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 · Guinea
Conakry
Conakry is a two-night base: see the museum and the port in the morning, keep midday and rush hour indoors, take a car door to door — and check your government's travel advice before you book.
Conakry sits on a narrow peninsula with one main road, so a 12 km leg can take two hours. Power cuts, heavy rain from May to October and political demonstrations can change a day at short notice. Four clusters cover a first visit; the Îles de Los boat and the highlands are separate trips from a kept Conakry bed, and every leg here is a car with a driver you know.
- Country
- Guinea
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Nov · Dec
- Time zone
- Africa/Conakry
- Stay
- 2 days: Kaloum museum and port, corniche evening
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GNF
- Money
- Cash rules. Bring euros or US dollars in clean, recent notes, change them at a bank or licensed bureau, and carry small GNF notes. Cards work in a few hotels and larger restaurants and are not reliable; cash machines may not accept foreign cards.
- Daily spend
- Budget GNF 300,000–600,000 excl. bed · Mid GNF 600,000–1,500,000 excl. bed · High GNF 1,500,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Buy a local SIM from a branded operator shop with your passport; registration is required. Check current operators and coverage with your hotel.
- Emergency
- Emergency lines Ask the hotel; numbers vary and may not connect
- Plugs
- 230 V; European two-pin plugs (types C and F), some sockets take type K (check). Bring a universal adapter and a power bank.
- Tipping
- Not expected at stands and canteens. Round up drivers; 5–10% in a restaurant if no service is added.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; buy sealed bottled water and check the seal.
- Toilets
- Hotels and larger cafés; carry tissues and hand gel.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee (café) | GNF 10,000–30,000 |
| Rice and sauce at a canteen | GNF 30,000–70,000 |
| Beer, hotel bar | GNF 25,000–50,000 |
| Short taxi ride inside a cluster | GNF 20,000–50,000 |
| Car with driver, half day | GNF 500,000–900,000 |
| Tourist SIM, about a week | GNF 80,000–200,000 |
| Museum entry | GNF 20,000–60,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Conakry International Airport, Gbessia (CKY)
- CKY to the city: one pre-booked hotel car, 40–110 minutes depending on traffic — the risk is landing with no car arranged and the one road into the peninsula at rush hour.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Bus and shared-taxi garages (Garages on the main road out of the city) | Kindia, Mamou, Labé and the interior | Car 30–90 min depending on traffic |
| Hotel or operator pick-ups | Îles de Los boat trips, Kindia and highland trips | Already there |
Typical fares
- Airport → Kaloum, hotel car
- GNF 200,000–350,000, 40–110 min depending on traffic
- Short taxi ride, agreed first
- GNF 20,000–50,000
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk inside a cluster by day only; use a hotel-arranged car with a driver between clusters and after dark. There is no rail or metro, and the one main road sets the pace of every plan.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside a cluster by day |
| Hotel-arranged car with driver | GNF 500,000–900,000 half day (check) | Between clusters, bags, night, day trips |
| Street taxi | Agree first: GNF 20,000–50,000 for a short ride | Short hops in daylight |
| Shared taxi or minibus | Cheap | Not recommended for a first visit |
| Ride-hailing app | Varies | If 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 thin out after dark and in heavy rain: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.
See and do
01National Museum of GuineaMusée National de Sandervalia
The calmest indoor hour in the city: masks, instruments and objects from across the regions.
Hours: best Morning · Price: GNF 20,000–60,000 · Time: 45–60 min
02Boulbinet fishing portPort de Boulbinet
The working fishing landing: boats, ice and traders at first light.
Hours: best Early morning · Price: Free · Time: 30–45 min
03The Corniche at CamayenneCorniche de Camayenne
Sea air and a shore walk by day; the easiest pleasant stop in the city.
Hours: best Late afternoon · Price: Free · Time: 45–60 min
04Grand MosqueGrande Mosquée Fayçal
One of the largest mosques in West Africa; a landmark of the city.
Hours: best Morning, outside prayer times · Price: Free · Time: 20–30 min
05Madina marketMarché de Madina
The biggest market in Conakry, for a brief, early look only.
Hours: best 07:30 · Price: Free to browse · Time: 30–45 minHours: best 7:30 AM · Price: Free to browse · Time: 30–45 min
06Marché du Niger
The smaller, easier market near the centre.
Hours: best Early morning · Price: Free to browse · Time: 30–45 min · 9.5121, -13.7092
07Sainte-Marie CathedralCathédrale Sainte-Marie
A short exterior-and-interior stop in Kaloum.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 15–20 min · 9.5118, -13.7113
08Grilled fish at dusk
The classic Conakry evening, at an open-air stall on the shore road.
Hours: best 17:30–20:30 · Price: GNF 60,000–120,000 · Time: 60–90 minHours: best 5:30 PM–8:30 PM · Price: GNF 60,000–120,000 · Time: 60–90 min
09Îles de Los
The nearest beach escape, offshore from the peninsula.
Hours: best Dry season · Price: GNF 400,000–900,000 (check) · Time: Full day
10Corniche at CamayenneCorniche de Camayenne
The shore road for a sea-air walk by day and grilled fish at dusk.
Hours: Daylight · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Îles de Los (Kassa, Tamara, Roume) | Boat from the port area, about 30–60 min depending on the boat and sea | Full day |
| Kindia and the Fouta Djallon foothills | Car, about 2–3 h each way on the main road (traffic dependent) | Full day or an overnight |
| Dubréka and the coast north | Car about 1–1.5 h, traffic dependent | Half day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread, omelette and coffee stands in Kaloum | Bread with omelette and coffee · Kaloum | GNF 15,000–40,000 | Budget |
| Rice-and-sauce canteens in Kaloum | Rice with a sauce · Kaloum | GNF 30,000–60,000 | Budget |
| Rice with leaf sauce near Madina market | Rice with leaf sauce · Madina | GNF 30,000–70,000 | Budget |
| Grilled fish stalls on the Corniche | Grilled fish with onions and rice · Corniche | GNF 60,000–120,000 | Mid-range |
| Grilled chicken stands in Camayenne | Grilled chicken with fries or rice · Camayenne | GNF 60,000–120,000 | Mid-range |
| Sit-down restaurants in Camayenne | A seated dinner with a menu · Camayenne | GNF 200,000–500,000 | Splurge |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate. Hours change: check the day before.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | GNF 500,000–900,000 | Kaloum, Camayenne guesthouses | Guesthouses and small hotels |
| mid | GNF 900,000–2,000,000 | Kaloum, Camayenne | 3–4 star hotels |
| splurge | GNF 2,500,000–5,000,000+ | Camayenne and Kaloum international hotels | International-standard hotels |
Per room per night in GNF, 2026 estimate. Check generator, AC and 24-hour desk.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-zhoor |
| Thank you | Mercimehr-see |
| How much is this? | C'est combien ?seh kom-byan |
| Little chili, please | Peu de piment, s'il vous plaîtpuh duh pee-mon, seel voo pleh |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-syon, seel voo pleh |
| Please take me to this address | Emmenez-moi à cette adresse, s'il vous plaîtom-nay mwa ah set ah-dress, seel voo pleh |
| No, thank you | Non, mercinon, mehr-see |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greetings: Greet first, with a handshake or a spoken 'bonjour', before you ask anything or start a purchase.
- Right hand: Give and receive money, food and objects with the right hand or both hands, not the left alone.
- Mosques and churches: Cover shoulders and knees; remove shoes at a mosque; do not photograph worshippers.
- Photos: Never photograph government buildings, soldiers, police, the port or the airport; ask before photographing people.
- Alcohol and dress: The city is mostly Muslim: dress modestly and keep alcohol to hotels and licensed venues.
- Paying and haggling: Haggle politely at markets; never at canteens with a set price or in shops with tags.
Red lines
- Do not photograph government buildings, soldiers, police, the port or the airport.
- Ask before photographing people at the markets.
- Dress modestly at the mosque and in the neighbourhoods; cover shoulders and knees.
Scams and watch-outs
- Self-appointed 'guides' or 'helpers' at the museum, the port and the market who ask for a fee afterwards: agree nothing, or agree a price first.
- Taxi drivers who quote a very high fare to a foreigner: agree the fare before you get in, or use a hotel-arranged driver.
- Street money-changers offering a better rate: short-changing and counterfeit risk. Use a bank or a licensed bureau.
- Uniformed or plain-clothes people asking to see your passport or asking for a 'fee' at a checkpoint: stay calm, be polite, carry a copy, and ask your hotel how to handle it.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover before a highlands or islands trip. Skip: Madina market and the Îles de Los: each needs its own morning or day.
- 08:008:00 AMNational Museum of Guinea
- 10:0010:00 AMSainte-Marie Cathedral, short stop
- 12:3012:30 PMRice and sauce for lunch
- 14:002:00 PMRest indoors (AC) through the heat
- 17:305:30 PMThe Corniche and grilled fish at dusk
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: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guinea
- Wikivoyage — Conakry: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Conakry
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Conakry
Emmenez-moi à cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Musée National de SandervaliaNational Museum of Guinea
- Port de BoulbinetBoulbinet fishing port
- Corniche de CamayenneCorniche at Camayenne
- Grande Mosquée FayçalGrand Mosque
- Marché de MadinaMadina market
- Cathédrale Sainte-MarieSainte-Marie Cathedral
- Emergency linesAsk the hotel; numbers vary and may not connect
Note your embassy's 24-hour line and your hotel's number before you go out.
Give your driver a district and a landmark; house numbers are rarely used.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/conakry). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.