Antananarivo
The capital of Madagascar, spread over a ridge of the highlands at about 1,280 metres, with the queen’s palace on its summit and a royal hill of pilgrimage to the north.
- Arrival
- Ivato International · TNR
- To the city
- About 14 km from the airport
- Private jets
- TNR, open around the clock, handler required
- Best time
- April to October
The city
The City of the Thousand.
Tana, as everyone calls it, was founded in the early seventeenth century by King Andrianjaka on a rocky ridge of the central highlands. Its name means the City of the Thousand, after his soldiers. The upper town gathers around the Rova, the royal compound on the summit; below, the market quarter of Analakely and the lake of Anosy, dug in the nineteenth century to power the first workshops, mark the centre of a city of more than a million people.
From May to September the rain almost stops, with only light falls in April and October, and at this height afternoons reach about 20 °C in mid-winter, with cool nights. From November to March the rains return and the monthly rain passes 170 mm.
- The Rova The royal compound on the highest point of the old city, where the stone-clad palace of Manjakamiadana has been rebuilt since the fire of 1995.
- Andafiavaratra Palace The residence built in 1873 for the prime minister Rainilaiarivony, now a museum of the Merina kingdom.
- Royal Hill of Ambohimanga The sacred town and burial ground of the nineteenth-century kings, behind fourteen stone gateways, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001.
Arriving
Ivato, the gateway to the island.
Ivato International, fourteen kilometres north-north-west of the centre, is the main entry point to Madagascar, with a passenger terminal opened in December 2021 and domestic flights onward to Nosy Be, Sainte-Marie and the coast.
- Mauritius 1 h 45
- Seychelles 2 h 40
- Johannesburg 3 h 05
- Luanda 5 h 20
- Sydney 13 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
April to October.
At this altitude the heat never builds: highs run from 20 °C in June to August to 26 °C in summer. The dry season is clear-cut, with less than 30 mm a month from May to September, against 250 mm or more from December to February.
- 26° J 279
- 26° F 260
- 25° M 201
- 25° A 61
- 23° M 27
- 20° J 14
- 20° J 19
- 20° A 20
- 23° S 15
- 25° O 69
- 26° N 171
- 26° D 310
Where to stay
By the lake and in the business district.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book in Tana.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Madagascar. La Varangue is the gourmet table Lonely Planet recommends; Marais is among the best rated top-priced restaurants on Tripadvisor.
- La Varangue Lonely Planet French and Malagasy $$$$ Haute-Ville
- Marais Rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor Modern French $$$$ Ankorondrano
Elsewhere in Madagascar
More reasons to come.
- Andasibe Rainforest where the indri, the largest lemur, calls at dawn.
- Nosy Be The island of ylang-ylang, with smaller islands all around it.
- Île Sainte-Marie Humpback whales from July to September, and a pirate cemetery.
- Morondava The Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset.
- Tsingy de Bemaraha A forest of limestone needles, listed by UNESCO.
Flying to Antananarivo?
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.