Use a ride app, not a street-hailed taxi, in Maputo

Taking photos of government buildings, military sites, bridges, harbours, airports, police or officials needs permission, and you can be stopped for it. Check what is behind your frame before you shoot a harbour or bridge view. Ask before photographing people, and if you are unsure whether a subject is restricted…

Police checkpoints are common around Maputo, and both the UK and Canadian governments report requests for bribes or fines without clear reason. Stay calm and polite, keep your original documents in your own hands and ask for a written fine that you can pay at a police station. Official advice is not to pay bribes…

FACIM, the Maputo International Fair, takes over the Ricatla fairground in Marracuene about 30 km north of the city for a week at the end of August or start of September. It is a trade fair, but the public can browse pavilions of national and foreign exhibitors for crafts, food and products. Buy tickets online ahead…

Every June the Franco-Mozambican Cultural Centre hosts the Festa da Música, a free music festival aimed at families, with live acts, food stands, artisan stalls and children's workshops. In recent editions it has run over a weekend in the second half of June, and the most recent edition moved an acoustic day outdoors…

Café-Bar Gil Vicente, on Avenida Samora Machel, is one of Maputo's live-music rooms, and in 2026 it hosted marrabenta star António Marcos to a packed house during the Mozambique Music Meeting. Check the venue's social pages the same day for what is on, and arrive early, since popular nights fill up. Bring cash for…

The Centro Cultural Franco-Moçambicano on Avenida Samora Machel is a regular stage for Mozambican artists, from traditional songs reworked with contemporary sounds to showcases of the new generation. Look at its programme and ticket page a few days ahead, as bigger concerts sell through an online ticket platform and…

The Polana Serena was built in 1922 and designed by Sir Herbert Baker, and it still overlooks the bay from the upper town. If a night there is beyond your plans, book the high tea on the terrace and see the heritage building without a night's stay. Reserve ahead, since tea is a booked service. Locals still treat it as…

The Natural History Museum reopened in late September 2025 after a restoration that closed it from October 2023. The permanent exhibition was reorganised to be more educational and interactive, and the building now has tactile and informational elements for visitors with hearing or visual impairments and step-free…