Vintage Coffee Shops, Restaurants, Sightseeing in Addis Ababa
5.0
9 Ratings
Addis Ababa
Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Addis Ababa with a tour that combines vintage coffee shops, traditional restaurants, and sightseeing. Discover hidden gems and indulge in local dishes for a memorable experience.
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • National Museum of Ethiopia - A visit to the national museum will expand a traveler’s knowledge about Ethiopia. It houses a collection of artifacts and paintings, including the renowned Lucy - the most ancient hominid skeleton, a forebear of humankind. Comprehensive explanations will be provided.
  • Ras Dashen - We will stop here for lunch to savor the exquisite local cuisine, which includes a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. It’s the quintessential spot to experience genuine flavors - our plans may shift to the Taitu hotel depending on our schedule.
  • Addis Ababa - The Piazza is the heart of Addis Ababa, adorned by the majestic statue of King Menelik.

We’ll meander through the streets, observing the locals, the Italian-style architecture, and the spectacular view from the Municipality office to the National Theatre. We’ll take a break for coffee at one of the city’s oldest coffee shops. It’s a chance to unwind and mingle with the residents.

  • Meskel Square - Often referred to as Ethiopia’s ‘Time Square,’
    Meskel Square is the city’s largest outdoor space, hosting a variety of events, most notably the annual Meskel festival celebrating the discovery of the True Cross. It’s also a venue for public gatherings and sometimes music concerts. We’ll stroll along the terrace and take a moment to relax. Despite the crowd, it maintains a serene atmosphere. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy another coffee at a special venue, where we’ll learn about the history of coffee, its importance, and its global impact.
  • **Totot Traditional food Hall | Gerji |

** - This is arguably the best spot in Addis to immerse oneself in the local nightlife, featuring live music with traditional Ethiopian dance, honey wine, beer, and an assortment of dishes. Be ready to dance, as you may be invited to join in.

We also have the option to visit smaller music venues later. This will be decided as we continue with our day’s activities.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Tea and coffee
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
Additional Information

This excursion incorporates a wide variety of experiences that anyone could desire in a day. We permit participants to customize it based on their preferences and availability, enabling greater exploration. We promise to unveil all of Addis Ababa’s hidden treasures.

Experience the traditional coffee ceremony and savor coffee in a classic café, and visit some of the city’s original restaurants to sample local cuisine.
Like our other trips, we put our tourists’ satisfaction and enjoyment first, ensuring everyone appreciates everything on offer.

We will ensure that your time in Addis Ababa is optimally spent.

Location
National Museum of Ethiopia
King George VI Street,
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(9 Ratings)
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Nickso453nf
Mar 30, 2024
Excellent, Knowledgeable guide of Addis - I highly recommend Gashaw as a tour guide. He is professional, respectful and knowldgeable about Addis Ababa. He is more than happy to tailor your time around whatever you are most interested and excited about seeing in the city. For our tour, we visited Mercato and St George church (as well as stopping for coffee and tea a few times along the way). I would highly highly recommend talking to Gashaw if you are interested in seeing and learning more about Ethiopia
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarahkj8835eo
Dec 29, 2023
Awesome Addis Tour - Had a very interesting and fun-filled day will Gashaw who was my guide for the day.I learnt alot and I would say he was quite informed and interesting company through the half day tour.He picked on time and helped me explore Addis Ababa. He was part of my experience as I visited the museum in Addis Ababa, St George's Chapel, tasted Ethiopian food and finally had a taste of tej ( which I now wanna carry home ).All in all I would recommend Aspire Tours for any Ethiopia adventures
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Ssakalis
Aug 18, 2023
Best tour organiser - Absolutely excellent - Addis was my guide for a day tour of the city. I wanted to make the most of my time in the city so started straight after having checked in to the hotel. Addis tailored the trip to my needs as I was tired after overnight flight. Excellently organised, very knowledgeable about the city he loves (they share same name). Don't hesitate to choose this operator above all others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mkeheather
Aug 17, 2023
A fantastic experience in Addis! Great for activities for a long layover! - From communication before our tour, to picking us up for our tour, throughout the tour and dropping us off -- this was a fantastic experience!!! Our guide picked us up at our hotel given to us by Ethiopian Airlines and we had a fantastic day exploring Addis! We went to a museum and saw Lucy, had smoothies and our guide's favorite spot, went behind the scenes at the market, saw an overview of the city, had a FANTASTIC traditional Ethiopian meal, had delicious coffee and got dropped back off at our hotel! Not before our guide helped us to get our shoes cleaned (a local spot on the corner) to get some dust off that had accumulated throughout the day! I could not recommend this tour enough!! Great for a quick layover in Addis when you want to experience the city!! Able to customize as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J8514ydroys
Aug 15, 2023
Fantastic 3-day private tour in and around Addis Ababa! - Mr. Gashaw N. from Aspire Ethiopia Tours gave my wife and me a 3-day private tour of Addis Ababa in August 2023. Our time with Gashaw included a day trip 100km north of the city to see baboons, a waterfall hike, and Ethiopia’s most important monastery. We really enjoyed our time with Gashaw. We learned so much from him in our first visit to Ethiopia and East Africa. We could not have had the travel experience we had without Aspire Ethiopia Tours. Gashaw gave us the local perspective we were looking for. He grew up in Lalibela before starting his tour business in Addis Ababa 8 years ago. His local knowledge and contacts smoothed our way in Ethiopia and helped us make the most of our visit. Gashaw speaks excellent English and holds a degree in English literature. We had in-depth conversations about Ethiopian culture and history. Gashaw drove us in his own vehicle, handling the roads and parking expertly. He was generous with his time and communicated very well before and during our time with him. Itinerary: we told Gashaw that we were interested in culture, history, food, and art - but not shopping. He customized our experience to empasize our interests. On the first day, we visited the National Museum of Ethiopia and the Merkato (market). We ate a traditional Ethiopian lunch, and Gashaw took us to his favorite juice and coffee places. We also visited the beautiful new Abrehot Library based on our interests. On the second day, we visited the St George Church and the Ethnological Museum on the campus of Addis Ababa University. We tried different coffee and lunch places - also excellent - and visited the Makush Art Gallery and Addis Fine Art based on our art interest. In the evening, Gashaw took us to hear traditional music and dance at the Fendka Culture Center, a gathering place where he is a well-known regular. Our third day was a day trip 100km north to Debre Libanos, the most important Orthodox monastery in Ethiopia. We also saw baboons in nature and hiked to a waterfall by the Portuguese Bridge before eating lunch above the valley. It was a beautiful drive through the agricultural areas where we saw many herders walking their cows, lambs, goats, donkeys, and other animals along the lush green grain fields and grassland. We ended the day with a great view of the city of Addis from the high overlook at Entoto Park. We hope to return to Ethiopia some day and visit the famous Lalibela churches with Gashaw. I highly recommend Aspire Ethiopia Tours based on our experience with Gashaw.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matteo_mannai
Jul 29, 2023
Fantastic experience - a good way to explore Addis Ababa - Amazing experience, I would do it again many times. It is a very nice way to discover Addis from a local perspective.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Normandie23
Jul 23, 2023
Great Experience!! - We had a layover in Addis and Aspire Ethiopia Tours was very accommodating by picking us up from the airport at 5am. Gashaw was an amazing guide. He felt like a friend we knew for years. He was so knowledgeable about the history and culture. We learned a lot. If we ever go back I will definitely use them again to visit the rest of their lovely country.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 14 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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