Accra: Tickets, Hours and How to Visit
Accra rewards travelers who show up prepared. A yellow fever certificate is required for entry, malaria prophylaxis is standard advice for the whole trip, and the local currency is the cedi (GHS), not CFA francs or US dollars. The good news: Accra’s core city sights, Jamestown, Independence Square, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Makola Market, Osu and Labadi Beach, fit into a genuinely full 2 days, with entry fees running roughly GHS 20 to GHS 100 depending on the site. Ghana is anglophone and stable by regional standards (the US currently rates it Level 2, confirm the wording before you fly), and the real bonus round, Cape Coast and Elmina castle, sits about 3 hours west, a day trip in name only. Here’s what each sight actually costs, when it’s open, and how to move between them.
Accra at a glance: what you need before you go
- Time needed: 2 full days for the city core; add an overnight for Cape Coast, Elmina and Kakum
- Entry: yellow fever certificate required on arrival; most non-African visitors need an e-visa arranged ahead of travel (2026 rules changed recently, confirm before booking flights)
- Money: Ghanaian cedi (GHS); mobile money (MTN MoMo) is everywhere, but carry cash for markets and tro-tros
- Getting around: Bolt or Uber for most trips, tro-tro if you’re confident with the routes, no metro
Getting around Accra: Bolt, tro-tro and the traffic tax
Bolt and Uber are the practical default for almost every trip a visitor makes in Accra: fixed fares agreed before you get in, no haggling required. An airport-to-Osu ride runs roughly GHS 30-90 depending on traffic and time of day. Tro-tros, shared minibuses that leave only when full, are the cheap backbone of local transport but genuinely confusing on a first visit, save them for when a local is showing you the route. Yellow-fendered taxis exist too; agree the fare in cedis before getting in, since most lack a working meter. Budget real slack time between anything scheduled: Accra traffic is heavy and unpredictable enough to eat an hour between two points that look five minutes apart on a map. Compare current Accra tours on GetYourGuide if you would rather have a driver and a plan sorted for day one.
Independence Square and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum: hours and fees
Independence Square, also called Black Star Square, with its Independence Arch and eternal flame, is Accra’s free, open-air civic centerpiece, no fixed hours and no ticket, just show up and walk it. A short drive away, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park marks the spot where Nkrumah declared Ghana’s independence in 1957 and is now his burial site; entry runs roughly GHS 100 for a non-Ghanaian adult (Ghanaian nationals pay far less), a figure that has moved up in recent years, so confirm it on the day. The grounds and small museum are well kept and worth the two hours it takes to see properly.
Jamestown: hours, the lighthouse and the boxing gyms
Jamestown (Usshertown), Accra’s old fishing and colonial quarter, is free to walk and best done in the morning before the heat sets in, when the fishing canoes are working the harbor. The striped 1930s lighthouse is climbable for city and coastline views, and the neighborhood’s boxing gyms have turned out a fair share of Ghana’s noted fighters. Every August the Chale Wote street art festival takes over these same streets with murals, performance and crowds; outside festival week this is a lived-in, working neighborhood, best explored with a local guide rather than a camera held up at strangers.
Makola Market and the Arts Centre: hours and how to shop
Makola Market runs roughly 7am to 6pm most days, quieter on Sundays: a dense, working market covering several blocks of textiles, produce and household goods, not a tourist-curated stall row. Watch your pockets in the crowded lanes and expect to haggle. The Arts Centre, near the harbor, is the better bet for souvenirs specifically: wood carving, kente cloth, drumming and beadwork under one roof, roughly 8am to 6pm, with the same haggling rules applying.
Osu and Labadi Beach: when to go
Osu’s Oxford Street is Accra’s nightlife and dining strip, best from early evening onward when the restaurants and rooftop bars fill up. Labadi Beach (La Pleasure Beach), the city’s best-known beach, charges a non-guest entry fee that ranges anywhere from roughly GHS 20 to GHS 100 depending on the day and which hotel is managing entry that week, confirm the figure when you arrive rather than trusting one number. It is lively and vendor-heavy rather than a quiet escape, plan on a half day rather than a full one.
Du Bois Centre and the National Museum: hours and tickets
The W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture, in Cantonments, was the historian’s home after he took Ghanaian citizenship at Kwame Nkrumah’s invitation; it is a genuinely meaningful stop for diaspora-heritage travelers, open daily for a modest entry fee. The National Museum of Ghana reopened in June 2022 after a long renovation, it has been open for years, not a new 2026 reopening, and runs roughly 9am to 4:30pm daily. Entry is listed at around GH₵80 for a non-Ghanaian adult under the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board’s fee schedule, though GMMB notes fees are under review, so check gmmb.gov.gh before you go. The same GMMB fee table covers Cape Coast and Elmina castle: GH₵80 per non-Ghanaian adult per site, guided tour included.
Accra sights: hours and rough fees at a glance
| Sight | Hours | Rough fee (non-Ghanaian) |
|---|---|---|
| Independence/Black Star Square | Open-air, no fixed hours | Free |
| Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum | Daily, roughly 9am-5pm | ~GHS 100 adult (confirm) |
| Jamestown | Best mornings | Free to walk |
| Makola Market | Roughly 7am-6pm, quieter Sun | Free to enter |
| Labadi Beach | Daylight hours | ~GHS 20-100 entry (varies) |
| Du Bois Centre | Daily | Modest fee (confirm) |
| National Museum | Daily, roughly 9am-4:30pm | ~GH₵80 adult (under review) |
| Arts Centre | Roughly 8am-6pm | Free to browse |
Do you need a visa and a yellow fever certificate for Accra?
Yes to the yellow fever certificate: it is required for essentially all arrivals age 9 months and up, and showing up without a valid card risks real trouble at the airport. Visas depend on nationality: African nationals got a fee-free e-visa from 25 May 2026, while most non-African visitors need one arranged before travel.
Non-African visitors (US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia) should treat arriving without an e-visa as a real risk, not a fallback plan. Confirm current rules for your passport at evisa.immigration.gov.gh before booking flights.
Is Accra safe to visit?
By regional standards, yes: Ghana is one of West Africa’s more stable democracies, and Accra is generally welcoming. The US State Department currently rates it Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution,” largely for petty crime and health-infrastructure gaps, not conflict; a northern-border carve-out exists but sits far from Accra.
The practical risks are ordinary ones: watch your bag in Makola’s crowded lanes, agree taxi fares upfront, and check the current advisory before you fly rather than relying on an old headline.
Can you visit Cape Coast and Elmina castle from Accra in a day?
You can, but you should not rush it. Both UNESCO-listed former slave-trading forts sit roughly 3 hours west of Accra by road, and the drive alone eats most of a single day. These are heavy, profound sites of memory, not photo-op stops.
An overnight in Cape Coast, pairing the castles with the Kakum canopy walkway, does the visit and the history far more justice than a rushed round trip. Browse Cape Coast and Elmina tours on Viator if you would rather have the logistics and a guide handled for you.
Our full Accra travel guide covers where to eat and stay across the city in more depth, and if you are deciding how many days to give the trip, the 2-day Accra itinerary sticks to exactly the sights above, while the 4-day itinerary adds the Cape Coast overnight. For an official reference on attractions beyond this list, visitghana.com is the Ghana Tourism Authority’s own site. If you are basing yourself in Osu for the nightlife, check current rates on Booking.com before prices move.
One concrete tip: do the Nkrumah Mausoleum and Independence Square back to back in the same morning, they are a short Bolt ride apart, and it saves you crossing Accra’s traffic twice for two sights that pair naturally.