National Museum of Ethiopia
Museum of the country's long history, with ancient fossils, royal items, crafts and art. A display about Lucy, an early human ancestor found in Ethiopia, is among the best-known exhibits.
Addis Ababa
Coffee culture, Merkato (a huge market) and the National Museum's 'Lucy' fossil are what this capital, a high-altitude air hub, is known for.
Attractive locations
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Ethiopian Orthodox cathedral with richly decorated interiors, colourful stained glass and tall stone walls. Emperor Haile Selassie is buried here. Visitors should dress modestly and respect services.
St. George's Cathedral
Octagonal church built in the 1890s, to mark Ethiopia's victory over Italy at Adwa. Inside are bright murals and a small museum of church items and robes.
Mount Entoto
Forested hill north of the city, where the capital was first established. Quiet trails, old churches and the former palace of Emperor Menelik II sit among the eucalyptus trees, with views back over the city.
Ethnological Museum of Addis Ababa
Museum in Emperor Haile Selassie's former palace on the university campus. Displays show the clothing, tools and customs of Ethiopia's many peoples, and the emperor's old rooms are on view.
Meskel Square
Large central plaza used for parades, concerts and the Meskel festival each September, when a huge bonfire is lit. It sits beside the main road through the city centre.
Merkato
Sprawling open-air market, among the largest in Africa, with lanes of spices, textiles, coffee, grain and household goods. It is crowded and busy, so many visitors go with a local guide.
Airports
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport ADD
It is about 8 km in a straight line from Addis Ababa.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Ethiopia page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan15.4 °C12 mm
- Feb16.9 °C27 mm
- Mar17.8 °C56 mm
- Apr17.7 °C90 mm
- May18.1 °C89 mm
- Jun17.7 °C116 mm
- Jul15.9 °C239 mm
- Aug15.6 °C246 mm
- Sep15.5 °C145 mm
- Oct14.4 °C34 mm
- Nov14.1 °C16 mm
- Dec14.1 °C13 mm
Driest months: Jan, Nov, Dec. Wettest months: Jul, Aug, Sep.
Festivals and events
religious
Meskel
Meskel Square is the site of a huge bonfire.
Who can help
Emergency
Reported numbers: police 991, ambulance 907, fire 939 - confirm with your hotel or guide.
ngo
Ethiopian Red Cross Society
Helps with: Ethiopia's national Red Cross society. Its work includes round-the-clock emergency ambulance services, disaster response and family-links services for separated families. Its website gives toll-free 907 for emergencies.
Who qualifies: People in Ethiopia needing emergency, health, disaster or family-links services. The phone shown is the head office line.
Phone: +251-115-18-01-81
Email: ercsinfo@redcrosseth.org
Address: Ras Desta Dametew Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ethiopia
Helps with: The UN migration agency, working across Ethiopia since 1995. It supports displaced people and safe, regular migration, and produces migration research and data for policy.
Who qualifies: Migrants and displaced people in Ethiopia, and government or other partners. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +251 111301000
Address: YeMez Building, behind Zequala Building, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
local government
Police and emergency number 911
Helps with: Reaches the police and general emergency help in Ethiopia. The number comes from UK government travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 911
local government
Ambulance number 907 (Addis Ababa)
Helps with: Reaches the ambulance service in Addis Ababa only, as given by UK government travel advice. The page lists no ambulance number for other places.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Addis Ababa, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 907