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 · Mozambique
Maputo
Maputo is a two-day city: walk the Baixa (fort, market, Iron House, cathedral) in the morning, rest through the heat, ride a taxi to dinner, and never walk between the two after dark.
Maputo's sights sit in a few hundred metres of grid-plan streets, so a first visit is short and easy in daylight. Trips go wrong on the edges: a midday walk in the humid season, a suitcase in a shared minibus (chapa), a phone in hand after dark, and no ride arranged from the airport. Four small clusters cover the centre; Ponta do Ouro and Tofo are trips away from a kept bed.
- Country
- Mozambique
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Africa/Maputo
- Stay
- 2 days: Baixa morning, fort and station, museum; seafood dinner by taxi
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MZN
- Money
- Keep MT 2,000 in small notes for taxis and markets; withdraw at ATMs inside banks, hotels or malls in daylight.
- Daily spend
- Budget MT 1,500–3,000 excl. bed · Mid MT 3,000–7,000 excl. bed · High MT 7,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodacom, Movitel and Tmcel are the networks; Vodacom has the widest coverage along the southern coast.
- Emergency
- Police 119 · Ambulance 117 · Fire 198
- Plugs
- Types C, F, M · 220 V · 50 Hz · South African large round-pin (M) common in the south; bring an adapter for both.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: About 10% if no service charge.; Dive crew: US$5–10 per day in the tip jar.; Lodge staff: US$5–10 per guest per day in the box.; Car guards: 20–50 MT.
- Water
- Not safe from the tap; lodges provide filtered water.
- Toilets
- Flush toilets in hotels and restaurants; basic outside towns.
Get in
By air
- Maputo International Airport (MPM)
- MPM to the Baixa: one pre-booked hotel car or airport taxi, 20–45 minutes — the risk is landing with no ride arranged and a taxi driver who names a tourist fare, not the distance.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster in daylight; taxi between clusters and after dark.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the taxi fare before you get in or use a ride-hailing app if it works on your SIM.
- Late at night
- No metro or timetable to plan around; taxis are the after-dark option.
See and do
01Museu Nacional de Arte
Go in the morning or after 14:00: paintings and sculpture by Mozambican artists in a quiet building; 60–75 minutes with AC relief from the heat.
02Fortaleza de Maputo
Go in the morning: an old fort with a courtyard of statues and cannons near the port; 45 minutes; little shade in the courtyard.
03Mercado Central
Go before 10:30: fruit, fish and spice stalls in a covered market; cash only, keep bags in front, and leave before the midday heat.
04Casa de Ferro (Iron House)Casa de Ferro
Go early or late; a 10-minute look from the outside at a prefabricated iron house on Avenida Samora Machel; interior access is not guaranteed.
05Central Railway Station (CFM)Estação Central dos CFM
Look from the forecourt and the concourse for 15 minutes; a landmark building with a dome; no need to go inside beyond the hall.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Eat
- Prawn lunch in the Baixa (walk-in restaurants)
- Walk-in prawn and fish lunch near the market; go at 12:00 or after 13:30; agree the weight and price of prawns before they are cooked.
Sleep
- Baixa (city centre)
- First-timers: the Baixa keeps the fort, market and cathedral within a walk; choose a hotel with a 24h desk and a door the car can reach.
- Polana (bay side)
- Quieter nights, bigger hotels with lifts and secure doors; 10–15 minutes by taxi to the Baixa.
Language
Portuguese is the official language and the one to learn a few words of; English is common only in southern tourism and with South African visitors. Over 40 local languages are spoken, Emakhuwa in the north and Xichangana around Maputo.
- 'Bom dia' (good morning), 'obrigado/obrigada' (thank you), 'quanto custa?' (how much?).
- WhatsApp is the main channel for lodges, drivers and dive centres.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Bom dia' and a handshake, then your question; avoid: Skipping greetings with officials
- Police stops: Calm, polite, documents ready; avoid: Arguing or offering money
- Dress: Cover up off the beach; avoid: Bikinis in town
- Photos: Ask first; avoid: Police, soldiers, buildings
Red lines
- Do not photograph police, soldiers, the port or government buildings.
- Ask before photographing people, especially in markets.
Scams (Mozambique page)
- Fake e-visa and ETA sites: Use evisa.gov.mz only; lookalikes charge double.
- Checkpoint 'fines' (refresco requests): Stay polite, ask for the written ticket (multa) payable at the station; carry certified passport copies.
- Street money changers: Short counts and fake notes; use bank ATMs.
- Unlicensed dhow operators: No life jackets, no park fees paid; book through lodges.
- Overpriced 'official' car insurance: Buy third-party insurance at the official kiosk and keep the receipt.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Casa de Ferro, market, a 12:30 prawn lunch
- 08:00Casa de Ferro (Iron House)
- Mercado Central
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Baixa)
- Hotel or AC café 13:30–16:00; Polana at dusk by taxi if energy allows.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Casa de Ferro, market, a 12:30 prawn lunch
- 08:00Casa de Ferro (Iron House)
- Mercado Central
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Baixa)
- Hotel or AC café 13:30–16:00; Polana at dusk by taxi if energy allows.
Day 2 — The fort and the station, then lunch
- 08:30Fortaleza de Maputo
- Central Railway Station (CFM) (optional)
- Prawn lunch in the Baixa (walk-in restaurants)
- Evening: taxi to Polana for dinner; taxi back, do not walk.
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 foreign travel advice: Mozambique: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mozambique
- Wikivoyage — Maputo: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Maputo
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/maputo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.