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Yamoussoukro
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Yamoussoukro city overview
Yamoussoukro is Ivory Coast's political capital, a spacious planned city of wide boulevards built on President Houphouet-Boigny's home turf. First-time visitors should stand before the towering Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, watch the sacred crocodiles at the Presidential Palace lake, and stroll the palm-lined Fondation Felix Houphouet-Boigny grounds. Yamoussoukro Airport offers limited flights, so most visitors arrive by road from Abidjan.
Worth seeing
Basilica of Our Lady of Peace
Basilica of Our Lady of Peace anchors the historic and ceremonial side of Yamoussoukro, making it a practical stop for architecture, local memory and orientation.
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Presidential Palace Lake
Presidential Palace Lake adds outdoor time to a Yamoussoukro stay, with open space, views or waterfront breathing room between denser city sights.
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Grand Mosque of Yamoussoukro
Grand Mosque of Yamoussoukro anchors the historic and ceremonial side of Yamoussoukro, making it a practical stop for architecture, local memory and orientation.
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Fondation Felix Houphouet-Boigny
Fondation Felix Houphouet-Boigny is a named stop in Yamoussoukro worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Yamoussoukro Crocodile Lake
Yamoussoukro Crocodile Lake adds outdoor time to a Yamoussoukro stay, with open space, views or waterfront breathing room between denser city sights.
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Parc National d'Abokouamekro
Parc National d'Abokouamekro is a named stop in Yamoussoukro worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Base in Quartier Millionnaire or Kokrenou to be close to the Basilica and government buildings, or choose Habitat for a practical stay near markets and the main roads into town. Most visitors arrive overland from Abidjan rather than by air.
Hotels & areas
Yamoussoukro's hotel scene is small and centres on Quartier Millionnaire and Habitat, both within easy reach of the Basilica and Presidential Palace, with Kokrenou a convenient option for landmark-focused stays.
Quartier Millionnaire
Quartier Millionnaire is Yamoussoukro's grand government and villa district, laid out with the wide boulevards typical of the planned capital.
Best for: sightseeing, government buildingsSee hotel optionsHabitat
Habitat is a central residential and commercial district close to the market and main roads, useful as a practical, everyday base.
Best for: everyday stays, markets, transport linksSee hotel optionsKokrenou
Kokrenou sits near the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, convenient for visitors prioritising the city's landmark sight above all else.
Best for: basilica visits, sightseeingSee hotel optionsFlights & airports
Bouaké Airport (BYK) arrival plan
- Bouaké Airport (BYK)About 105 km from the centre
Compare airport access against hotel location, arrival time, rental car pickup, late flights and onward driving before choosing the first night base.
- Yamoussoukro International Airport (ASK)About 13 km from the centre
Compare airport access against hotel location, arrival time, rental car pickup, late flights and onward driving before choosing the first night base.
Rental cars
Yamoussoukro day-trip car use
A rental car or private driver is the practical way to reach Yamoussoukro from Abidjan and to cover the spread-out planned city, since local taxis are limited.
Compare rental carsTravel tips
Best base
Choose Quartier Millionnaire or Habitat for easy access to the Basilica, Presidential Palace and the city's main roads.
Getting there
Plan the journey from Abidjan by road, roughly three hours on a good highway, since scheduled flights to Yamoussoukro Airport are rare.
Basilica visits
Arrive at the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in the morning for cooler temperatures and to see the interior before tour groups arrive.
Cash
Carry West African CFA francs in cash, since card acceptance is limited outside the main hotels.
Nearby ideas
Nature
Lake Kossou
Lake Kossou, formed by a large hydroelectric dam north of the city, offers water views and a change of pace from the planned capital.
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Abidjan
Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital, is about three hours south and worth combining with Yamoussoukro for a fuller country visit.
View on mapCity history
Ivory Coast's previous capital cities were Grand-Bassam (1893), Bingerville (1900), and Abidjan (1933).
Diplomatic and commercial relations were then established, but in 1909, on the orders of the Chief of Djamlabo, the Akoué revolted against the administration.
Félix Houphouët-Boigny became the leader of the village in 1939.
In 1950, the village comprised 500 inhabitants. Since independence After 1964, the President Félix Houphouët-Boigny made ambitious plans and started to build.
One day in 1965, later called the Great Lesson of Yamoussoukro, he visited the plantations with the leaders of the county, inviting them to transpose to their own villages the efforts and agricultural achievements.
In March 1983, President Houphouët-Boigny made Yamoussoukro the political and administrative capital of Ivory Coast, as the city was his birthplace.
The Yamoussoukro International Airport had an average of six hundred passengers and 36 flights in 1995.
In 2011, the department was abolished and the autonomous district of Yamoussoukro was created and separated from the rest of Lacs, which became a separate district.
Due to the desertification of the Sahara, many moved south to avoid the harsh conditions.
The village of N'Gokro was renamed Yamoussoukro, the suffix Kro meaning town in Baoule.
This continued until after the Second World War, which saw the creation of the African Agricultural Union, as well as the first conferences of its chief.
This marked the fourth movement of the country's capital city in a century.
Most economic activity still takes place in Abidjan, and it is officially designated as the "economic capital" of the country.
It is one of two airports in Africa (with Gbadolite) that could accommodate the Concorde. Places of worship Among the places of worship are predominantly Christian churches and temples: Roman Catholic Diocese of Yamoussoukro.