Two to three days covers Lusaka well. Spend a day on the markets and Cairo Road, another at Kabwata Cultural Village and the Lusaka National Museum, and save a morning for Lusaka National Park or Munda Wanga Environmental Park. Many travelers then continue south toward Livingstone and Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls sits beside Livingstone, about 470 to 480 km southwest of Lusaka by road. Intercity buses take around seven hours, and a train also links the two cities twice a week. Domestic flights from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport are the fastest option when time is short.

English is the official language in Lusaka, used in government, business and schools. On the street you mostly hear Nyanja and Bemba, often mixed with English into Town Nyanja, the city's own blend. The everyday greeting is the Nyanja "Muli bwanji?", which means "How are you?"