Overview

The bustling capital city of Addis Ababa is a major hub in Africa and the likely point where most visitors will enter and exit when visiting Ethiopia. The city is full of rich and interesting history and culture. With a bustling population of over three million people, it is currently the fourth-largest city on the African continent. It has also been unofficially dubbed the diplomatic capital of the continent, as there are over 120 embassies and missions all over town.

Addis Ababa may seem like a chaotic jumble of traffic unappealing to the untrained eye. It’s not an easy city to navigate and not one with famous tourist attractions, but those that plan to spend a few days here will discover a lot of interesting things to do in Addis Ababa!

Things to See and Do

One of the best attractions you won’t want to miss is the National Museum of Ethiopia, a perfect place to start understanding Ethiopian culture and history. They’ve even got an exact replica of the “Lucy” fossil - the oldest human skeleton ever discover, which was found in Hadar, Ethiopia. It’s amazing to see how small our ancestors were and imagine them as hunters and gatherers. This museum is regarded as one of the most important in sub-Saharan Africa. In the museum you will also find exhibits of the remains of extinct creatures such as a huge sabretooth and a gigantic savannah pig, and portholes into Ethiopia’s cultural history and artwork. You should grab a guide when you begin as their knowledge really brings the place to life, and be sure to tip them afterward.

Another excellent museum to explore is the Ethnological Museum which is found within Haile Selassie’s old palace and is encompassed by stunning fountains and gardens. The museum is well laid out and tells the story of Ethiopia’s people from birth to death and beyond. Even if you are not a museum buff, this museum is well worth a visit and will provide a greater understanding of the country and it’s people.

St George Cathedral & Museum is another excellent museum to discover. Even if you just wander around the outside and take in the beautiful architecture. On the inside, you’ll see remarkable colors and flashes of art amongst the architecture, paintings, and mosaics as well as starry sky-blue ceilings. The museum is also home to ancient crosses, crowns, religious scrolls, and the coronation garb of Zewditu and Haile Selassi.

The Red Terror Museum is also worth a visit in order to help you better understand the massive humanitarian crisis that struck Ethiopia at the end of the 20th century. Most of the people that work at that museum are survivors themselves!

Wander the markets of Addis, this is a great way to gain some insight into the day-to-day life of the locals. There are many markets throughout the city, the main market in Addis Ababa, Merkato, is particularly interesting. It is perfectly safe to wander around on your own, but you will undoubtedly learn much more if you go with a guide.

Cuisine

Ethiopian food is a must-try! Heavy with spices and eaten entirely by hand, it’s a cuisine that’s as distinctive as it is delicious. The capital city has some of the best food in the country. If you need some local guidance, we would suggest a food tour of Addis Ababa, this is an excellent way to explore the cuisine and find the best food in the city.

The main ingredient of all Ethiopian foods is Injera - a spongy sourdough bread baked like a pancake that is served with a variety of meat and vegetarian-based stews.

The typical Ethiopian meal consists of numerous vegetable dishes and spicy meat stews and curries served over a giant pancake-like flat bread called injera (mentioned above). To eat, diners break pieces of injera with their hands and use it as a scoop to pick up the food. Like Moroccans, Ethiopians eat using only their right hands as the left hand is considered unclean.

Traditional Ethiopian cuisine bears a resemblance to Indian food, especially in its heavy use of spices. One of the most commonly used ingredients in Ethiopian cooking is berbere, a potent Ethiopian spice mix consisting of up to sixteen different spices like chili powder, cardamom, fenugreek, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, and cumin. It’s used to flavor many dishes when cooking Ethiopian food.

Aside from its spicy meat stews and curries, Ethiopia is home to many vegetarian and vegan options. This is because Ethiopia is predominantly a Christian country with about 43.5% of the population belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

One restaurant that is particularly famous is Yod Abyssinia. This place has got all bases covered - whether you just want to sample dishes from any of the many cultures around Ethiopia, or get a taste for Addis Ababa nightlife, you should definitely stop in here!

Ethiopian Coffee

Coffee isn’t just a beverage in Ethiopia, it’s an important part of Ethiopian culture. Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of the coffee plant which helps explain its role in Ethiopian society.

Unlike in Western societies where coffee is often consumed alone, coffee drinking in Ethiopia is a social and ceremonious event that always requires company. In fact, to be invited to a coffee ceremony is considered a mark of friendship and one of the best examples of Ethiopian hospitality.

An Ethiopian coffee ceremony is steeped in ritual and can take several hours. It begins with the washing and roasting of the beans on a mitad. When the beans are roasted, they’re brought to the guests so they can smell the aroma of the beans.

The beans are then ground in a mortar and brewed in a traditional clay coffee pot called a jebena. When ready, the coffee is poured into cups and then served to the guests with traditional Ethiopian snacks. Incense like frankincense and myrrh are burned to drive away evil spirits while the guests converse and enjoy their coffee.

Tomoca, considered one of the capital’s best coffee shop, is where you can smell the beans being roasted as you get close by. Be sure to stop in during your travelers to enjoy a cup!