From Wikitravel

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 Climate 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By train 2.3 By car 2.4 By bus 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Learn 7 Work 8 Buy 9 Eat 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 9.3 Splurge 10 Nightlife 11 Sleep 11.1 Budget 11.2 Mid-range 11.3 Splurge 12 Contact 13 Stay safe 14 Cope 15 Get out

Understand

With over 5 million people, the city is located in the geographic center of the country. The city's population is divided by class, with the majority of the wealthiest people living in the Southeast and Southwest parts of town. There are more than 120 international missions and embassies in Addis-Ababa, making the city a fore front for international deplomacy concerning Africa. The headquarters of the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa can both be found in the city. The United States has decided to open a second embassy responsible to African Union. That would make Addis Ababa the only city in Africa to host two US embassies.

Climate

Because of its high elevation, Addis can get chilly at night. Save your T-Shirts only for day time.

Get in

By plane

Bole International Airport, ADD is serviced by several international airlines with daily flights to Europe, United States, and Asia as well as intern-African destinations includng Accra, Brazzaville, Cairo, Dakar, Dar Es Salaam, Djibouti, Khartoum, Harare, Johannesburg, Nairobi.

• British Airways.
• Ethiopian Airlines, +251-11-661-6161, +251-11-661 6666, [1]. This airport is their primary hub. Offers domestic, continental and worldwide flights.
• KLM.
• Lufthansa.
• Sudan Airways.

By train

• Arrive via Djibouti. Over 700km trip that takes approximately 24 hour trip from point to point, stopping about halfway in Dire Dawa. Reservations are strongly recommended.

By car

• Some of the roads are in pretty poor condition, so keep this in mind when estimating time between destinations.

By bus

• Bus terminals:
  • Autobus Terra near Mercato. This is the main bus terminal where most of the national buses arrive and depart.
  • Ras Mekonin Avenue near the railway station. Buses to/from Adama (Nazret) and Debre Zeyit are here.

Get around

• Very few streets have names and when they do, they may not be named correctly on a map; use landmarks to navigate the city.
• Blue and white minibuses travel quite efficiently around the town. To catch a minibus stand on the side of the road and hail it. This can be done anywhere it is possible for the bus to stop. The conductor inside will call out the destination, and you get on. The cost ranges from .65 ETB for a short trip, to 1.20ETB or more. It is worth having an Ethiopian guide you if it is your first time using these taxis.
• Small blue colored taxis are more expensive. They range from 10ETB for a very short journey, to about 35ETB for a cross town trek. Negotiation is the norm and you often have to press quite hard to get a bargain as a foriegner. They can be contracted for a full day, just negotiate.
• Walking in Addis Ababa is a pleasent and sensible way of getting around, however beggars and other hangers-on will most likely bother you.

See

• Ethiopian National Museum. See a plaster replica of Lucy, an early hominid.

• Africa Hall is located across Menelik II avenue from this Palace and is where the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is headquartered as well as most UN offices in Ethiopia. It is also the site of the founding of the Organization for African Unity (OAU) which eventually became the African Union.

• Near Holy Trinity Cathedral is the Parliament building, built during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, with its clock tower. It continues to serve as the seat of Parliament today.

• Shengo Hall, built by the Derg regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam as its new parliament hall. The Shengo Hall was the world's largest pre-fabricated building, which was constructed in Finland before being assembled in Addis Ababa. It is used for large meetings and conventions.

• Near Bole International Airport is the new Medhane Alem (Savior of the World) Cathedral, which is the second largest in Africa.

• In the Merkato district, which happens to be the largest open market in Africa, is the impressive Anwar Mosque. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family is also in the Merkato district.

Other features of the city include the large Merkato market, the Jan Meda Race Ground racecourse, Bihere Tsige Recreation Centre and a railway line to Djibouti, while the Entoto Mountains start among the northern suburbs.

• Suburbs of the city include Shiro Meda and Entoto in the north, Urael and Bole (home to Bole International Airport) in the east, Nifas Silk in the south-east, Mekanisa in the south, and Keraniyo and Kolfe in the west.

• Menelik's old Imperial Palace which remains the official seat of government
• National Palace formerly known as the Jubilee Palace, built to mark Emperor Haile Selassie's Silver Jubilee in 1955, which is the residence of the President of Ethiopia.

• The Hager Fikir Theatre, the oldest theatre in Ethiopia, is located at the Piazza district.
• Ethiopian National Library.
• Ethiopian Ethnological Musem.
• Addis Ababa Museum.
• Ethiopian National History Museum.
• Ethiopian Railway Museum
• National Postal Museum.
• St George's Cathedral, North end of Churchill Road. Built in 1896 to commemorate Ethiopia's victory over the Italians. Open 8am - 9am, Noon - 2pm. Also houses a museum.
• Holy Trinity Cathedral. The burial place for many famous people and once the largest Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral. Built to commemorate the country's liberation from the Italian.
• National Palace. Once known as the Jubilee Palace, the National Palace is the President's residence.
• Africa Hall, Menelik II Avenue. The headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
• Bole Medhane-Alem, The second largest Cathedral in Africa.

Do

• Jan Moda Race Ground.
• Bihere Tsige Recreation Center.

Learn

Addis Ababa University is the largest and the oldest university in Ethiopia. It was originally named "University College of Addis Ababa" at its founding, then renamed for the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I in 1962, receiving its current name in 1975.

Although the university has six of its seven campuses within Addis Ababa (the seventh is located in Debre Zeit, about 45 kilometers away), it also maintains branches in many cities throughout Ethiopia, leading to the claim of being "the largest university in Africa." The government assigns qualifed students to these universities upon completion of secondary school. Students also attend other private colleges, such as Unity College. Addis Ababa University was founded in 1950 at the request of Haile Selassie by a Canadian Jesuit, Dr Lucien Matte as a two-year college, and began operations the next year. Over the following two years an affiliation with the University of London was developed. There is also Theological College of the Holy Trinity, a theological school of higher education located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It provides religious and secular education to both clergy and lay members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as well seeking to be a center of theological and ecclesiastical study for all Oriental Orthodox Churches as well.

Originally founded as a high school by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1942, the college division was added in 5 October 1960, and the elementary education section eliminated on 18 December 1961 and the college became one of the chartered units of this first National University of Ethiopia.

Work

• There is a high demand forIT professionals.
• Many start-up companies search for individuals with computer networking and consulting backgorund.
• Addis-Ababa has the highest number of NGO's in Africa, and possibley in entire third world countries in the globe. They are well known for paying good salaries for their employees.
• The unemployment rate in Addis is extreemly high. Especially, to those unskilled young men and women.
• Many expatriets work in NGO's and small start-up IT companies.
• Comparing to other African cities, Addis-Ababa has a high number of big, medium and small sized computer training schools, governmental and private learning institutions. Many students who attend there hope to land an IT or consulting job, in the very scarce job market of the city.

Buy

• Merkato. The merkato is the largest outdoor market in the world, and you can get anything from tourist goods (t-shirts, wood crafts, etc.) to fabric to metal goods there. Haggling and bargaining are standard procedure, and foreigners (especially those of European ancenstry) should expect to be charged higher prices. To ensure a positive experience, maintain a sense of humor, don't be afraid to negotiate aggressively, and above all don't let yourself be bullied the many "brokers" who frequent the market, and will try to steer you towards certain stores in exchange for a kick-back from the merchant. You will be able to negotiate lower prices if you can avoid brokers, and especially if you have a local friend or guide to buy things on your behalf.

Eat

Budget

The cafes along Bole Road and around the Piassa area are of a high standard and relatively inexpensive. Most are very similiar to each other. Most cafes serve the common drink called 'juice spritz' which is fruit pulp served in layers in a glass. There are usually 3 layers from a selection of avocado, mango, papaya, banana, guava etc. The juice is eaten with a spoon. It is colourful and tastes delicious.

Cafe Chocolata on Victory Road (near Shoppers Mart supermarket) serves drinks and snacks and is very nice. All the staff are former street girls and prostitutes who are trying to make something of their lives.

City Cafe on Bole has delicious cakes and pastries as well as high quality Ethiopian expresso coffees. You can sit on the porch and watch the activity on one of the main roads in Addis.

Mid-range

• Habesha Bole Road. This cultural restaurant has traditional singing and dancing at night. If you're feeling brave, try the gored gored (cubes of heavily salted and spiced raw beef).
• Team Mini Bole Road. This friendly, high quality "cultural" restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian food. Be sure to try the mesir besiga (ground meat with lentils). At night, Team Mini features performances by traditional singers and dancers. The entertainment is not as good as that at Habesha, but the food is generally better.
• The Limetree Bole Road, Boston Partners Building. While Ethiopian food is delicious there comes a time when you will crave western fare. The Limetree provides a beautiful range including gourmet sandwiches, pasta and arabic beef. A favorite hangout of ex-pats and ngo workers, the Limetree is nevertheless one of the best (and suprisingly affordable) reastraunt/cafes in Addis.

Splurge

• Fisherman Restraunt Haile Gebre Sellasie Rd, Near Atlas Hotel. Is a half Chinese half Tibetan restraunt serving an excellent range of asian cusine and speciliasing in seafood.

• Aladdin Restraunt Bole Rwanda. Serves Middle-estern food. Very expensive but authentic and delicious.

Nightlife

If you want to drink the national drink of Ethiopia, you have to try the 'tej' which brewed from honey. You can also try 'tela' which is like a beer. All kind of drinks are available in all the bars, from blue label to vodka. A warning to male travellers, outside of the Gaslight, The Blackrose and other expat haunts, women in Ethiopian nightclubs are almost all prostitutes. The Concorde and Memos are particulary famous in this regard.

• Gaslight is the fancy nightclub at the Sherton. If the famous owner Al Moudi is in town, you may catch a glimpse of him here. Inside, it feels like an upscale Western disco. Be sure not to wear jeans or sneakers, as they have a fairly strict dress code.
• Memo is a seedy nightclub with a pretty good dance floor. Be sure to try the bozena shiro in the outdoor courtyard.
• Club Illusion is the best in Addis. There is a cover charge but the drinks inside are very inexpensive. The music and dancing is great. Like usual, the main problem is the bathrooms.
• Meda Sports Bar and Grill has a large, spacious bar which is comfortable for chatting or watching a game. The downstairs lounge provides a more intimate setting for quiet conversations. And upstairs, the loft has a relaxed, casual dining atmosphere – all the best of Ballston, VA in one convenient stop!
• The Black Rose The energetic atmosphere is both comfortable and fashionable, and the bar serves a variety of drinks. The bartenders mix the best Cosmo this side of the Nile.
• Divine On Bole Road on the top floor of Sheger House, is currently one of the coolest clubs in Addis. It features a very western-orientated playlist along with ample space for relaxing and a pumping dance floor on weekends.

Sleep

Budget

• Park Hotel, a cheapy starting at 20 Birr
• Filwoha Hotel, near the hot springs, tel 511404.
• Fin-Fin Hotel, opposite the Filwoha Hotel.
• Hawi, Debre Zeit Road, south of the city center.
• Holidar Hotel, Asmara Road near the Plaza Hotel.
• Yordanos Hotel, Asmara Road, tel 515711, fax 516655.
• Taitu Hotel, Piazza, opposite the National Lottery Authority Head Quarters
• Worku Bikila Hotel, about 20 kilometers south-west of Addis Ababa, in Dukem, thriving hotel for budget to mid-range travellers.

Mid-range

• Axum, Asmara Road, tel 188832.
• Balu, Near Piazza.
• Buffet de la Gare, tel 517888, 517125, fax 515959.
• Desalegn Hotel, tel 1624524, email: desalegn@telecom.net.et
• Maskal Flower Hotel, near Debre Zeit Road, tel 517187.
• Tourist, near the Grand Palace and Trinity Cathedral.
• Martin's Cozy Place: German Guesthouse Located near the Atlas (almost opposite) is a favorite for bussiness people or expats having to base themselves in Addis. Martin offers a range of services for tourists and it is a homely place to shack up for a few nights. It costs around 80 ETB a night for a double.

Splurge

• Addis Ababa Hilton, central Menelik Ave, tel. 518400, fax 510064. The Hilton has many of the amenities you'd expect at an international hotel (airline agents, money changing, restaurant, bar, gym, sauna, swimming pool, high speed internet access), but it's rather mediocre, so you never forget you're still in the developing world.
• Sheraton Addis, central Yohanis St, tel 517138, fax 514029. This obscenely luxurious hotel was built by a Saudi/Ethiopian billionaire, who is also Ethiopia's largest employer after the government. This is the place to go for 5-star opulence. It also one of very few places in Addis where you can get cash from an ATM or credit card.
• Carrera Lodge, Rossevelt St, tel 517400, 447400.
• Ghion, central Menelik Ave near Revolution Square, tel 513222, 443170.
• Ras, Church Rd just North of the railway station, tel 517060, 447060. One of the oldest hotels in Addis.

Contact

Stay safe

• Addis is safer than most cities in Africa. Gang violence is unusual. However, you may encounter some pick-pockets and con-artists around Mercato and Piazza areas. Keep your belongings close, and pay attention to your surroundings. The good news is most of these pick-pockets are unarmed and very young boys. If they know that you are aware of what they are upto, they get intimidated and go away.

• The major and important roads and areas are patrolled by the Scotland-Yard trained 'Federal Police' or, as the city residents refer them Konjowochu. They have a reputation of being merciless with suspected criminals. In contrast, the Addis-Ababa city police, who most of the time patrol the less important city streets, markets and neighbourhoods are more tolerant and less respected police officers.

• There is also, a phone emergency line in Addis. For a travler from US, it is easy to remember the emergency line, because it is 9-1. (Compares to US' 9-1-1) Major streets are genarlly safe at night.

• If you see anything suspecious or threatning, notify a Konjowochu or city policeman.

• In a total difference of other African cities, in Addis-Ababa, police officers NEVER approach foreigners to ask them to present a passport, ID or "legal" papers. Once you show your pasport at the airport, you are free to move around pretty much anywhere. The only time you need your passport or ID is, for hotel registration (booking) and other similar and few instances. (It is important to have your ID with you at all times, however) Many visitors appreciate that they don't have to be questioned who they are or where they are from by a police officer who wants to extract bribe money from them, every time they turn around. This could be one of Addis-Ababa's appeal.

Cope

Get out

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