How to have fun in Stone Town and how long to stay?

Personally, I would recommend spending at least 1 night here to experience the sunsets and night markets on the promenade.

Book a hotel for 1 night

Get lost in the narrow streets

Stone Town may not be big, but you can easily spend a whole day in the maze of narrow streets lined with historic stone houses.

I, for example, was in Stone Town for 2 full days and could have easily stayed an extra day. The unique atmosphere, mixing tourist shops with streets lined with locals, is absolutely immersive.

The streets of Stone Town are so narrow that you can't fit cars in them. But watch out for motorbikes! They are quite common in Stone Town.

I can't recommend a specific walking route. I don't know exactly which way I walked. There aren't many streets on the maps, but because the centre is small, you can always walk to the edge of the centre within 15 minutes and find your way around easily.

Security at night

Stone Town has a magical atmosphere after dark, when I liked it even more than during the day.

In general, moving around at night in Stone Town is safe and there is no need to worry about going for a night walk.

Cruise to Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank

Stone Town is the main starting point for the popular cruises to Prison Island, where you'll find a giant tortoise sanctuary, among other places, and to Nakupenda Sandbank, a sand dune in the middle of the sea.

All cruises start on the beach near Forodhani Park at the entrance to the Livingstone Restaurant.

We detail prices, cruise lengths and more of our experiences in our What to do in Zanzibar article.

• Tip: stay at the well-reviewed Tembo B&B Apartments next to the embarkation point for all cruises

Experience the hustle and bustle of the markets and shop for souvenirs

Stone Town has one of the best marketplaces I've seen during my travels around the world!

It's called Darajani Market (often referred to by locals as "DJ"). Rather than a market, it's actually one big neighborhood literally filled with stalls selling spices, clothes, fruits, vegetables, meat, and fresh fish.

Taste local specialties

As you walk through Stone Town, you'll come across countless small vendors selling typical mandaazi pastries, grilled chicken or bananas.

While in Zanzibar, I ate almost exclusively street food and never had any digestive problems.

Food from stalls off the main tourist streets is cheap and a typical dinner cost me around 6 000 tzs.

The night market on the Forodhani promenade is very popular with tourists, but here you have to haggle hard over the price and you'll typically pay 3-4 times more for a meal than anywhere else in the city.