Addis Ababa Sightseeing

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The museum houses Ethiopia's artistic treasures. It contains many precious local archaeological finds such as the fossilized remains of early hominids, the most famous of which is "Lucy," the partial skeleton of a specimen of Australopithecus afarensis. Recently added to the basement gallery is a display on Selam, found between 2000 and 2004. This archaic fossil is estimated to date to 3.3 million years ago.

   1 hAdmission included

2. Probably the oldest functional building in the vicinity of Addis Ababa, Entoto Maryam is an octagonal church constructed by Menelik II c.1882 at what was then his capital. The lovely interior, covered in traditional church paintings, can be seen only immediately after morning services, which usually end at 9am. A site museum housing a collection of religious items and ceremonial clothing from the Menelik era keeps erratic times.

   40 minAdmission included

3. Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest ranking Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

   30 minAdmission included

4. A palace that once housed Ethiopia’s emperors. The palace compound in Addis Ababa, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has rebranded “Unity Park”.

   1 hAdmission included

5. The new church was built on the ruins of an older church from the 15th century. It was named after St. George, after the Tabot (Ark) of the church was carried to the Battle of Adwa against the Italians during which the Ethiopians secured victory. The building was described in 1938 in an Italian tourist publication as a fine example of the European interpretation of Ethiopian church design. The Italian Fascist authorities set the building on fire during the war in 1937. The cathedral was later restored by the Emperor following the liberation in 1941.

   40 minAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 7 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Addis Ababa

• Its from-price is 92% above the median of the 72 city tours we list in Addis Ababa.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 34 of 72.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, stands high on a plateau among eucalyptus-covered hills, with museums, markets, churches and African Union offices.

At around 2,400 metres, Addis Ababa is one of the highest capitals in the world, laid out on the slopes of the Entoto hills. The National Museum of Ethiopia tells the story of human origins through Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old partial skeleton found in the country in 1974, while the Ethnological Museum is housed in a former imperial palace. Holy Trinity Cathedral and Saint George Cathedral are important churches, and Meskel Square hosts large gatherings.

Top-ranked sights in Addis Ababa: National Museum of Ethiopia, Mt. Entoto, IES Ethnographic Museum (Addis Ababa University).

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