Mozambique
Maputo travel guide
Maputo is a city in Mozambique, home to about 1,133,000 people.
- Best months
- May to October
- Nearest airport
- MPM5 km · Maputo Airport
- Currency
- MZNMozambican metical
- Time zone
- Africa/Maputo
- Language
- Portuguese
About
About Maputo
Maputo is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within 120 kilometres (75 miles) of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa.
Maputo has been the capital of Mozambique since 1898. The city was called Lourenço Marques until the country's independence in 1975. It is the largest city in Mozambique and the country's most important harbour. It sits at the mouth of the Santo River in the extreme south, 90 km from the border with South Africa. In comparison with other sub-Saharan African cities, the urban area feels small and concentrated, with wide avenues and old trees. People are generally out and about in the streets, walking, driving and getting on with life.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Maputo
See
A recommended walk is along Avenida Julius Nyerere. Start from the Hotel Cardoso or Natural History Museum along R Mutemba to Nyerere then left (north) to the Polana Hotel. Boutiques, restaurants, curio vendors, video stores, etc. to be seen in the relatively-upscale Polana neighborhood.
- Maputo Fortress
- Tunduru Botanical Gardens
- Maputo City Hall
- Mercado Central
- Praça dos Trabalhadores
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
- Saint Anthony Catholic Church
- National Art Museum
- Museum of Natural History
- National Currency Museum
- Museum of Geology
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Maputo
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Maputo are May to October. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; February is the wettest, with about 154 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Maputo: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Maputo Airport (MPM), about 5.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; King Mswati III International Airport (SHO, 96 km) and Skukuza Airport (SZK, 150 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
You can walk the center of the city by day but steer clear of the central business district at night. Yango is a popular app to order taxis / moto-taxis or tuk-tuks and probably the best choice in town. Pick & Drop is another option. Metered (yellow-roofed) taxi longer distances or at night but agree to a fare beforehand as many don't have meters. Ask hotel desks or locals for guidance on reasonable fares (e.g., Hotel Cardoso to Feira Popular or Mercado Central is around MT 150 - 200). "Tuk-Tuks" are also a great way to see the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
MPM · Maputo Airport
SHO · King Mswati III International Airport
SZK · Skukuza Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Maputo
Eat
The local cuisine is a mixture of African, Portuguese, Middle Eastern and Indian/Pakistani cuisine. All these different cuisines are served at various areas in the city. Any number of small cafes serve simple dishes and juices that are affordable. Unless you are adventurous, stay away from most roadside stalls especially if they are serving meat. Safe roadside fare includes cashews (usually fire roasted without salt served in small paper cones), fried bean cakes called Bhajia, uncut and unwashed fruits (cut and wash yourself with bottled water), and soft-serve ice cream. Expect to pay between MT 15 and 50.
Drink
Fruit juice is usually sweetened nectar and not fresh 100% juice. The usual selections of fizzy sugar water in a bottle (soft drinks) can be found too. Pressed sugar cane juice is available in some markets. Pepsi and Coca-Cola are widely available, including Sprite, Mirinda, and Fanta fruit-flavored pop (Orange and Pineapple are most common, Grape is also sometimes available). Coca-Cola is more common than Pepsi. "Sparletta" brand fruit-flavoured pop is also widely available. Expect to pay between MT 15 and 50.
Stay safe
Violent crime does not rise to the Johannesburg level but is still a problem. Occasional pickpocketing attempts do occur and are almost guaranteed on busy streets. At night, it is better not to walk around alone but you are generally fairly safe in the well-lit areas along Avenida 24 de Julho. Regardless of the hour, be smart when walking around: don't carry much around in the streets with you, and if you have a bag, keep it close to you. If you have a cell phone, do not flaunt it: pickpockets have been known to take cellphones right out of people's hands while they are talking on them.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Maputo: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Maputo?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Maputo are May to October. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; February is the wettest, with about 154 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Maputo?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Maputo Airport (MPM), about 5.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; King Mswati III International Airport (SHO, 96 km) and Skukuza Airport (SZK, 150 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Maputo?
Mozambican metical (MZN).
Nearby
Destinations near Maputo
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.