Senegal
Saint-Louis travel guide
Saint-Louis is a city in Senegal, home to about 259,000 people.
- Currency
- XOFWest African CFA franc
- Time zone
- Africa/Dakar
- Language
- Badyara, Balanta, French
About
About Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis or Saint Louis (Wolof: Ndar), is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 kilometres (200 mi) north of Senegal's capital city Dakar.
The city of Saint-Louis is about 260 km north of Dakar on the coast and spreads across the mainland (Sor), Île de N’Dar (the Island), and the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula. The mainland is connected to the historical island, which is just 2 km long and 400 m wide, via the Pont Faidherbe Bridge, which was rebuilt in 2011. The Île de N’Dar is linked to the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula via the Pont Mustapha Malick Gaye Bridge; the peninsula is home to the beautiful beaches of the Hydrobase as well as part of Langue de Barbarie National Park.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Saint-Louis
See
Saint-Louis was founded in 1659 and named after the French King Louis XIV in the 1700s. It is the oldest city to be created by Europeans on the western coast of Africa and served as the capital of Senegal from 1872 to 1957. It played an important cultural and economic role in the whole of West Africa, a stroll around the Ville (as the cab drivers know it as) quickly reveals the French colonial influence. Many of the buildings hold their old character with many brightly colored buildings and beautiful balconies to be seen all around the island. The island was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
- Musée de l’Aéropostale Jean Mermoz
- Grand Mosque of Saint-Louis
- Saint Louis Cathedral
- Faidherbe Bridge
- Guet N'Dar
Do
- Plage de Sal Sal
- Ndar-Toute-plage
- Plage Hydrobase
- Sahel Decouverte – Agence de Voyages
- Office de Tourisme / Syndicat d’Initiative
- Institut Français
- Saint-Louis International Jazz Festival
- Les Fanals
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Saint-Louis
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel de La Poste | 1850 | 0.9 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. October is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; August is the wettest, with about 99 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 Saint-Louis
Getting in
As of early 2026, the way in is by road. There is an airport, but services from Dakar that apparently restarted in 2024, have been discontinued. Rail services ended at the turn of the millennium, and the tracks are largely overgrown or covered in sand. If you have your own car, from Dakar take Route N2 all the way to Saint-Louis. It is approximately 260 km from Dakar and should take 4-6 hours depending on traffic. At Dakar Airport you can hire a car with or without a guide/driver. Prices with a guide start at roughly CFA 20,000 per day and increase depending on quality of the vehicle.
Getting around
You can usually count on taxis fares in Saint-Louis to be a solid fixed rate of 500 CFA. From the garage (gare routiere) to downtown or at night expect to pay 600 CFA. There is a fairly decent "car rapide" public transport system that shouldn't cost more than 100 CFA for your average stretch. On the Island of Ndar, there are caleche rides designed for site-seeing tourists. However, most of the historic city is easily accessible by foot.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Saint-Louis
Eat
Given that Saint-Louis is a hot destination for French-speaking tourists and a home to many foreign-born residents, the offerings are plentiful on the island for food and drink. You can stop at any one of the unassuming Tangana shacks for Senegalese food or a simple sandwich which can be found in great numbers on both the Mainland or the Island or check out some of the restaurants and bars listed below for something a little different. Also don't be afraid to stop at one of the many sandwich stands set up on the street or any of the other street foods. You can also drink a cup of Nescafe or Cafe Touba for under 100 CFA at many places along the street.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Saint-Louis: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Saint-Louis?
Saint-Louis has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. October is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; August is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
What currency is used in Saint-Louis?
West African CFA franc (XOF).
Nearby
Destinations near Saint-Louis
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; 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.