Brazzaville
From Wikitravel
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Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of Congo.
[edit] Understand
Brazzaville was a relatively well-developed and thriving city before the civil war began in 1997. Although there is still some fighting in the rural areas, it is a safe city to visit, but the infrastructure has been run down. Many new restaurants and hotels are being built--especially by Lebanese immigrants--and it can be a pleasant stopover to Pointe Noire or visits to the Congolese rain forests.
[edit] Get in
Brazzaville can be reached from Paris by Air France on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You can get there from Johannesburg by Interair on Mondays and Thursdays. One may also travel between Brazzaville and Kinshasa by boat, but it is recommended to fly into Brazzaville if your intent is to visit the Republic of Congo.
Brazzaville can also be reached through Ethiopian Airline from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) four times a week. For further information please visit www.ethiopianairlines.com. For people especially coming from Pakistan can take a flight to Dubai (Emirates, PIA, etc.) from Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad and then from Dubai to Brazzaville via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airline.
Royal Air Maroc operates three direct flights a week to and from Brazzaville to Casablanca. You may want to check www.royalairmaroc.com
[edit] Get around
You may use local taxis, even if they are in a poor technical condition. One trip everywhere in town is XAF 1,000 (USD 2).
[edit][add listing] See
Basilique Sainte-Anne of the Congo, built by Roger Erell, 1949, one of the most beautiful modern churches in the world. Palais du Peuple, nice colonial palace built in 1901, today presidential palace. Markets of Moungali, Poto-Poto, Bacongo. Old cathedral of the Sacre-Coeur (1892).
[edit][add listing] Do
- Night clubs
- Restaurants along the river: Mami Wata (Mother Water)
- Zoo
Art is well developped with Bag made with African materials. For more infos pls contact "Promo Art", your only reference. A job well done.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Eat at Mami Wata (great pizzas in the afternoon, enjoy the Kinshasa view over the Congo river) or Nenuphar (great steaks). For Muslims there are very few places to go out for eating like La Mandarine, one of the Lebanese Restaurants in the city. On the Avenue Foch are few restaurants and cafes where you can get dinner, snack, caffe. But at all the Lebanese restaurants one can find Halal food.
[edit] Shopping
Brazzaville is a very very expensive city, as you will find all kinds of things but almost four times the price in Dubai or elsewhere. For example if you are looking to buy a can of Pepsi Cola which is usually 1 UAE Dihram in Dubai and you will get it for XAF 750 (Central African CFA Franc) which is equivalent to 5 UAE dirhams. Same goes for other things. So if you are planning to come here, bring usual day to day usage stuff along with the you.
There is a HUGE market close to the Cathedral where one can buy decent African wear and bright colored materials - an adventure in itself.
[edit][add listing] Drink
[edit][add listing] Sleep
- Laico Hotel Maya Maya (formerly Le Meridian Brazzaville), Boulevard Lyautey, BP 588, ☎ +242 81 03 03 / 07 (maher.ghidaoui@laicohotels.com, fax: (242) 81 5549), [1]. The beds have smushy mattresses, the pillows don't smell too good, but both the hot and cold water work. edit
- Olympic Palace Hotel, ☎ +242 81 34 36 (olympicreception@hotmail.com, fax: +242 81 00 30). The new section of the hotel is the only one in Brazza that keeps westerns standards. The whole hotel arguably the best in the town (Air France personnell has moved from Laico to Olympic in last months, so now all the airlines have their air crews there, even the ones landing in Kinshasa, DRDC). The only drawback is the loud music till the morning once a week, when weddings take place. 100.000 for old room, 150.000 for new room, 180.000 for double room. edit
[edit] Get out
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