Cape Coast Castle and Museum
White seafront fort that was a major point in the transatlantic slave trade. Guided visits cover the dungeons and the museum, which explains the castle's history and the people held here.
Cape Coast and Elmina
UNESCO-listed castles connected with the Atlantic slave trade stand beside palm-lined beaches and fishing towns.
Attractive locations
Fort William Lighthouse
Old fort on a hill above Cape Coast, now used as a lighthouse. From the top there are views over the town's rooftops, the castle and the sea.
Fort Coenraadsburg
Dutch-built fort on St Jago Hill above Elmina, looking down on the larger Elmina Castle and the fishing harbour. The hilltop position makes it a good viewpoint over the town.
Elmina Castle
Large white fortress on the shore, begun by the Portuguese in the 1400s and later a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade. Guided tours explain its dungeons, courtyards and history.
Assin Manso Slave River Site
Memorial site where enslaved people were washed before the march to the coast, with a river, burial ground and graves of returned ancestors. It is a place of quiet reflection.
Airports
Takoradi Airport TKD
It is about 62 km in a straight line from Cape Coast and Elmina.
Kotoka International Airport ACC
It is about 132 km in a straight line from Cape Coast and Elmina.
Scams and safe taxis
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan27.1 °C33 mm
- Feb27.6 °C56 mm
- Mar27.7 °C117 mm
- Apr27.4 °C155 mm
- May27.0 °C239 mm
- Jun25.7 °C259 mm
- Jul24.5 °C106 mm
- Aug24.0 °C44 mm
- Sep24.8 °C99 mm
- Oct25.9 °C166 mm
- Nov26.8 °C92 mm
- Dec27.2 °C40 mm
Driest months: Jan, Aug, Dec. Wettest months: May, Jun, Oct.
Costs
Prices here are about 38% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112. Police 191. Fire 192. Ambulance 193.
local government
Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA)
Helps with: Ghana's national tourism body. Its head office in Accra and its website give contact details for visitor questions and tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in Ghana or planning a trip there.
Phone: +233 302 985 069
Email: info@ghana.travel
Address: No. 2 Haile Selassie Street, South Ridge, Accra
local government
Ghana Police Service headquarters
Helps with: National police headquarters in Accra. The contact page gives its general enquiry lines and address; it does not show a separate tourist police unit or emergency number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Ghana, including visitors, who needs to contact the national police.
Phone: +233 302 773906
Email: hq.pro@police.gov.gh
Address: Ring Road East, Cantonment, Ghana
local government
National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO)
Helps with: Ghana's national disaster body. Its site lists 112 as NADMO Line 1; 112 is also Ghana's general emergency number for police, fire and ambulance.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Ghana affected by a disaster such as flooding, or reporting one.
Phone: 112
Email: info@nadmo.gov.gh
Address: Plot 3, Brigade, East Kanda, Cantonments, Accra
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ghana
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Ghana since 1987. It works on migration management and crisis response and gives humanitarian help to migrants, returnees and displaced people.
Who qualifies: Migrants, returnees and displaced people in Ghana. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +233 302 742 930
Email: iomaccra@iom.int
Address: 9 Volta Street, Airport Residential Area, Accra