City Rating: Freetown
Population: 800,000
Date of visit: February 2019
Attractions & sights: 3/5
Nightlife: 3/5
Safety: 3/5
Infrastructure: 2/5
Low budget factor: 4/5
Total: 👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Freetown is a spread out and hectic city, at least in the center, but it offers beautiful beaches for recreation. The city may be less modern than Abidjan or Dakar, but it is more developed than cities like Lomé or Conakry, and there are more fun things to do as in these cities as well. The friendly locals, the vibe, the nightlife and the scenery make Freetown one of the better cities I have seen in Africa so far.
Where to stay:
I had my hotel in Aberdeen and was satisfied with my decision. It’s a bit more comfortable here than in the city center, Aberdeen Beach is nearby and Lumley Beach isn’t long away either. Furthermore, one of the two ferry terminals for the airport transfer is nearby.
The Good:
Freetown has a cool vibe. People are friendly, it’s cheap, there are some cool things to do and in the evening a lot of things are going on.
The main attraction is the beach called River No. 2. This beach is a real pearl and allegedly a commercial for the Bounty chocolate bar was shot there once. There are some other beaches that are also beautiful, for example Lumley Beach or Tokeh Beach, which is a bit outside. If you want to go to a city in West Africa with beautiful beaches, Freetown is the right choice.
Furthermore, there is the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary or the Cotton Tree, a huge tree that stands as a landmark of the city in the center. Freetown also has markets downtown worth a visit.
In the evening there are some going out options. The beach in Aberdeen is full of bars and nightclubs where the party takes place. To put it a little exaggerated, the beach section, where Aberdeen Beach and Lumley Beach meet, is Freetown’s answer to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.
The Bad & The Ugly
The infrastructure is not the best and sometimes it takes a relatively long time to get from one point to another. After all, the taxis are cheap.
Otherwise, Freetown is probably a city for a maximum of three days. The sights are indeed cool, but nevertheless manageable, so that it would be rather worthwhile to travel to the interior of the country afterwards.
Although Freetown is safer than other cities in Africa, it is important to be careful in the evening and not to walk alone through the streets.
One last negative point concerns only those arriving or departing by air. From the airport to Freetown or vice versa you can go in different ways. None of the options are really good. The most realistic option is the speedboat over the rather rough sea. From time to time such a boat sinks and it is definitely not for seasick people.
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