Guinea: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Guinea feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 30 written places.
French-style formality meets West African warmth; greetings are long and never skipped.
✓ Considered polite
- Give greetings time - ask after health and family before any business
- Shake hands with everyone present when arriving and leaving
- Use your right hand for eating, giving and receiving
- Dress modestly, especially outside Conakry - covered shoulders and knees fit in
✗ Better avoided
- Launch into requests without a proper greeting first
- Pass anything with your left hand
- Photograph people or mosque interiors without asking
- Show affection in public - couples keep it discreet
Worth knowing
- The Guinean franc is cash-only territory - notes come in thick stacks and ATMs are unreliable outside Conakry
- Agree taxi fares before setting off - meters are not a thing
- Business pauses around Friday midday prayers
- French is the official language and little English is spoken - basic phrases go a long way
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links - if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.