Stone Town — Zanzibar Beyond the Beaches

Stone Town: the beating heart of Zanzibar

For most travellers, Zanzibar means white-sand beaches and all-inclusive resorts. Yet the archipelago's true treasure lies not on the sand but in the alleyways of its historic capital: Stone Town. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, this labyrinthine city is a crossroads of cultures — Arab, Persian, Indian, African, Portuguese — that have blended over centuries into a mosaic unique in the world. Here every door tells a story, every terrace conceals a view, and at sunset the Forodhani Gardens become the most spectacular street-food market in East Africa.

A labyrinth of stone and stories

Stone Town — Mji Mkongwe in Swahili, "the old city" — spreads across a triangular peninsula facing the Indian Ocean. Its streets follow no logic whatsoever: they narrow, they widen, they dead-end against a wall or open suddenly onto the sea. The houses are built from coral blocks and limestone, with carved wooden balconies and the famous Zanzibari doors — massive teak doors adorned with brass studs and floral carvings, each one different from the next, once signalling the wealth and ethnic origin of the owner.

Wandering without purpose, you encounter mosques, Hindu temples, Christian churches and a former synagogue — testimony to the religious tolerance that has always defined the island. The architecture blends Omani elements (pointed arches), Indian features (stained glass, verandas) and colonial traces (Victorian-era buildings from the British protectorate period).

The Palace of Wonders and the Sultan's Palace

On the waterfront, Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders) was the first building in East Africa to have electric light and a lift, installed in 1883 by Sultan Barghash. After partially collapsing in 2020, it is currently being restored with international funds. Alongside stands the Sultan's Palace (Beit el-Sahel), now a museum telling the story of daily life at Zanzibar's Omani court through furniture, clothing, porcelain and period photographs.

Forodhani Gardens: the evening market

Every evening, as the sun sets, the Forodhani Gardens on the waterfront become an open-air food market. Dozens of stalls lit by gas lamps offer Zanzibar pizza (a kind of filled crêpe), octopus and prawn skewers, coconut bread, sugar-cane juice and the celebrated urojo — a spiced soup with lentils, mango and crispy bhajia. All at negligible prices: a generous meal costs less than three euros. The atmosphere is electric, with local families, fishermen and travellers all mixing in the same spirit of joy.

Freddie Mercury and the spice trade

Few people know that Farrokh Bulsara — the legendary Freddie Mercury — was born in Stone Town in 1946, into a Parsi family of Indian origin. His childhood home, a modest building in the Shangani quarter, is marked by a plaque and now houses a small unofficial museum. The city has also dedicated a restaurant and an annual music festival to him.

Zanzibar is historically known as the "spice island". Tours of the inland plantations are an extraordinary sensory experience: you touch, smell and taste cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, vanilla, turmeric and cardamom directly from the plants. Guides explain the culinary and medicinal uses of each spice with infectious enthusiasm.

The memory of the slave trade

Stone Town was one of the principal centres of the slave trade in the Indian Ocean. The former slave market, now the site of the Anglican Cathedral of Christ, preserves the underground chambers where enslaved people were held before being sold. The visit is harrowing but necessary: a memorial with sculptures of chained slaves reminds us that tens of thousands of men, women and children passed through here, bound for Gulf countries and the plantations of the Indian Ocean islands.

Practical information

Getting there

From Italy, flights to Zanzibar (ZNZ) require a stopover in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Dubai or Doha. Some charter operators offer seasonal direct flights from Italy. Zanzibar airport is about 20 minutes from Stone Town by taxi (€10–15). Alternatively, fly to Dar es Salaam and take the fast ferry (2 hours, around €35).

When to go

The best months are June–September (dry and cool season) and January–February (hot but dry). Avoid March–May (heavy rains) and November (short rains). Temperatures are almost always between 25 and 32°C.

Budget and tips

- Visa: required for Italian citizens. Obtainable on arrival at the airport (50 USD) or via e-visa before departure.

- Budget: around €45 per day — guesthouse in Stone Town €20–35/night, meal at Forodhani €2–5.

- Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TZS), but US dollars are accepted everywhere.

- Health: antimalarial prophylaxis recommended; drink only bottled water.

- Local respect: Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim. Away from the beach, dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered).

Stone Town is where Africa meets Arabia, India and Europe in an architectural and cultural embrace without equal. Coming to Zanzibar only for the beach would be like visiting Rome without entering a museum: possible, but unforgivable.