Destination guide · Coast & islands
Stone Town
4.7· 440 traveller reviews
Why come
What Stone Town is known for
Carved doors
Hundreds of them, and the brass studs were once a defence against elephants that were never here.
Forodhani at dusk
The waterfront gardens fill with grills when the day boats have gone.
The old slave market
The Anglican cathedral stands on the site, and the chambers beneath are still there.
A UNESCO-listed maze of coral-rag alleys, carved doors and Omani balconies, where Africa, Arabia and India have traded and intermarried for a thousand years. The Anglican cathedral stands on the site of the old slave market; the evening grill at Forodhani fills the waterfront gardens after dark.
Best time: year-round, though Ramadan changes the rhythm and many restaurants close during daylight. How long: one night, not an afternoon — the old quarter is a different place once the day boats have gone.
Where it fits
Journeys that visit Stone Town
Stone Town & Spice
Three nights in the old quarter and the spice farms behind it — the island's history before its beaches.
Bush & Beach: Northern Circuit and Zanzibar
Ten days — the northern parks first, then the coast, because game drives start before dawn and you should fly home rested.
Shape a journey around Stone Town
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