Tanzania / Zanzibar / Stone TownStone Town
Spice Island Lanes, Carved Doors and Sunset Street Food
Zanzibar's old town, a UNESCO site of coral-stone houses, carved Arab and Indian doors and narrow lanes where Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian and European history meet: the old slave market and Anglican cathedral, the Old Fort, Freddie Mercury's birthplace, rooftop dinners and the Forodhani Gardens night market of grilled seafood and Zanzibar "pizza". The island's airport and the ferry from Dar es Salaam are here; spice farm tours and Prison Island's giant tortoises are half-day trips. Zanzibar is conservative and mostly Muslim: cover shoulders and knees in town. Every visitor must buy Zanzibar's US$44 inbound travel insurance.
Highlights
- Stone Town walking tour of the carved doors
- Old Slave Market and Anglican Cathedral
- Forodhani Gardens night food market
- Spice farm tour
- Giant tortoises on Prison Island
- Sunset dhow cruise
- Rooftop dinner over the harbour
- Nakupenda sandbank picnic
Things to do
- Stone Town walking tour and the Old Slave MarketMorning · 3h
- Spice farm tour with a Swahili lunchMorning · 4h
- Prison Island boat ride and the giant tortoisesAfternoon · 3h
- Sunset dhow cruiseEvening · 2h
- Forodhani Gardens night food marketEvening · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: June – October, December – February
Worth knowing
Zanzibar Long Rains
April and May are Zanzibar's wettest months: heavy rain most days, humid heat, rough seas for boat trips, and some hotels closed. Rates are at their lowest.
Worth knowing
Zanzibar's Compulsory Travel Insurance
Every visitor to Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation's inbound travel insurance, US$44 a person (US$22 for children aged 3-17), valid up to 92 days, even with another policy. Buy it online before you arrive; it is checked at the airport and the ferry port.
Heads up
Ramadan in Zanzibar
Ramadan 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 9 March. Many local restaurants and cafes in Stone Town close until sunset, and eating, drinking or smoking in the street by day causes offence; cover shoulders and knees, and swimwear stays on the beach. Hotels and resorts serve visitors normally. Eid (about 10 March) fills the ferries and flights.
- Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr — Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim. During Ramadan (expected about 8 February to 9 March 2027, by moon sighting) many local restaurants in Stone Town close until sunset, eating, drinking and smoking in public by day is frowned on, and modest dress matters more than ever; hotels and beach resorts serve visitors as usual. The evenings are lively, and Eid (about 10 March 2027) brings three days of celebration, fairs and full ferries.
- Sauti za Busara music festival — Four days of African music on stages in the Old Fort in Stone Town, usually in February, with street parades. It has skipped some years for lack of funding: check the festival's announcement before planning round it, and book rooms early if it is on.
- Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) — East Africa's biggest film festival, with open-air screenings and concerts in the Old Fort and round Stone Town, usually in late June or July.
- Mwaka Kogwa (Shirazi New Year), Makunduchi — The Shirazi new year in Makunduchi village in Zanzibar's south, usually in late July: a ritual mock fight with banana stems, the burning of a hut, then feasting, music and dancing. A short drive from Jambiani; visitors are welcome.
- Christmas and New Year peak — The busiest fortnight of the year in Zanzibar and on the northern circuit: lodges set peak rates and minimum stays, Zanzibar resorts add gala dinners, and Kilimanjaro climbs fill. Book lodges, bush flights and the climb by September or October.
Part of a longer route
Stone Town is a stop on a curated circuit through Tanzania.