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Voykit pocket guide · Guinea-Bissau
Bissau
Bissau is a one-to-two-night base: see the old fort and the port in the morning, keep midday indoors, take a car after dark — and settle the island boat and the return flight before you leave the city.
Bissau is a small capital with few services, few flights and almost no cash machines that take foreign cards. The trips that go wrong arrive with no ride arranged, carry too little cash, or plan an island boat without a buffer night. Four clusters cover a first visit; the Bijagós boat leaves from a separate quay and the lodge arranges it. The political situation can change at short notice: check your government's advice before you book.
- Country
- Guinea-Bissau
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Nov · Dec
- Time zone
- Africa/Bissau
- Stay
- 1 days: Old fort and port morning, Bandim market
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- XOF
- Money
- Cash (XOF) for almost everything outside hotels; few places take cards, and cash machines rarely accept foreign cards. Bring euros to change, plus a stock of small XOF notes.
- Daily spend
- Budget XOF 8,000–15,000 excl. bed · Mid XOF 15,000–35,000 excl. bed · High XOF 35,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Buy a local SIM (Orange or MTN) with your passport at a shop on the Avenida, or a tourist eSIM before you fly if your provider covers Guinea-Bissau.
- Emergency
- No reliable national number Use your hotel, driver and insurer's numbers
- Plugs
- 220 V; two-pin European sockets (types C and F). Bring a universal adapter.
- Tipping
- Not expected at stalls. Round up for drivers; 5–10% in hotel restaurants if you were pleased.
- Water
- Tap water is not for drinking; buy sealed bottles.
- Toilets
- Hotels and the larger cafés; carry tissues, there is little else.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Plate of caldo de mancarra or grilled fish | XOF 1,500–2,500 |
| Bottle of water | XOF 300–600 |
| Short taxi ride across the centre | XOF 1,000–2,000 |
| Half-day car with a driver | XOF 15,000–25,000 |
| Tourist SIM with data, about a week | XOF 3,000–6,000 |
| Museum or fort entry | XOF 1,000–2,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB)
- OXB to the city: one pre-booked hotel car, 20–50 minutes — the risk is a flight that lands with no ride arranged and few taxis afterwards, not the distance.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Road border with Senegal (São Domingos / Ziguinchor) | Northern approach from Senegal | Car 2–3 h from the border to Bissau |
| Road border with Guinea (Guinea-Conakry) | Southern and eastern approach | Car several hours from the border to Bissau |
| Pidjiguiti quay | Boats to the Bijagós islands and Bolama | Already in the city |
Typical fares
- OXB to the Avenida, hotel car
- XOF 5,000–10,000, 15–25 min
- Short taxi ride across the centre
- XOF 1,000–2,000
Get around
Walk inside a cluster by day, take a taxi or hotel-arranged car between clusters and always after dark. There is no metro and no formal bus network for visitors to rely on.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside a cluster, daytime only |
| Hotel-arranged car | XOF 1,500–2,500 a short hop; XOF 15,000–25,000 a half day | Between clusters, bags, after dark |
| Street taxi (shared or private) | Agree first: about XOF 1,000–2,000 for a short hop | Daytime hops if a hotel car is not available |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the fare before you get in; hire a driver by the half-day for several stops.
- Late at night
- No rail. Taxis are few after dark: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.
See and do
01São José da Amura fort at openingFortaleza de São José da Amura
The city's oldest structure and Amílcar Cabral's tomb, quiet before the heat.
Hours: best 07:30–09:00 · Price: Free–XOF 1,000 (check) · Time: 30–45 min
02National Heroes' SquarePraça dos Heróis Nacionais
The central monument to the independence war, a short walk from the cathedral.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 10–15 min
03Presidential Palace ruinsRuínas do Palácio da Presidência
A blunt, unmissable reminder of the 1998–99 civil war, seen from the road.
Hours: best Any time · Price: Free · Time: 10–15 min
04Pidjiguiti memorialMemorial do Pidjiguiti
Marks the 1959 massacre that pushed the country toward independence.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 15–20 min
05Bandim marketMercado de Bandim
The country's biggest market, loud and full, best seen early and briefly.
Hours: best 07:30–09:30 · Price: Free · Time: 20–30 min
06Grilled fish lunch near the port
Fresh fish off the boats, eaten at open-air stalls.
Hours: best 12:00–14:00 · Price: XOF 2,000–3,500 · Time: 45–60 min
07National Ethnographic MuseumMuseu Etnográfico Nacional
A small window onto Bijagós and mainland material culture, if it is open.
Hours: best Mid-morning · Price: XOF 1,000–2,000 (check) · Time: 30–45 min
08São José da Amura fortFortaleza de São José da Amura
17th-century Portuguese fort with Amílcar Cabral's tomb inside.
Price: Free–XOF 1,000 (check)
09Bissau CathedralCatedral de Bissau
The city's Catholic cathedral on the main avenue.
Price: Free
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bijagós islands (Bubaque and the archipelago) | Boat from a separate quay, arranged by your lodge, 2–4 h depending on the island | Overnight minimum |
| Bolama, the old colonial capital | Boat or light aircraft, about 2–3 h by boat | Full day or overnight |
| Cacheu | Car, about 2.5–3 h each way on paved and unpaved road | Full day |
| Varela and the Cacheu river beaches | Car, about 3–4 h each way | Overnight better than a day trip |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut stew (caldo de mancarra) eatery | Caldo de mancarra (peanut stew) · Avenida Amílcar Cabral | XOF 1,500–2,500 | Budget |
| Fried snack stalls at Bandim market | Akara and market fruit · Bandim | XOF 300–1,000 | Budget |
| Café and bakery on the Avenida | Bread, pastries and coffee · Avenida Amílcar Cabral | XOF 500–1,500 | Budget |
| Grilled fish stalls near the port | Grilled fish with rice · Pidjiguiti port | XOF 2,000–3,500 | Mid-range |
| Hotel restaurants on the Avenida | Portuguese and international dishes · Avenida Amílcar Cabral | XOF 8,000–15,000 | Splurge |
Per person, one dish, 2026 estimate. Addresses and hours change: check the day before.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | XOF 15,000–25,000 | Bissau Velho and the centre | Simple guesthouses |
| mid | XOF 25,000–50,000 | Avenida Amílcar Cabral | Mid-range hotels |
| splurge | XOF 60,000+ | Avenida Amílcar Cabral | The city's few upper-tier hotels |
Per room per night in XOF, 2026 estimate.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá / Bon diaoh-LAH / bon DEE-ah |
| Thank you | Obrigado/aoh-bree-GAH-doo |
| How much is this? | Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-tah |
| Not spicy, please | Sem pimenta, por favorsain pee-MEN-tah poor fah-VOR |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favorah KON-tah poor fah-VOR |
| Please take me to this address | Leve-me a este endereço, por favorLEH-veh meh ah ESH-teh en-deh-REH-soo |
| How are you? | Kuma ku bo sta?KOO-mah koo bo STAH |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greetings: Greet before you ask anything — a question or purchase without a greeting first reads as rude.
- Cathedral and mosques: Cover shoulders and knees; ask before photographing worshippers.
- Photos: Never photograph soldiers, police, military sites, the port or government buildings; ask before photographing people generally.
- Political talk: Keep opinions on current politics to yourself in public; the situation is sensitive and fast-moving.
- Paying and haggling: Haggle at markets, not in shops with a posted price; hand money over with the right hand.
Red lines
- Do not photograph military sites, soldiers, police, the port or government buildings.
- Ask before photographing people, and at the markets.
- Greet people before any question or purchase.
Scams and watch-outs
- XOF notes look similar across denominations: count change slowly and in front of the seller.
- Unofficial money-changers offering a better rate than a bank or bureau: short-changing and fake notes are the risk.
- A driver who names a per-person or per-stop price at the end of a ride: agree the total fare, or the half-day rate, before you get in.
- Anyone offering unasked to 'help' with your bags at the airport or the port: agree a price first or decline.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Fort, cathedral, a 12:30 lunch table on the Avenida
- 08:00São José da Amura fort
- Bissau Cathedral (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Avenida)
- Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; the National Heroes' Square on the way, unless a gathering forms.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Fort, cathedral, a 12:30 lunch table on the Avenida
- 08:00São José da Amura fort
- Bissau Cathedral (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Avenida)
- Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; the National Heroes' Square on the way, unless a gathering forms.
Day 2 — Pidjiguiti quay at 07:30, grilled fish lunch
- 07:30Pidjiguiti memorial
- Grilled fish stalls near the port
- Evening: a café on the Avenida by car; book the ride back before you go.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- UK FCDO travel advice — Guinea-Bissau: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guinea-bissau
- Wikivoyage — Bissau: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Bissau
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Bissau
Leve-me a este endereço, por favor
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Fortaleza de São José da AmuraSão José da Amura fort
- Praça dos Heróis NacionaisNational Heroes' Square
- Ruínas do Palácio da PresidênciaPresidential Palace ruins
- Memorial do PidjiguitiPidjiguiti memorial
- Mercado de BandimBandim market
- Museu Etnográfico NacionalNational Ethnographic Museum
- No reliable national numberUse your hotel, driver and insurer's numbers
Few countries keep a resident embassy in Bissau; write your own embassy's nearest office (often Dakar) and number below before you fly.
Landmarks work better than street addresses with a driver; show the hotel name and the nearest known building.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/bissau-guinea-bissau). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.