Addis Ababa – City Tour

Overview

Our city day tours are specifically designed for those who want to get the best from their time in Ethiopia’s top locations.

With the help of highly experienced English-speaking guides, you’ll learn all about the cultural and historical significance of the most important sights in each destination, giving you an in-depth understanding of the unique Ethiopian culture and making your trip to this fabulous country more meaningful and memorable.

All our day tour prices include entrance fees (with the exception of Lalibela), top-rated guides, transport, and hotel pick up / drop off – meaning you don’t have to worry about navigating public transport or getting lost!

Our Top Day Tours include:

Addis Ababa

Sites include:

• Entoto Mountain (great views of the city)
• Unity Park
• Shiro Meda Market
• Ethnological Museum
• National Museum (home of the famous Lucy)
• Selassie (Trinity) Church
• Red Terror Museum
• Merkato Market

Description

Addis Ababa (/ˌædɪs ˈæbəbə/; Amharic: አዲስ አበባ, lit. ’new flower’ [adˈdis ˈabəba] (listen)), also known as Finfinne (lit. “natural spring” in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It also serves as the seat of the government of Oromia: while being outside of Oromia regional state boundaries. In the 2007 census, the city’s population was estimated to be 2,739,551 inhabitants. Addis Ababa is a highly developed and important cultural, artistic, financial, and administrative center of Ethiopia. read more

Itenary

National Museum Of Ethiopia

The museum houses Ethiopia’s artistic treasures. It contains many precious local archaeological finds such as the fossilized remains of early hominids, the most famous of which is “Lucy,” the partial skeleton of a specimen of Australopithecus afarensis. Recently added to the basement gallery is a display on Selam, found between 2000 and 2004. This archaic fossil is estimated to date from 3.3 million years ago.

In 1936, the concept of a museum was first introduced in Ethiopia when an exhibition was opened, displaying ceremonial costumes donated by the Solomonic dynasty and their close associates. The current NME grew from the establishment of the Institute of Archaeology, which was founded in 1958. The institute was founded to promote and facilitate the archaeological research mission in the northern part of Ethiopia by French archaeologists.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Holy Trinity Cathedral, also known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest-ranking Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built to commemorate the Ethiopian victory over Italian occupation and is an important place of worship in Ethiopia, alongside other cathedrals such as the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

The cathedral bears the title “Menbere Tsebaot”, or “Pure Altar”. Built-in 1942, the church compound was the burial place for those who fought against the Italian occupation or those who accompanied the Emperor into exile from 1936 to 1941. Emperor Haile Selassie and his consort Empress Menen Asfaw are buried in the north transept of the cathedral. Other members of the Imperial Family are buried in the crypt below the church. The High Altar of the cathedral is dedicated to ‘Agaiste Alem Kidist Selassie’ (Sovereigns of the World the Holy Trinity). The other two altars in the Holy of Holies on either side of the High Altar are dedicated to John the Baptist and to ‘Kidane Meheret’ (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy). In the south transept of the cathedral is a recently added chapel of Archangel Michael, which houses the Tabot or Ark of St. Michael the Archangel, which was returned to Ethiopia in February 2002 after being discovered in Edinburgh. This relic was taken by British forces from the mountain citadel of Magdalla in 1868 during their campaign against Emperor Tewodros II.

Unity Park is an amusement park located in the Arat Kilo district of Addis Ababa, in the compound of the National Palace. Established in October 2019 with a total of 20 hectares inside the palace compound, it features a zoo and historical artifacts with entrance by tickets purchased through online services such as Ethio telecom and using Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.

Inaugurated on 10 October 2019, it is one of the most beautification projects of Addis Ababa, founded on 20 hectares of the palace. The Unity Park features historical and cultural values and natural gifts. There are 37 mammals, nine types of animals, namely giraffes, zebras, kudu, Impala, eland, gemsbok, nyala, wild beast, and white rhino, thirteen species of aquatic animals, and indigenous various birds in the aviary. The black mane lions were also founded in the zoo.

The park also exhibits historical artifacts ranging from simple objects to ancient civilizations. Every artifact is made up of gold, from Emperor Haile Selassie’s throne to simple restaurant materials. For example, the photo frame, jewelry, book covers, utensils, and other sculptures were all made of gold. Among these, religious books are written in Amharic, English, and Ge’ez languages. These books can be used for research and study worldwide.

The Unity Park is available for visits six days per week, starting from 9 am to 4 pm afternoon. It closed every Monday for cleaning time.

Entrance tickets require purchase before visiting the park. The first payment is by sending SMS 6030, and the second is using online via Ethio telecom. The third option is paying via the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.

Saint George’s Cathedral is an Ethiopian Orthodox church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The cathedral is noted for its distinctive octagonal form. It is located at the northern end of Churchill Road in the city.

The new church was built on the ruins of an older church from the 15th century. It was named after St. George after the Tabot (Ark) of the church was carried to the Battle of Adwa against the Italians during which the Ethiopians secured victory. One of the founders was Andargaye, and his daughter, Kisela Andargaye, and her husband, Agonafir Woldeyess are buried in the churchyards. The building was described in 1938 in an Italian tourist publication as a fine example of the European interpretation of Ethiopian church design. The Italian Fascist authorities set the building on fire in 1937. The cathedral was later restored by Emperor Haile Selassie following the liberation in 1941.

Empress Zewditu was crowned at this Cathedral in 1917, and Emperor Haile Selassie was crowned there in 1930, and it became a pilgrimage site for Rastafarians. The Cathedral has a museum, and an Imperial throne is on display as are the stained glass works of artist Afewerk Tekle. Given the reason why the cathedral was named, it displays weaponry used in the wars against the Italians including curved swords and tridents and giant helmets made from the manes of lions.

Addis Mercato or simply known as Mercato ( Amharic: መርካቶ; Italian: “market”) is a large open-air marketplace in the Addis Ketema, district of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the name refers to the neighborhood in which it is located.

Mercato is the largest open-air market in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities. The primary merchandise passing through the Merkato is locally grown agricultural products — most notably coffee.

Prior to the current Mercato, there was an open marketplace in Addis Ababa near St. George Church at the site where the City Hall stands now, but it ended with the Italian occupation of the 1930s. The occupiers moved the market further west to the area around the premises of Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis Dinagde, which they named Merkato Dinagde. Thus, the present Addis Merkato was founded by the segregationist policies of the Italian occupational government.

Meanwhile, the Italians restricted the historic St. George Merkato to Europeans, renaming it Piazza, which featured European-style shops that displayed commodities through glass windows. The mostly Arab tradesmen who owned stores there eventually relocated a half-mile to the west. Over time, local shopkeepers displaced the Arab merchants and, since the 1960s, the Addis Merkato has had a mostly local flavor. The Mercato Dijino did not have any plan and gradually grew in width and breadth taking different categorical stocks called “terras”.