Lagos is not a city built for visitors, and it does not try to charm you. But it has more art, music and energy than almost anywhere in Africa, and once you know where to look, there is more to do than there are weekends.
Beaches
The Atlantic coast runs the length of the city, and Lagosians go to the beach to eat, drink, ride horses and listen to music more than to swim.
- Elegushi and Landmark, on the Lekki side, are the busy, central ones, with bars, music and an entry charge.
- Tarkwa Bay, sheltered behind the harbour breakwater, is reached by boat from the jetties on Victoria Island and Ikoyi.
- The private beaches further along the coast and across the water - Ilashe and others - are reached by boat and rented by the hut for a day.
- Further east, along the Lekki coast towards Ibeju-Lekki, the beaches are emptier, and the resorts out there make a weekend.
Danger
The surf on Lagos beaches has strong rip currents, and people drown every year, including strong swimmers. Swim only where it is calm and someone is watching, never after drinking, and never let children into the water alone. On a boat, wear a life jacket.
Art and culture
- Nike Art Gallery, Lekki - floor after floor of Nigerian art, from traditional to contemporary, in one of the largest galleries in West Africa.
- Freedom Park, Lagos Island - a colonial prison turned into a park, memorial and concert venue.
- The John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History and the National Museum, both at Onikan.
- Terra Kulture, Victoria Island - theatre, Nigerian plays, a gallery and a restaurant.
- The MUSON Centre, Onikan - classical music and performance.
- Art X Lagos, every November - the big contemporary art fair.
Music
- The New Afrika Shrine, Ikeja - the home of Afrobeat, run by Fela Kuti’s children, with live music most weekends and Felabration, a week of concerts every October.
- The Kalakuta Republic Museum, Ikeja - Fela’s former home, now a museum.
- Live music in bars and lounges across the Island most nights, and the big Afrobeats concerts of December, when the diaspora comes home and the city hardly sleeps.
Nature
- The Lekki Conservation Centre - a protected patch of forest and swamp in Lekki, with a long canopy walkway above the trees, monkeys, and birds.
- The lagoon - a boat trip along it shows a Lagos you never see from the road, including Makoko, the community built on stilts over the water.
Markets
- Balogun Market, Lagos Island - fabric above all, in a maze that takes a day.
- The Lekki Arts and Crafts Market - carvings, beads, fabrics and art. Bargain.
- Computer Village, Ikeja - phones and electronics, new and used. Know what you are buying.
Festivals
- Lagos Fashion Week, in October.
- The Eyo Festival on Lagos Island, with its white-robed masquerades. It is not annual; it is held on special occasions, often to honour a departed Oba or chief.
- Christmas and New Year, which in Lagos run from mid-December into January.
Day trips
- Badagry, near the border with Benin - the slave route, the Point of No Return, and Nigeria’s first storey building. A long, worthwhile day.
- Abeokuta, in Ogun State - climb Olumo Rock.
- Epe, for its fish market and the lagoon.
Leave early, come back before dark, and expect the traffic to take as long as the trip.