Gorée
A small island of merchants' houses and a fortified rock, twenty minutes by boat from Dakar, kept by UNESCO as a place of memory of the Atlantic slave trade.
- Arrival
- Blaise Diagne International · DSS
- To the island
- About 20 minutes by ferry from Dakar port
- Private jets
- At Blaise Diagne, customs on site
- Best time
- October to July
The city
Memory, in a few streets.
Portuguese, Dutch, English and French held Gorée in turn. For four centuries it was, in UNESCO's words, the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast, and the island still sets the traders' gracious houses beside the cramped quarters where captives were held. Listed in 1978, it is now a place of pilgrimage for the African diaspora.
The ferry leaves the port of Dakar from early morning until late evening, and there is no booking: tickets are bought at the quay. The weather is Dakar's, dry from October to July, with the rains in August and September.
- The slave houses More than a dozen stood here until the trade was abolished, grim quarters set beside the traders' elegant homes.
- The Castle A fortified rocky plateau that dominates the island.
- Relais de l'Espadon The former residence of the French governor, one of the colonial buildings UNESCO singles out.
Arriving
Land at Blaise Diagne, cross by boat.
Gorée has no airport. Flights land at Blaise Diagne International, about an hour's drive from Dakar, and the island is reached by the passenger ferry from the port.
- Abidjan 2 h 40
- Marrakech 3 h 05
- Barcelona 4 h 50
- London 6 h 00
- Vienna 6 h 35 long-range jet
When to go
October to July.
The figures are for Dakar, three and a half kilometres across the water. It stays dry and mild for ten months, with the rain in August and September; the sea is coolest from February to April and warm enough to linger in from July to October.
- 26° J 2 20°
- 27° F 1 19°
- 27° M 0 19°
- 27° A 0 20°
- 28° M 0 21°
- 30° J 15 25°
- 30° J 72 27°
- 30° A 179 28°
- 31° S 149 28°
- 31° O 39 28°
- 30° N 1 26°
- 28° D 1 23°
Where to stay
Across the water in Dakar.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
-
Terrou-Bi Three generations of one family run this seafront resort, where every room has a balcony and the marina sits below the restaurant.
-
Noom Hotel Dakar Sea Plaza Formerly the Radisson Blu, renamed in 2025, with an infinity pool bar above the ocean.
-
Pullman Dakar Teranga Built in 1973 looking straight out to the island, and refurbished in 2025.
-
Novotel Dakar A business-district hotel with a heated pool and some rooms that look across to Gorée.
Where to dine
Across the water in Dakar.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Senegal, and Gorée has no high-end table. Lagon 1, on stilts over the sea in Dakar since 1956, is a Fodor’s Choice.
- Lagon 1 Fodor’s Choice Seafood Corniche Est, Dakar, about 4 km from Gorée
Elsewhere in Senegal
More reasons to come.
- Dakar The westernmost city of Africa, with markets and a music scene.
- Lac Rose A pink lake where salt is gathered by hand.
- Saly The resort beaches of the Petite Côte.
- Sine-Saloum A delta of mangroves, and islands built of shells.
- Saint-Louis Balconied colonial houses on an island in the Senegal river, listed by UNESCO.
Flying to Gorée?
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.