Bissau

Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, is a small, atmospheric and deeply time-worn city, one of the least-visited and most faded capitals in West Africa. Its old colonial heart, the Bissau Velho quarter, is a hauntingly picturesque jumble of crumbling, weathered Portuguese colonial buildings, their pastel facades peeling amid a slow, laid-back tropical pace. The city centres on its lively central market and pulses gently with the Creole culture and music of the country, a blend of African and Portuguese roots. Modest, poor and unpolished, but genuine and welcoming, Bissau is more an authentic slice of West African life and a gateway to the Bijagós than a city of grand sights.

History

Long before Europeans came, the island of Bissau was a kingdom of the Papel people, founded according to tradition by Mecau, son of the king of Quinara, and made up of seven clans. The Portuguese founded a trading post here in 1687 and by 1696 the town had a fort and a church, but real control stayed with the Papel kings; the fort was rebuilt in 1775 by the Grão Pará and Maranhão Company, partly to hold enslaved people for shipment to Brazil, Bissau became a commune in 1869, and in 1941 the colonial capital moved here from Bolama (Wikipedia, Bissau).

The main sights

• Bissau Velho - the faded old Portuguese colonial quarter.
• The central market - the lively market and city life.
• The Creole culture - the African-Portuguese music and rhythms.
• The old fort - the crumbling Fortaleza and colonial remains.

When to go

November to May, the dry season, for the most comfortable weather, as the wet season brings heavy tropical rain; the city is best explored on foot at a relaxed pace in the cooler hours. Bissau is the arrival point and gateway for boat trips to the Bijagós Archipelago, the country's main draw.

What to expect

As an atmospheric, genuine and little-visited slice of Portuguese-Creole West Africa, with its crumbling old quarter, lively market and role as the springboard to the Bijagós, Bissau is a characterful introduction.

Nearby

The Bijagós Archipelago and the mainland countryside are within reach.

Key facts