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Voykit pocket guide · The Gambia
Banjul
Banjul is a morning day-trip city: do Arch 22, the museum and Albert Market before noon, eat at the waterfront, and go back to your bed by mid-afternoon; note that most visitors sleep in the coastal resorts, not here.
The capital sits on a small island at the river mouth, flat and compact, with narrow streets and heavy traffic on the causeway in and out. Sights are a short walk apart and the market is the main event. Four walking areas cover a first visit; resort beaches, Serrekunda and Abuko are separate trips by car.
- Country
- The Gambia
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Nov · Dec
- Time zone
- Africa/Banjul
- Stay
- 1 days: Arch 22, museum and Albert Market before noon; back to the coast
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GMD
- Money
- Cash dalasi for the market, canteens, shared taxis and the ferry; cards work at few places on the island itself. Carry GMD 20-100 notes for small buys.
- Daily spend
- Budget GMD 300–700 excl. bed · Mid GMD 700–1,800 excl. bed · High GMD 1,800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Buy an Africell, QCell or Gamcel SIM at the airport or a Serrekunda shop with your passport; coverage in Banjul itself is good.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 116
- Plugs
- 230 V; type G (UK three-pin). Power cuts happen; hotels usually have a generator or inverter.
- Tipping
- Not expected at market stalls. Round up taxi drivers; 10% in a sit-down restaurant if no service charge is added.
- Water
- Tap water is not for drinking; use bottled or filtered water.
- Toilets
- Hotels and a few cafes; the market and the ferry terminal have basic public facilities (check condition on the day).
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Plate of domoda or benachin at a canteen | GMD 150-300 |
| Afra (grilled meat) plate | GMD 150-350 |
| Bottle of water | GMD 20-40 |
| Shared taxi seat across the island | GMD 15-30 |
| Ferry ticket, Banjul-Barra, foot passenger | GMD 40-100 |
| Museum or arch entry | GMD 50-200 (check) |
| Tourist SIM with data, about a week | GMD 200-400 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Banjul International Airport (BJL)
- BJL to Banjul: one pre-booked hotel pickup or an agreed-fare taxi, 40–75 minutes; the risk is the causeway traffic and a taxi you did not arrange, not the distance.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Banjul-Barra ferry terminal (The Banjul ferry crossing) | Barra and the north bank, and onward road travel toward Senegal via Amdalai-Karang | Already in central Banjul |
| Serrekunda and the coast, by taxi | Everywhere most visitors actually sleep | 30-45 min by taxi |
Typical fares
- BJL airport to central Banjul, taxi
- Ask your hotel or the airport desk for the current fixed fare; do not rely on a figure here (check).
- Shared taxi seat across the island
- GMD 15-30
- Ferry ticket, Banjul-Barra
- GMD 40-100 (check)
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; take a taxi between clusters, back to the coast, or to the ferry. There is no formal city bus network on Banjul island.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside any one of the four clusters |
| Shared taxi ('town trip') | GMD 15-30 a seat (check) | Fixed routes across the island and out toward Serrekunda |
| Chartered ('tourist') taxi | Agree first; roughly GMD 800-1,500 for a half day (check) | Door-to-door trips, bags, a full morning circuit |
| Ferry | GMD 40-100 foot passenger (check) | Crossing to Barra and Fort Bullen |
| Gelegele (shared minibus) | Cheap | Longer trips out of the city |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the fare before you get in; hire a taxi by the hour for a morning tour.
- Late at night
- No rail. Taxis run through the day; after dark ask the hotel to book the ride back.
See and do
01Arch 22 platform view
The best single orientation point over the flat island and the causeway out to the coast.
Hours: best Morning · Price: GMD 100-200 (check) · Time: 20-35 min
02Albert Market
Fabric, produce and crafts under covered lanes; the real reason most visitors come to Banjul.
Hours: best Before 11:00 · Price: Free to browse · Time: 30-75 min
03The Gambia National MuseumNational Museum
A compact, air-conditioned run through Gambian history, from precolonial kingdoms to independence.
Hours: best Late morning · Price: GMD 50-100 (check) · Time: 45-60 min
04St Mary's Anglican CathedralSt Mary's
A 19th-century cathedral that tells the story of Banjul's Krio Christian community.
Hours: best Late morning · Price: Free · Time: 15-20 min
05Watch the Banjul-Barra ferryFerry terminal
Cars, produce and passengers loading onto small boats; a working waterfront, not a staged view.
Hours: best Any daylight hour · Price: Free to watch · Time: 20-45 min
06MacCarthy Square
The island's parade ground and central public space, quieter than the market and free.
Hours: best Any time · Price: Free · Time: 10-15 min · 13.4537, -16.5805
07Fort Bullen, across the ferry
A 19th-century anti-slave-trade fort facing Banjul across the river mouth; the ferry crossing is part of the experience.
Hours: best Morning departure · Price: GMD 40-100 ferry plus entry (check) · Time: Half day · 13.4885, -16.5467
08Domoda lunchDomoda
The national dish, groundnut stew over rice, eaten where locals actually eat it.
Hours: best 12:00-14:00 · Price: GMD 150-300 · Time: 30-45 min
09Afra at an evening grillAfra
Grilled meat chopped and seasoned at the stall; a genuine Gambian evening food, though on Banjul island there are few late options.
Hours: best Early evening · Price: GMD 150-350 · Time: 30-45 min · 13.4592, -16.5748
10A day trip to Kunta Kinteh Island
The UNESCO slave-trade site tied to the Roots story, reached by boat from the river; needs a booked operator, not a walk-in.
Hours: best Dry season · Price: Tour price, not included in the city budget · Time: Full day
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Serrekunda market and Bakau (Kachikally crocodile pool) | Shared or chartered taxi, 30-45 min | Half day |
| Abuko Nature Reserve | Taxi about 30-40 min from the coast side | Half day |
| Kunta Kinteh Island and Juffureh | Boat tour from the river, or road to Barra then a boat | Full day |
| Fort Bullen and Barra | Passenger ferry from the Banjul terminal, then a short walk | Half day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domoda lunch | Domoda (groundnut stew) · Albert Market | GMD 150-300 | Budget |
| Benachin canteen | Benachin (one-pot rice) · Albert Market | GMD 150-300 | Budget |
| Tapalapa bakery | Tapalapa bread · Albert Market | GMD 15-30 | Budget |
| Marina fish grill | Grilled fish · Marina Parade | GMD 250-450 | Mid-range |
| Afra grill | Afra (grilled meat) · Marina Parade | GMD 150-350 | Mid-range |
| Hotel dining room on the coast | International and Gambian menus · Kololi, Kotu (not Banjul island) | GMD 800-1,800 | Splurge |
Per person, one dish, 2026 estimate in dalasi. Canteen and stall names and hours change: check the day before.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | GMD 1,500-2,500 | Albert Market, Marina Parade | Simple guesthouses |
| mid | GMD 2,500-3,500 | Marina Parade | Small hotels |
Per room per night in dalasi, 2026 estimate. Banjul has very few beds compared with the coast; Tabaski and the Christmas-New Year peak add to demand nationwide.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello, how are you? | Nanga def?nan-ga def |
| Thank you | Jerejefjer-eh-jef |
| How much is this? | Nyata la?nya-ta la |
| It's too expensive | Dafa seerda-fa sair |
| Please | Su la neexeesoo la nay-khee |
| Please take me to this address | Yóbbu ma fiiyoh-boo ma fee |
| No meat, no fish, no stock cube | Amul yapp, amul jën, amul Maggia-mool yap, a-mool jen, a-mool mag-gi |
| Goodbye | Ba beneen yoonba be-neen yoh-n |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greetings: Say hello and ask how someone is before any question or purchase; skipping straight to business reads as rude.
- Right hand: Give, receive and eat with the right hand; the left is considered unclean for these purposes.
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered away from hotel grounds; most of the population is Muslim and dresses modestly.
- Photos: Ask before photographing people, and never photograph police, soldiers or government buildings.
- Ramadan: Avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight during Ramadan, even outside hotels.
- Tipping: Not expected at market stalls; round up taxi drivers; about 10% in a sit-down restaurant without a service charge.
Red lines
- Ask before photographing people, markets and the arch's police posts.
- Do not photograph police, soldiers or government buildings.
- Dress modestly: most people are Muslim; shoulders and knees covered.
Scams and watch-outs
- Self-appointed 'guides' (locally called bumsters) attach themselves at the arch, the market or the ferry queue and expect payment for unasked-for help: a firm, polite no and walking on works; agree any price before anyone starts.
- Street money-changers offer a better rate than the bank, then short-change the count: change at a bank or a licensed bureau instead.
- A vendor names a price 'for you, my friend' that is two to three times the going rate: ask a few stalls and settle before you buy.
- Shared-taxi drivers sometimes quote the 'town trip' (charter) fare for what should be a shared seat: ask other passengers what they are paying before you get in.
- Someone asks you to carry a package or deliver money 'to a relative': decline; it is not a normal local request to a stranger.
One and two days
1 day
The realistic maximum for most visitors. Skip: Fort Bullen: it needs the ferry timetable to cooperate, which a single day rarely allows.
- 07:30Arch 22, then MacCarthy Square
- 08:30Albert Market before the crowds build
- 11:00National Museum and the cathedral for the heat of the day
- 12:30Domoda lunch
- 14:00Marina Parade and the ferry terminal
- 16:00Taxi back to the coast
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- The Gambia Tourism Authority (official): www.visitthegambia.gm/
- UK FCDO travel advice — The Gambia: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/the-gambia
- Wikivoyage — Banjul: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Banjul
- Wikitravel - Banjul: wikitravel.org/en/Banjul
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Banjul
Yobbu ma fii
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- National MuseumThe Gambia National Museum
- St Mary'sSt Mary's Anglican Cathedral
- Ferry terminalBanjul–Barra ferry terminal
- DomodaDomoda lunch
- AfraAfra grill
Most embassies for The Gambia cluster around Fajara and Kotu on the coast, not on Banjul island itself; write your own embassy's line below before you travel.
Show an address written down or a landmark name; drivers work from landmarks more than street numbers.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/banjul). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.