In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Nigeria
Kano
Give Kano 2 nights for the old city — dye pits, Kurmi market, Gidan Makama and the Emir's Palace — and skip it if you want beaches or nightlife.
Kano is northern Nigeria's largest city and a trading centre inhabited for over a thousand years, with a walled old city, a 500-year-old indigo dye pit and Hausa street life. There is little tourist infrastructure, alcohol is restricted under Shari'a, and the sights are close together but spread from the old city to Sabon Gari. Most travellers give it two nights as a northern stop, not a holiday base.
- Country
- Nigeria
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (dry, cooler nights)
- Avoid
- Apr–Sep (heat and heavy rain; Jul–Aug wettest)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NGN
- Money
- Currency is the Nigerian naira (NGN, ₦). Exchange rates have moved sharply; change money only at banks or licensed operators.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₦25,000–45,000 excl. bed · Mid ₦45,000–90,000 excl. bed · High ₦90,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile; SIM registration needs a passport and NIN-style biometric capture — foreigners register at company offices (check).
- Emergency
- National emergency 112 · Police 112
- Plugs
- Types G, D · 230 V · 50 Hz · Grid power is unreliable; hotels run generators. Bring a power bank.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 5–10% if service is not added.; Driver day: ₦5,000–10,000.; Hotel porter: ₦500–1,000.; Guide: ₦5,000–10,000 per group.; Parking attendant ('agbero' or official): A few hundred naira; only to official attendants.
- Water
- Not safe from the tap. Bottled or sealed sachet water ('pure water') from known brands.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; carry tissue and hand sanitiser.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Bottle of water (75 cl) | ₦300–700 |
| Masa and pepper soup at a roadside stall | ₦1,000–2,500 |
| Rice or swallow with soup in a mid-range restaurant | ₦4,000–10,000 |
| Chapman or soft drink | ₦1,500–3,500 |
| Taxi across the centre | ₦2,000–5,000 |
| Museum or palace entry | ₦500–2,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KAN · Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport
- About 8 km north of the centre; the country's first airport, with regional and some international flights — check schedulesAbout 5 mi north of the centre; the country's first airport, with regional and some international flights — check schedules
Typical fares
- KAN airport → city centre, taxi
- ₦6,000–12,000, about 20–30 min
- Rickshaw, short hop in the old city
- ₦1,000–2,500
- Hired car and driver, half day
- ₦25,000–50,000
Get around
Taxis (yellow and blue) and motorbike taxis (achaba) work on agreed fares — settle the price before you get in. Daidaita sahu motorised rickshaws are common and often the cheapest short hop. Distances in the old city are short enough to walk in daylight; use a car for the airport and for Nassarawa.
See and do
Known for
- Kofar Mata dye pits
- Kurmi market
- Gidan Makama Museum
- Ancient city walls and gates
- Hausa trade and craft
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kumbotso | Road south of the city, about 15–25 min by car | About 30–45 min |
| Karaye | Road north-west of Kano, roughly 1–1.5 h by car | About 2 h |
| Bichi | Road north-west, about 1 h by car | About 2 h |
| Rano | Road south-east, roughly 1.5–2 h by car | About 3–4 h |
| Gwarzo | Road north-west, about 1.5 h by car | About 3 h |
| Bagwai | Road north, roughly 1 h by car | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Old city / around the Emir's Palace
- Walkable to Kurmi market, Gidan Makama and the dye pits; basic guesthouses, few international-standard rooms.
- Sabon Gari
- The historic non-Muslim quarter: bars, restaurants and cheaper hotels, about 10–15 min by taxi from the old city.
- Nassarawa GRA
- Quieter government-residential area with the mid-range and business hotels; 10–20 min by car to the sights.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Sannusan-nu |
| Thank you | Na godena go-de |
| How much is it? | Nawa ne?na-wa ne |
| Please | Don Allahdon al-lah |
| Where is the toilet? | Ina bandaki?ee-na ban-da-ki |
| I don't understand | Ban gane baban ga-ne ba |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Greet with a handshake and a question about family; Yoruba juniors may bow or kneel to elders; avoid: Rushing to business
- Titles: Use Sir, Ma, Chief, Alhaji; avoid: First names with older people
- Hands: Right hand to give, receive and eat; avoid: The left hand for money or food
- Dress: Smart clothes for churches, offices and events; modest dress in the north; avoid: Shorts in the north
- Hospitality: Accept food or drink offered; avoid: Flat refusals
- Photos: Ask first; avoid: Police, soldiers, airports, government buildings
Scams and watch-outs
- Agree every taxi or rickshaw fare before departure; there are no meters.
- Alcohol is restricted under Shari'a: most hotels do not serve it, and Sabon Gari is the main area where bars operate.
- Electricity brownouts are common — carry a power bank and a torch.
- Check your government's travel advice for Kano State before booking; there have been past sectarian incidents, though they have not targeted foreigners.
- Foreign cash is rarely accepted: change money at a bank or ATM and keep small naira notes.
Kano is generally calm for visitors, but check your government's state-by-state advice before booking. The practical risks are heat, traffic, unmetered taxis and pickpocketing in markets; keep valuables out of sight and avoid large crowds.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kano yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kofar Mata dye pits
- Kurmi market
- Gidan Makama Museum
- Ancient city walls and gates
- Hausa trade and craft
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Nigeria Railway Corporation: nrc.gov.ng
- Wikivoyage: Kano, revision 5278713 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5278713
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kano
Kai ni wannan adireshin, don Allah
Take me to this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies and high commissions are in Abuja; some countries keep a consulate or honorary consul in Kano — check before you travel.
English is the official language; Hausa is the street language and a few words go a long way.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kano). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.