Lagos

Prepare

Arm yourself with confidence and attitude - arrival in mind-boggling Lagos is not for the faint-hearted. Take everything that you could possibly need with you.

Lagos Year

Nigeria has many local festivals but they are mostly private and spiritual affairs related to local religions, legend, history, family, or marking events like a funeral or investing of a new chief. A visitor may be lucky enough to see a colourful local parade.

Public Holidays

New Year's Day, Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), Labour Day (1 May), National Day (1 Oct), Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec). In addition, Muslim holy days are recognised in certain areas.

Weather

Lagos is continuously hot and humid with an average temperature of 32°C so air-conditioning is essential year round. The months between February and April are the hottest, while the long monsoon rainy season is from February to August, when roads flood and humidity is especially high. The best time to travel is in the dry season from September to January.

Electricity

220V AC, 50 Hz, three-pin British-style plugs are standard.

Dialling Code

+234 (national), (0) 1 + 7-figure number (Lagos).

Lagos Tourist Info

Lagos Tourism website

Fit In

Nigerians are snappy dressers and men and women wear elaborate, colourful traditional robes and headdresses to church and special occasions. Modest Western clothes for visitors are fine, with a suit for business meetings.

Highlights

Lagos is a giant pulsating city with a lot of atmosphere. Explore the relatively upmarket suburbs of business-driven Victoria Island and leafy residential Ikoyi, or immerse yourself into the African core of the city on Lagos Island.

Head for chaotic Lagos Island to find relics of Nigeria's physical and spiritual history at the National Museum, drink up the street life in the heaving narrow lanes, and see the rusting hulks of oil tankers in Lagos Harbour.

On the Lekki Peninsular you can find the gallery of one of Nigeria's most famous artists, Nike Davies-Okundaye with art and cloth on display from all over Nigeria. Spend an afternoon in the swampy marshes of the Lekki Conservation Centre or rummage at Lekki Market for West African baubles.

Orientation in the city can be confusing for the first-time visitor. The Five Cowrie Creek (named because it used to cost five cowries to cross by ferry) separates Victoria Island and the adjoined (by landfill) Lekki Peninsula with Lagos Island and Ikoyi both also joined by landfill. These two areas are linked by a steady stream of traffic over Falomo Bridge. The islands are joined to the mainland by the Third Mainline Bridge, which spreads several kilometres across the Lagos Lagoon.

Sightseeing Tips

Lagos's limited sites are best explored with a guide. Traffic is incomprehensibly hectic, so go with a local driver. Rather than get frustrated, sit back and enjoy the traffic jams - known as ‘go-slows' - to fully take in the frenetic street life.

Food & Drink

If you're up for the challenge, try fiery Nigerian cuisine that's laden with chillies, or stick to a wide choice of continental food, washed down with a good local beer.

Top notch: Victoria Island

Pricey upmarket restaurants aimed at expats can be found in large residential houses around Victoria Island. Eat Thai, Chinese, Italian or French in opulent surroundings or opt for cheap snacks at the Mega Plaza's food court.

Hotel style: Eko Hotel

One of Lagos's best hotels, the Eko offers good-value, relaxed dining in a number of rooms. Choose a spot on the poolside terrace for views across the Kuramo Lagoon.

Party vibe: Ikoyi

Nightlife hotspot Awolowo Road is a restaurant- and bar-packed strip. Reasonably priced Italian and Indian spots sit alongside Lebanese dinner/dance venues and late-night pubs. During the day, a couple galleries and flower shops offer coffee and cake.

Dining Tips

Except for at the cheap food stalls, 10% service charge is added to every restaurant bill so additional tipping is not necessary. Pre-arrange transport from venues at night because Lagos is not the place to hang around on the street waiting for a taxi.

Shop

Haggle for Nigerian indigo cloth, hand-made beads, wooden masks and sculptures in the markets, or choose quality West African pieces of art in the galleries.

Shopping Streets

Browse the handful of expensive but exquisite galleries for fine modern and antique objets d'art on Alowowo Road and Victoria Island. Also on Alowowo Road, culture vultures should head for the JazzHole, easily Lagos's best book and music shop, packed with interesting items from all over West Africa.

Markets

Lagos's markets are packed with hundreds of stalls and thousands of people. Lekki Market is claustrophobic, but worth fighting through to get to the genuine bead and cloth sections. Try the calmer tourist markets outside the Federal Palace and Eko hotels for traditional African curios, but be prepared to haggle hard.

Shopping Tips

Credit cards are not accepted in Nigeria, and US Dollars are rarely used, so a fat bundle of Naira is needed to shop. This should be carried discreetly. Shops and markets are generally open Monday to Saturday from 8am-5pm.

Nightlife

Lagos has a vibrant and pumping nightlife scene with bars, discos and live music venues carrying on until dawn. These can be rough and ready, and safety is an issue after dark, so it's best to go with a local.

Adventurous: Mainland

Although the hotspot for local Nigerian music, exercise extreme caution on any visit to mainland Lagos. Clubs like New Afrika Shrine or Motherlan', where renowned saxophonist and Grammy nominee and son of Fela, Femi Kuti played, attract thousands of revellers.

Bright lights: Ikoyi

Better known for restaurants, Awolowo Road's strip has a spattering of late-night bars and Lebanese clubs with dance floors. They are decadently seedy but reasonably safe to visit, and some host live jazz.

Island vibe: Victoria Island

Visitors will feel at home at Victoria Island's more secure nightspots. Find a well-heeled Nigerian crowd in a sophisticated setting at the Club Towers Priv'E and Bambuddha, and televised sports and buffet food at the Kuramo Sports Café. The expat crowd has been hanging around at Pat's Place for over 30 years.

Nightlife Tips

Nightclubs don't get going until 11pm and carry on until the sun comes up. It's wise to be accompanied and get lots of local advice before staying out all night in Lagos.

Soundtracks

Get into Lagos's rhythm and soul by listening to Ja Funmi from world-acclaimed musician King Sunny Ade. The King, also known as the Minister of Enjoyment, plays infectious juju music. Or explore the city to Sorrow, Tears and Blood by the late Fela Kuti, famous for afrobeat music that usually carries a protest element.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.