a lighthouse of the 1930s.
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Nature
Aburi Botanical Gardens
Opened in 1890 in the Eastern Region, the 64.8 hectare garden has silk cotton, mahogany and cedar trees and helped spread cocoa and rubber.
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Wildlife
Shai Hills Resource Reserve
Baboons, kob antelope, zebras and over 172 bird species live in this 51 square kilometre reserve of hills and caves, the closest to the capital.
Official site -
Culture
Artists Alliance Gallery
The painter Ablade Glover set up this gallery at Omanye House in Labadi to show the work of Ghanaian artists.
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Golf
Achimota Golf Club
Paul McGinley Golf Design Africa redesigned this 18 hole course, which reopened in 2014.
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Racing & sport
Accra Polo Club
Visitors can watch matches at this club, whose calendar includes two open tournaments for overseas players, among them the Nana Awuah-Darko Trophy.
Where to stay
Downtown, in the gardens and by the beach.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Opened in 2015 with 269 rooms and suites, and a spa spread over three floors.
- Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra Set in gardens in the city centre, a short drive from Makola Market.
- Labadi Beach Hotel Low buildings in gardens by the sea, with two pools, a private beach and floodlit tennis courts.
Where to dine
Where to book in Accra.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Ghana. Two are the high-end tables in The Infatuation’s guide to Accra, updated in February 2026; Asana is the signature restaurant of the Kempinski.
- Le Petit Oiseau The Infatuation West African Osu
- Santoku The Infatuation Japanese North Airport
- Asana Bar & Kitchen Signature restaurant, Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Asian fusion Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Ministries
Elsewhere in Ghana
More reasons to come.
Flying to Accra?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.