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Walking Tour of Addis Abeba: Experience Ethiopian Culture at Its Best
5.0
28 Ratings
Addis Ababa
Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Addis Abeba with our affordable walking tour. Explore hidden gems and experience the authentic Ethiopian way of life.
Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Addis Abeba with our affordable walking tour. Explore hidden gems and experience the authentic Ethiopian way of life.
Duration:
6 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Mercato Market - Merkato, the largest open-air market in Africa, is a vibrant hub that truly captures the essence of Addis Ababa. Cities often reveal much about their character, and Merkato is no exception.
Our experienced guides will lead you deep into the authentic sections of the market: the Spice market, false Banana food preparations, the old…
- Mercato Market - Merkato, the largest open-air market in Africa, is a vibrant hub that truly captures the essence of Addis Ababa. Cities often reveal much about their character, and Merkato is no exception.
Our experienced guides will lead you deep into the authentic sections of the market: the Spice market, false Banana food preparations, the old metal and plastic recycling area, incense market, Coffee, and other cereals zone. It’s bustling with activity and undoubtedly the best way to explore the city.
- National Museum of Ethiopia - As highlighted in many of our tours, the National Museum offers an excellent introduction to Ethiopia’s history, culture, and nature.
This is also where the renowned human skeleton, Lucy - the most complete human ancestor, is exhibited.
After visiting the National Museum, we will walk to the central part of Addis Ababa - Piassa, to see the King Menelik II Statue, marking the “Zero Kilometer” at the city’s heart.
- Tomoca Coffee | Atlas Branch | ቶሞካ ቡና | አትላስ - During our walking/driving tour, we will pause at one of the oldest coffee shops to savor the famous Ethiopian Coffee.
Guests can choose to visit here or enjoy a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony at a convenient location.
- Tiglachin Memorial - This is the sole standing memory of Ethiopia’s 17 years of Socialism. The Ethio-Cuba friendship monument was erected to honor the Cuban soldiers who died during the Ethio-Somalian War, aiding Ethiopia in defending its sovereignty.
- Meskel Square - This is the largest open-air area in Addis Ababa, used for various public gatherings such as festivals, concerts, protests, and more. The square has been newly renovated to facilitate easy walking, sightseeing, and sitting for any purpose. It is the ideal spot to discover trendy street foods. We will conclude the walking tour by enjoying the ‘Ethiopian Time Square.’
What's Included
- Tea and coffee
- Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Lunch
Additional Information
We believe offering this kind of tour will enable tourists who cannot afford expensive tours, explore the city in the best possible way. Walking tour will help tourists to experience the authentic and hidden culture of the Ethiopian people.
Guests will see things that they will see if they are driving or other means. It is open for guests to improvise it based on their interest and time
We believe offering this kind of tour will enable tourists who cannot afford expensive tours, explore the city in the best possible way. Walking tour will help tourists to experience the authentic and hidden culture of the Ethiopian people.
Guests will see things that they will see if they are driving or other means. It is open for guests to improvise it based on their interest and time
Location
Mercato Market
Dubai Tera Building
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(28 Ratings)
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Pashkowski
Nov 12, 2025
Brilliant! - Gashaw did an amazing job! I requested a custom made tour because I needed to film some specific things for my YouTube documentary about Ethiopia. Gashaw was super flexible and quickly tailored a day program according to my needs. He’s incredibly charismatic, knowledgeable and helpful. He answered tons of my questions, made a lot of changes on the go and found everything I requested - did all the possible to fulfill my
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elisasy2433kv
Nov 7, 2025
AAA Amazing Addis Ababa - He accompanied us, with his car and on foot, to some very interesting places in Addis Ababa, such as Merkato and the old train station, in a crescendo of excellent information. His ability to describe places and relate to people was great. If we return to Addis Ababa we will no doubt turn to him again! Highly recommended!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oliver587
Dec 17, 2023
Amazing one day tour visiting Addis Ababa - Great for people as us visiting the country for work reasons… with a short time to enjoy Addis Ababa. It was so complete! So amazing tour! A complete day visiting key places for nature, history, gastronomy (food, juices, coffee…), art & culture…The guide was very kind, very close and anticipating our needs.I strongly recommend this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joris_a
Jul 30, 2023
Addis by feet - This tour was really interesting, thanks to my guide. He made me feel like a citizen of Addis for several hours, walking some kilometers. Plus his knowledge about history & habits of the country & the city was quite more interesting than the hike itself.
It was a pleasure and I would recommend to everyone who wants to discover the city out of a climatised car.
Review provided by Viator
Savannahl535
Jul 25, 2023
An eye-opening experience to walk around Addis Ababa - I'm grateful to have Gashaw as the guide, who is approachable and knowledgeable about the history, politics, and social profile of Addis Ababa. I was welcomed to the walk as a friend, and experienced different local transport methods (walk, mini-van, and ride share) to travel around.
Gashaw was flexible with the itinerary and adjusted the plan as I proposed. We each had a detour during the trip, but it's such a learning to walk around various parts of the town.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurences721
May 23, 2023
Fascinating tour of Addis A. - I was keen to make use of my long stopover, between flights, to see what I could in and around Addis Ababa and to get a flavour of local life and culture. After reading some very positive reviews of Aspire Ethiopia Tours, I established contact with founder & general manager Gashaw. His enthusiasm was infectious. We soon put together a tailored programme of sightseeing & activities. On the day itself, a member of Gashaw’s team - Beki - arrived at my hotel as arranged, together with a car and driver. I thoroughly enjoyed a stimulating guided tour of several of the city’s key attractions, ranging from everyday ‘street life’, local markets, the National Museum, to a fascinating visit to a family in a rural area, and the chance to experience traditional Ethiopian cuisine in a totally authentic setting (these latter two activities being my personal highlights !). As a keen amateur photographer, I was especially glad of the many photo opportunities throughout the tour. My time went all too quickly, but that has motivated me to revisit the country - and for a longer spell, rather than just a one-day stopover. If and when I hopefully do return, I need look no further than Aspire Ethiopia for all my travel arrangements, confident in the knowledge that they can provide a totally professional, personalised service (including prompt & efficient communication in advance of actual arrival in the country). My thanks once again to Gashaw and the team, whose services I can strongly recommend to other visitors to Addis Ababa.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zoehd5472fq
Apr 30, 2023
Fabulous cultural tour - We had a wonderful tour with Gashew, he was a very friendly and enthusiastic guide with excellent English and huge knowledge of Ethiopia. We were only visiting for the day on a stopover but he gave us such a great overview of the history and culture of Ethiopia it made us want to return to explore the country further. Email correspondence beforehand was excellent and the tour customised to our preferences. We visited a local family in a village in the hillside and cooked and ate injera with them which was just wonderful. Lunch was fabulous in a beautiful circular building which used to be the Queen’s residence. We visited the Entoto mountains and when it rained Gashew was flexible and took our children for the best smoothies we’ve ever had! We drove through the mercato which was also wonderful. I researched this tour extensively and this company were the most cost effective by far. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Italian_luvr
Apr 21, 2023
Excellent - I had a rushed reservation and was completely unsure of what I wanted to do. But after talking to Gashaw and meeting him, I was sure of what I wanted. Our tour encompassed all of the greatest sites in the city, and because he was so knowledgeable, I learned so much about the history and current climate of the city/country. Gashaw made sure I was always comfortable and did/saw what I wanted. He is also very humble, wise, and open minded. I like to think we struck a good friendship by the end of the day. He is an excellent tour guide. Highly recommended👍🏼
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeremyl1234
Apr 18, 2023
Excellent friendly tour guide - Gashaw was a truly excellent guide, super knowledgeable, friendly, and flexible. We had a great time visiting museums, Entoto mountain, coffee shops, churches and merkato. In this city, you really need someone with a car who knows their way around. We did things that I never would have been able to do on my own (such as walk around merkato or go inside St George’s church). When I said I was interested to see the synagogue, he knew exactly where to find it. We also had a delicious traditional lunch with honey wine. I couldn’t recommend it more, and I hope to see Gashaw again in Addis sometime soon!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U8861eddavida
Apr 9, 2023
A fascinating tour! - An amazing day trip around Addis Ababa, fantastic guide, fascinating tour of the Cathedral, markets, the mountain scenes, coffee stops, museum and a great local lunch. Hugely recommend, very knowledgeable guide with a private car to swiftly get around the city with the trip adapted accordingly to one's own schedule and requests, I've recommended the tour to all friends and family, not to be missed!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
