Addis Ababa Layover: Experience Highlighted Tour of World's Third Highest Capital

Experience the highlights of Addis Ababa, the world’s third highest capital. Explore its attractive sites and discover the rich history and culture of this vibrant city.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Meskel Square - Located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Meskel Square is a prominent public space often used for gatherings, demonstrations, and festivals, including the renowned Meskel Festival, which lends the square its name.
  • Addis Ababa - Discover the historic Bata Mariam Church in Addis Ababa, an Ethiopian Orthodox church celebrated for its…
What's Included
  • Tour guide
  • All Fees and Taxes
  • Entry/Admission Meskel square
  • Bottled water
  • Entry/Admission Merkato
  • Ethiopian coffee
  • Entry/Admission Yekatit 12 monument
  • Entry/Admission Bata Mariam church
  • Admission/entry Entoto not in the park
  • Experienced driver
  • Entry/Admission National museum
What's Not Included
  • Drinks
  • Food and drinks
  • Lunch
Additional Information

What distinguishes our Addis Ababa city tour is our commitment to delivering a profound, genuine experience that extends beyond typical tourist attractions. We provide a tailored approach, guiding you through both renowned landmarks and the city’s hidden treasures, such as the historic Bata Mariam Church with its underground crypts, and the lively local…

Location
Meskel Square
05/03, Addis abeba
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(133 Ratings)
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Franciscor210
Nov 7, 2025
Shocking - Arriving in the Ethiopian Capital and seeing its avenues lit by beautiful street lamps and its modern buildings and bright signs surprised us, and then already by day, when we tour the city reach Mount Entoto and have a wide panoramic view. You can’t miss the National Museum to see Mummy Lucy dating back three million years, and in the right place, participate in the Coffee Ceremony, traditional in Ethiopia, not forgetting the visit to the famous Merkato. An unforgettable experience we had with Essence Tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Papacory
Oct 25, 2025
Great day tour - We really enjoyed our tour with Biruk. For us it was important that we feel safe and he did a good job. He’s knowledgeable and local with good English.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meaghan_ca
Oct 24, 2025
Perfect layover itinerary - Wow. This was a perfect layover tour! Addis is a must see city and this tour maximized time on the ground to see as much of the capital as possible. Wonde was a superb tour guide who knew how to make the most of the limited time we had before the next flight. The driver expertly navigated very narrow crowded streets around the market. We even got to try traditional Ethiopian coffee (included) and a traditional Ethiopian dinner with entertainment (extra small cost but well worth it). 100% recommend this tour and hope to get back to explore more of Ethiopia in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Udhanth
Oct 23, 2025
Very accommodating guides - The agency provided a driver and a guide who accompanies you to all the sites. They were very accommodating with the itinerary, flight arrival, and pick up location. My guide Birukfro was very knowledgeable at each of the sites, helped take photos, and adjusted the tour based on my jetlag. He was very responsive to my messages and it was overall a seamless experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bryan
Oct 21, 2025
A wonderful idea when flying through Addis - We had a great morning out with our wonderful guide, Biruk. He was knowledgeable, personable, very friendly and just an overall great guide and person. We had limited time and he was flexible enough to adapt the tour to our preferences and time constraints
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larraitz_g
Oct 19, 2025
Highly recommended - Biruk guide very attentive and friendly. He adjusted the visit to the time we had and the explanations have been very good. In addition, he invited us to a delicious samosa and we felt very comfortable and well taken care of. The only catch is that we had booked the activity with a Spanish-speaking guide and it was in English. Thanks to one of us speaking English and translating the explanations we have been able to make the excursion (that inconvenience was certainly not the fault or responsibility of the guide).
Review provided by Viator
Anderb260
Oct 19, 2025
Recommended excursion - Biruk was very nice and kind. He invited us to a delicious samosa. We also had a delicious coffee. We enjoyed the excursion very much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Northstar00305201689
Oct 19, 2025
Great for a layover of any length - Henock was very nice and knowledgeable, edited the tour to fit the time frame we had. The sites and information were interesting, varied and beautiful. I learned a lot about Ethiopia and it was perfect for any length of layover.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gal
Oct 19, 2025
Good way to spend time in Addis Ababa and learn a lot - The tour guide was really nice and was very enthusiastic and had great English, learned a lot and had a great time. Also it was very flexible with our flight time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jon_k
Oct 18, 2025
Wonde is the best guide! - Wonde is incredible. I didn’t think we could see much in less than an 8 hour layover but we saw it all and more. We never felt rushed and yet felt like we saw it all.
Review provided by Viator
From $40
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).