Things to Do in Asmara (Eritrea)

I landed in Asmara on a Sunday afternoon with no real plan, just a loose idea that this was a city to feel before I tried to understand it. Two hours later I was walking the same palm-lined avenue for the third time, camera half raised, because every angle seemed to deserve another look. Asmara rewards slow people. If you are willing to be one, it gives back more than most places I have visited.

Walk the Art Deco Core

The simplest thing to do in Asmara is also the best: walk. The city center is dense with Italian colonial architecture from the 1930s, and it has an unusually intact run of it, so much so that UNESCO named the historic perimeter a World Heritage site in 2017. Start at Harnet Avenue, the main boulevard, and let the buildings pull you along. My favorite stretch runs past the Fiat Tagliero building, a futuristic service station shaped like an airplane with wings that reach out over the pavement with nothing holding them up but steel and nerve. I stood under one wing for a while, expecting to feel silly. I did not.

Sip Coffee Like a Local

Asmara runs on coffee. The traditional bun is poured in a small clay jebena, often roasted right in front of you over a tiny burner, the beans tumbled and the scent filling the room before the first cup arrives. It is a slow ritual and you should let it be one. I sat in a backstreet cafe, ordered a bun, and watched the woman who ran the place grind and brew and pour the coffee in a way that made me realize I had been drinking it wrong for years. The coffee is strong, served dark, sometimes with a pinch of salt or spice. Take it with popcorn, which is the local habit, and do not rush the first sip.

Wander the Covered Market

If the coffee houses are the heart of Asmara, the market is its energy. The old covered market, Medeb Marketing Center, sits near the Catholic Cathedral and is a jumble of stalls selling spices, cloth, household goods, and everything in between. Locals say it is also where you can find artefacts and crafts restored and resold by hand. I was not shopping for anything in particular and wandered for an hour anyway, soaking in the colors and the good-natured bargaining. Bring small notes and do not take the first price seriously.

See the Churches and the Mosque

Asmara is quietly famous for its religious buildings sitting close together. The Catholic Cathedral of Asmara, with its tall bell tower, anchors the eastern edge of the old center, while the Great Mosque, with a slim white minaret, rises nearby, built a few years after the cathedral by the same Italian planners. I walked between them on the same morning and the contrast struck me: two very different faiths, both at home in this pocket of the city. A little further out you can find the Orthodox church, distinctive with its darker, more ancient style. Dress modestly and you will be received warmly.

See the Cinema and the Old Gas Station

Movie fans will want to stop at Cinema Impero, an art deco cinema from 1937 that still shows films and looks almost untouched from the outside, all curves and bold lettering. It sits at a busy corner and is one of the easiest landmarks to find. Near the market, if you have not come through it already, is the Fiat Tagliero service station again, this time from the other side, where the wing shape reads best. Together the cinema and the station give you a clean sense of how modern this 1930s city was built to feel.

Drive Up to the Highlands

Asmara sits high, around 2,325 meters above sea level, which is part of its charm and its relief. The air is cool even when the lowlands bake, and the evenings turn brisk enough that I was glad for a light jacket. If you have a spare day, the drive into the surrounding highlands is worth it. Mountain roads wind through villages and terraced slopes, and the climate stays mild. I did a short day trip toward the south and came back with a head full of green valleys and a strong arm from clutching the door handle around the bends.

Practical Notes for Your Visit

Eritrea has a reputation that makes visitors cautious, but once you are in Asmara the day to day life feels calm and orderly. The main currency is the nakfa, and cards are not widely accepted, so bring cash and exchange it locally. English is spoken in many shops and guesthouses, often alongside Italian, which shows up on the cafe menus. The city is safe to walk at night in the central area. Also remember that weekends in Eritrea are Friday and Saturday, so shops can close on Sunday. A few days here is enough to see the center well, and a week lets you slow down properly.

By the time I flew out, I had spent most of my time doing remarkably little: walking, drinking coffee, sitting in a cafe with a notebook, and wandering back to the art deco streets to watch the light change them. That is the honest list of things to do in Asmara, and it is a full one. Come for the architecture, stay for the rhythm, and bring more time than you think you need.