Nobody goes to East Africa for the cities. But as far as East African cities go, Kigali is pretty great. It’s clean and safe (unlike Nairobi). Its traffic is nominal (unlike Kampala). And it has a surprising sense of order (unlike Addis Ababa). At the same time, it manages to retain a distinctly East African vibe, which mixes seamlessly with the modern shopping centers and cafe culture. And even if you only have one day to explore, you can still cover the best things to do in Kigali, Rwanda.
If you’re coming from elsewhere in the region, your first reaction to Kigali will be, “YIKES, it’s expensive.” But don’t worry — the city has plenty of free attractions and affordable cafes, and getting around is a breeze. In this post, I’ll help you plan the perfect Kigali itinerary if you’re traveling on a budget.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through these links, I receive a percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you, which helps me keep this site up and running.
Things to do in Kigali to learn about its history
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years, if you know one thing about Rwanda, it’s probably that the country experienced a horrific genocide in the mid-1990’s. Over the course of just 100 days, about a million people were slaughtered while the rest of the world sat back and watched. Kigali was the center of the violence.
The award-winning Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda dramatized the events of the genocide for international audiences. It’s the most common lens on the genocide that foreign visitors have. But the film actually got a lot of the facts wrong. So when you’re in town, one of the most important things to do in Kigali is to educate yourself about the genocide. These places can help you learn the truth.
Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial
The one Kigali attraction that every visitor should add to their list is the Genocide Memorial. This small museum and burial site is the best place to learn about the tragedy in 1994 — from its beginnings during Belgian colonialism to the country’s ongoing recovery.
Your visit begins with a short video explaining what happened. Survivors recount the horrors they witnessed, and captions in English explain how the violence escalated and how the rest of the world abdicated its responsibility to intervene.
The next exhibit is a timeline of the events. It explains that the Hutu and Tutsi “ethnic” groups were artificial concepts created by Belgian colonial rulers who wanted to exploit divisions among Rwandans in order to maintain their grip on power. The Belgians put the minority cattle-herding Tutsi people in power. After independence, Hutu — who worked as farmers and comprised the majority of the population — won the first election. Tutsi communities fled across the borders in the DRC and Uganda and began organizing as rebel groups. In retaliation, Hutu leaders planned the genocide to maintain their grip on power by wiping out the Tutsi.
As you walk through the exhibit, you’ll see artifacts from the genocide — bloodied clothes, children’s toys, photographs, and more. Keep an eye out for the video screens where you can hear directly from survivors. The later sections talk about retribution for the perpetrators and how Rwanda has recovered. Finally, you’ll come to a room covered with photographs of the victims.
The second floor of the museum puts the Rwandan genocide in context by talking about other genocides around the world. This is also where you’ll find the Children’s Room — a room lined with photographs and stories of children who were murdered. Many of the photos are the only ones the families ever had.
Outside the museum, you’ll find some pretty gardens. These gardens cover the site of a mass grave. A wall of names along the size memorializes those who are buried here. You may encounter locals leaving flowers.
Practicalities for visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is open from 8 am to 5 pm every day except the last Sunday of each month, Christmas, and New Years. I’d recommend visiting in the morning, when it’s less crowded and you can take your time. You need about two hours to see everything.
Admission to the museum is by donation. You can purchase an audio guide for $25, but it’s not really necessary. If you want to take photos inside, you have to pay $20. Photos outside are free (but obviously don’t take photos of grieving relatives or anything else horribly insensitive).
The memorial has a cafe with good Rwandan coffee, and a small curio shop with high-quality handicrafts.
Finally, this should go without saying, but visiting the memorial is an emotional experience. The exhibits are quite graphic and the stories are heartbreaking. You’ll see photos and videos of people being hacked to death with machetes, thrown into mass graves, and sexually assaulted. The Children’s Room is particularly devastating, with vivid descriptions of babies who were smashed against trees. You’ll probably feel pretty drained after spending a couple hours here. And if you have small children, you might want to skip the museum altogether.
Visit Hotel des Mille Collines
If you’ve watched the film Hotel Rwanda, you’re familiar with the story of Hotel des Mille Collines. This is where Paul Rusesabagina hid Tutsis who had been marked for death during the genocide.
Rusesabagina is a locally controversial figure. Survivors of the genocide who took refuge in his hotel report that he exploited them at the same time that he protected them — by stealing money and charging them exorbitant prices for basic humanitarian needs.
Nevertheless, the hotel is an iconic Kigali landmark — not just because of the film. It’s one of the oldest and formerly one of the nicest hotels in the country (today it looks a little faded). The gardens are a lovely green escape from the city just outside, and the restaurant is one of the best in the city.
If you’re looking for places to visit in Kigali on a budget, beat a path for the pool bar. You have to pay a 7,000 franc admission fee, but snacks, light meals and drinks run just $2.50-4. More substantial meals are pricier. It’s a great place to relax in the afternoon while also taking in the historical importance.
Kigali attractions if you like art and handicrafts
Kigali has one of Africa’s most vibrant arts scenes. Local galleries display works from across the region, and sometimes even further afield. In addition, local markets and shops have a huge variety of high-quality handicrafts made from traditional materials. And if you’re visiting Kigali on a budget, you’re in luck — all the galleries and markets are free to peruse. No one will hassle you to buy anything, and you can take photos without a problem.
Kimironko Market and Nyamirambo Women’s Center
The two best places to pick up souvenirs in the city are Kimironko Market and the Nyamirambo Women’s Center.
Kimironko Market is the biggest market in Kigali. It has everything from fresh veggies to raw meat to locally made baskets and tailors selling the most popular East African fashions. It’s super authentic, and prices are reasonable, but quality varies widely.
Nyamirambo Women’s Center is an NGO focused on empowering local women. The center is based in the Muslim neighborhood of Kigali, where it trains women who don’t have the resources for formal education as artisans or to work in the tourism industry.
The Women’s Center shop has high-quality handicrafts that you don’t have to bargain for, and is a great way to support the initiative. The center also offers community tours ($15 per person) and cooking classes.
The only problem with visiting the market and women’s center with just one day in Kigali is they’re out of the way. Make sure you get an early start if you want to include these stops in your itinerary!
The best gallery in Rwanda: Inema Arts Center
Inema Arts Center is a high-end art gallery, community service center, and Kigali’s best happy hour rolled into one.
The gallery displays the work of 7-10 artists at any given time. The artists usually hang around during the day, and they’re very eager to chat with visitors. You can see everything in about half an hour but you’ll probably spend twice as long talking with the artists. Of course, everything is for sale, but if you’re on a budget during your 24 hours in Kigali you won’t be able to afford anything!
After you’re done checking out the art and sculptures in the garden outside, stick around for a dance performance. The gallery works with at-risk youth to teach them traditional Rwandan dancing styles. Performances start at 4:30 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Kigali on a Thursday, don’t miss Inema’s legendary happy hour. Kigali’s creative types and a range of expats congregate here for drinks and dancing. A DJ spins East African beats until the early hours of the morning. The bar serves drinks during the rest of the week as well.
The best cafes to visit with one day in Kigali
No list of things to do in Kigali would be complete without mentioning the cafe culture. It rivals that of any European city. There’s nothing more Rwandan than enjoying a long, lazy morning sitting on a sunny balcony and sipping coffee produced with sweet local beans.
It may not look like much from the outside, but you’ll find Kigali’s best coffee at Bourbon in UTC Mall. Go up to the second floor and snag a seat on the balcony. If you order just a regular coffee, you’ll get a whole pot’s worth — plenty to split with a friend — along with a little cookie. They sell a variety of espresso drinks (although you’ll miss the unique flavor of Rwandan coffee if you drown it in milk) and more substantial meals as well. Bonus: If you need to pick up a local SIM card, the MTN Service Center is right next-door!
If food and coffee are both a priority, your best bet is Inzora Rooftopo Cafe. This little spot inside a bookshop has just a handful of food options, but their grilled cheese sandwiches are legendary (for good reason). The roof deck has lovely views over the hills and comfy couches to chill on. They also sell delicious baked goods for dessert, and their coffee, tea, and spritzers are great too.
How to get to Kigali (and getting into the city)
Kigali is the main entry point to Rwanda. So whether you arrive by plane or by bus, chances are it’ll be your first stop in the country.
The international airport is just 10 km outside the city center. It’s small, with one cafe on the Departures side and only a handful of immigration lines. Baggage claim is chaotic. If you have checked luggage, expect to take two hours between when your flight lands and getting out of the airport. Make sure you have a supply of hard currency to change at the reliable Forex bureau outside — the ATM’s don’t take foreign cards.
The best way into the city from the airport is by pre-arranged pickup through your hotel. Most flights arrive after dark, and even though Kigali is pretty safe, it’s still a good idea to just beat a path for where you’re going. Budget hotels charge around $20 for this service. If you’re feeling particularly brave you could walk out of the airport and cross the street to flag down a moto, but this is only realistic if you’ve been to Kigali before and have a general sense of where you’re going (and if you have small change to pay the driver).
Coming from or heading to Tanzania or Uganda, you’ll arrive at the Nyabugogo Bus Park, 2 km northeast of the city. If you’ve never been to Africa before it could be mildly jarring, but Africa veterans will find it quite organized and easy to navigate. Bus companies have actual offices from which you can buy a real ticket, and an employee of your bus company will escort you to your vehicle. Matatus (minibuses) to destinations throughout Rwanda also depart and arrive here, from the back of the bus park near the office of Jaguar Executive Coaches. If you need an ATM or Forex, you can find them behind Jaguar’s offices or near the gas station at the entrance of the bus park.
The best way to get to or from the bus park is by moto. Don’t pay more than 1,500 francs from Gikondo or 1,000 from a more central guesthouse. Allow 30 minutes at rush hour. Tell your driver to go slow — if it’s nerve-racking to avoid falling off a moto with your day pack, it’s absolutely terrifying with your big backpack!
How to get around in Kigali
The vast majority of tourists cover these Kigali tourist attractions on a whirlwind one-day tour. This makes it easy to reach outlying attractions like the market and the Genocide Memorial. But it’s also astronomically expensive — you’ll pay about $100 per person through the best companies. Taxis are similarly expensive, at $15 for a ride from the city center to the Genocide Memorial.
So if you’re on a budget, consider traveling like the locals do — by hopping on the back of a motorbike! Called “motos” here (not “bodas,” like everywhere else in East Africa), they’re reasonably safe compared to other countries in the region. The drivers wear orange vests and carry helmets for their passengers (but good luck finding one that fits).
You can flag a moto anywhere in Kigali — just stick out your hand and wave when one passes. You’ll need to bargain a bit with the driver. Expect to pay anywhere from 300 francs for a short hop to 1,000 for a longer trip to the suburbs.
A word of warning: The motorbikes in Kigali are really small and Kigali is really hilly. Hang on tight when you’re going uphill so you don’t slide off the back of the bike!
The one transportation method that isn’t realistic with only one day in Kigali is walking. The city is very spread out, and as I mentioned, it’s almost all hills. Two destinations that look like they’re only 1 km apart might require taking a very roundabout route up and down three hills. There are sidewalks everywhere and walking isn’t dangerous; you just need a lot of time to get around on foot. You can walk from the city center to Inema Arts in about an hour.
The best hostel in Kigali: Yambi Hostel
Kigali is not a cheap city to stay overnight in. You’ll pay more for a dorm bed here than you would for a private room with a bathroom inside in Uganda. The cheap local guesthouses so common in Uganda and Kenya still run $40+ a night here.
But you can still find decent value for money. The best budget base in town is the lovely Yambi Hostel. This colorful little guesthouse has a range of dorms and private rooms.
Dorms start at $20 a night including breakfast, while private rooms start around $50. I booked a dorm, but the staff upgraded me to a private room for free! The rooms are spacious, the bathrooms have piping hot water with good water pressure, the entire place is spotlessly clean, and they serve the best breakfast I’ve ever had at a hostel.
Yambi Hostel is located in the Gikondo neighborhood. It’s right across the street from the mansion of Kigali’s richest man. In other words, this is a super safe part of town. Taking a stroll after dark to the brochette place down the street is no problem. But you don’t have to sacrifice authenticity — the hostel is still on a dirt road, and the neighborhood seems to have more chickens than people. You’re a long walk from the city center, but everywhere in Kigali is a long walk from the center, so you’d have to use motos to get around regardless.
One day in Kigali may not seem like much, but you can get a good feel for the city in that amount of time. The locals’ sense of optimism and hope is infectious, especially given what they’ve been through in the past 30 years. It’s easily the least stressful big city in East Africa. So don’t hop on a safari immediately when you arrive in Rwanda — take a day to explore its fascinating capital!
Like this post? Pin it!
Such an interesting place from the sounds of it, and so much history although so sad. I’ve been wanting to travel to Africa and this looks like it’s worth the visit, nice to read about somewhere this isn’t just safaris as Africa seems to have so much more to offer
So true — too many first-time Africa visitors totally skip the cities, but they’re actually pretty great. Doubly so if you’ve been in the bush for two weeks 🙂
Kigali looks like a wonderful city with so much important history to learn about. I have not seen Hotel Rwanda but realize the best way to learn what really happened is to visit. Great post on all there is to do and see there!
Thanks Vanessa! It is a lovely intro to Africa — and I imagine if you’ve been in the bush for a few weeks, it would be a fantastic break.