• Jan Moda Race Ground.
• Bihere Tsige Recreation Center.
• Addis Ababa Golf Club.
• Entoto Mountain: walk from St. Marry church, the first church of Addis and St Urael church and see the city itself from the top of the mountain.
• Lion zoo: near to Addis Ababa university

• Ethiopian National Museum. See a plaster replica of Lucy, an early hominid. The museum is located between Arat Kilo Avenue and the University of Addis Ababa Graduate School. Walking along the street starting from Meskel Sq. to Sidest Kilo is very comfortable and entertaining. It will give you the chance to see the Africa Hall, the palaces and the Parliament building, the Hilton Hotel, the marvelous architectural adventure of a building hosting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Sheraton Hotel, the first modern school (which Menelik the II built in the 1880s), the Trinity Orthodox cathedral, the National Museum, and the Addis Ababa University (which also hosts a former palace and museum). Arat Kilo Avenue is marked by a statue built in commemoration of the Ethiopian V-day during the Second World War, while Sidest Kilo Avenue is marked by a statue commemorating the ~39,000 residents of Addis Ababa killed by Italian fascist troops. Around Arat Kilo, you will find part of an old town known as Serategna Sefer (literally, the residential area of laborers). If you want to proceed past Sidest Kilo, the road becomes steeper and much of the attractions will be on the right side of the road. The Entoto college (previously Teferi Mekonnen School) and the American Embassy are found on this side of the street. After the American Embassy there is an open market called Shiro Meda where traditional craftsmen sell their home made fabrics, pots and other crafts. The market place is at the foot of the Entoto Mountains that rises up to 3,300m above see level. You can take a taxi or a bus to the mountain unless you are of a mind to try it yourself. On the mountain, you will find the first churches of Addis Ababa called St. Mary and St. Raguel as well as smaller palace of Menelik the II. Walking on the mountain, especially between the churches is refreshing and gives you the chance to see rural life, the city itself, forest and unbelievably beautiful landscape intersected by farmlands and trails of farmers. It is from here that Menelik II and Queen Taitu conceived of the establishment Addis Ababa. You can get a sense of the city plan yourself by looking from here at the current city.

• Africa Hall is located across Menelik II avenue from this Palace and is where the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is headquartered as well as most UN offices in Ethiopia. It is also the site of the founding of the Organization for African Unity (OAU) which eventually became the African Union.

• Near Holy Trinity Cathedral is the Parliament building, built during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, with its clock tower. It continues to serve as the seat of Parliament today.

• Shengo Hall, built by the Derg regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam as its new parliament hall. The Shengo Hall was the world's largest pre-fabricated building, which was constructed in Finland before being assembled in Addis Ababa. It is used for large meetings and conventions.

• Near Bole International Airport is the new Medhane Alem (Savior of the World) Cathedral, which is the second largest in Africa.

• In the Merkato district, which happens to be the largest market in Africa, is the impressive Anwar Mosque. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family is also in the Merkato district.

Other features of the city include the large Merkato market, the Jan Meda Race Ground racecourse, Bihere Tsige Recreation Centre and a railway line to Djibouti, while the Entoto Mountains start among the northern suburbs.

• Suburbs of the city include Shiro Meda and Entoto in the north, Urael and Bole (home to Bole International Airport) in the east, Nifas Silk in the south-east, Mekanisa in the south, and Keraniyo and Kolfe in the west.

• Menelik's old Imperial Palace which remains the official seat of government
• National Palace formerly known as the Jubilee Palace, built to mark Emperor Haile Selassie's Silver Jubilee in 1955, which is the residence of the President of Ethiopia.

• The Hager Fikir Theatre, the oldest theater in Ethiopia, is located at the Piazza district.
• Ethiopian National Library.
• Ethiopian Ethnological Museum.
• Addis Ababa Museum.
• Ethiopian National History Museum.
• Ethiopian Railway Museum
• National Postal Museum.
• St George's Cathedral, North end of Churchill Road. Built in 1896 to commemorate Ethiopia's victory over the Italians. Open 8am - 9am, Noon - 2pm. Also houses a museum.
• Holy Trinity Cathedral. The burial place for many famous people and once the largest Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral. Built to commemorate the country's liberation from the Italian.
• National Palace. Once known as the Jubilee Palace, the National Palace is the President's residence.
• Africa Hall, Menelik II Avenue. The headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
• Bole Medhane-Alem, The second largest Cathedral in Africa.

ATMs/CASH MACHINES - are still rare in Addis. Found at Hilton, Sheraton, Wabi Shebvelle Hotels and some branches of Dashen Bank. They ONLY take VISA DEBIT cards. Do NOT depend on them as your only source of cash.

CASH ON CREDIT CARDs at Dashen Bank in Sheraton but at 6% and US$ 500 max per day. Best place to change Travellers Cheques and Cash are the two private enterprise banks on Hilton Ground Floor, Nib and United. Abyssinia Bank at Filwoha/Stadium and city end of Bole Rd are also good. UK Travellers recommended to use Nationwide Debit Card - NO commission. Avoid branches of CBE or Awash Bank on main roads - take ages.

By plane

Bole International Airport, ADD is serviced by several international airlines with daily flights to Europe, United States, and Asia as well as inter-African destinations including Accra, Bamako, Brazzaville, Cairo, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Khartoum, Harare, Johannesburg, Nairobi and many more cities in Africa.

• British Airways, previously franchised to Brit Meditteranean Airways, NOW to BMI.
• Ethiopian Airlines, +251-11-661-6161, +251-11-661 6666, [1]. This airport is their primary hub. Offers domestic, continental and worldwide flights.

The best way to travel from Europe IF you can afford their sometimes daft prices.

• Emirates,[2] - good flights but watch out for chaos at Dubai departures.
• Egypt Air,
• KLMgood value for short periods ,
• Kenya Airways,
• Lufthansa,as for KLM.
• Sudan Airways,
• Turkish Airlines[3] and
• 'Yemenia

By train

• Arrive via Djibouti. Over 700km trip that takes approximately 24 hour trip from point to point, stopping about halfway in Dire Dawa. Reservations are strongly recommended.

By car

• Some of the roads are in pretty poor condition, so keep this in mind when estimating time between destinations.

Best roads out of Addis are 1. To the south west - to Jimma 2. To the north - to Blue Nile Gorge 3. To the south - Mojo road to Harrar, or Langan/ Awassa road 4. To the south - Butajira road. 5. To Shorobit Worst is the North East road to Debre Birhan - badly potholed.

By bus

• Bus terminals:
  • Autobus Terra near Mercato. This is the main bus terminal where most of the national buses arrive and depart.
  • Ras Mekonin Avenue near the railway station. Buses to/from Debre Zeyit are here.

• Very few streets have names and when they do, they may not be named correctly on a map; use landmarks to navigate the city.
• Blue and white minibuses travel quite efficiently around the town. To catch a minibus stand on the side of the road and hail it. This can be done anywhere it is possible for the bus to stop. The conductor inside will call out the destination, and you get on. There are 3 prices - 0.65 ETB for a short trip, 1.20ETB for a medium trip, and 1.60br for a long trip eg terminus to terminus. You pay the conductor after you get on. To get out say "woraj alla" It is worth having an Ethiopian guide with you if it is your first time using these taxis.
• Small blue coloured Lada taxis are more expensive. They range from 10ETB for a very short journey, to about 35ETB or more for a cross town trek. Negotiation is the norm and you often have to press quite hard to get a bargain as a foreigner. They can be contracted for a single trip,an hour, or a full day, just negotiate.
• Walking in Addis Ababa is a pleasant and sensible way of getting around, however beggars and other hangers-on will most likely bother you.

• Merkato. The merkato is the largest outdoor market in the world, and you can get anything from tourist goods (t-shirts, wood crafts, etc.) to fabric to metal goods there. Haggling and bargaining are standard procedure, and foreigners (especially those of European ancestry) should expect to be charged higher prices. To ensure a positive experience, maintain a sense of humor, don't be afraid to negotiate aggressively, and above all don't let yourself be bullied by the many "brokers" who frequent the market, and will try to steer you towards certain stores in exchange for a kick-back from the merchant. You will be able to negotiate lower prices if you can avoid brokers, and especially if you have a local friend or guide to buy things on your behalf.
• Friendship Supermarket. Bole Road (airport end). Well-stocked western-style supermarket - and they accept Visa.

Budget

Addis has hundreds of Cake and Coffee cafes. They sell various coffees, tea - black unless you ask for milk - and sometimes fruit juices. There are also juice beits .

The cafes along Bole Road and around the Piassa area are of a high standard and relatively inexpensive. Most are very similar to each other. Most cafes serve the common drink called 'juice spritz' which is fruit pulp served in layers in a glass. There are usually 3 layers from a selection of avocado, mango, papaya, banana, guava etc. The juice is eaten with a spoon. It is colorful and tastes delicious. Single fruit juices are also great = orange, papaya, mango, pineapple - beautifully fresh. 4br up to 25br in Hilton.....

Cafe Chocolata on Victory Road (near Shoppers Mart supermarket) serves drinks and snacks and is very nice. All the staff are former street girls and prostitutes who are trying to make something of their lives.

City Cafe on Bole has delicious cakes and pastries as well as high quality Ethiopian espresso coffees. You can sit on the porch and watch the activity on one of the main roads in Addis.

Mid-range

• Habesha Bole Road. This cultural restaurant has traditional singing and dancing at night. If you're feeling brave, try the gored gored (cubes of heavily salted and spiced raw beef).
• Team Mini Bole Road. This friendly, high quality "cultural" restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian food. Be sure to try the mesir besiga (ground meat with lentils). At night, Team Mini features performances by traditional singers and dancers. The entertainment is not as good as that at Habesha, but the food is generally better.
• The Limetree Bole Road, Boston Partners Building. While Ethiopian food is delicious there comes a time when you will crave western fare. The Limetree provides a beautiful range including gourmet sandwiches, pasta and arabic beef. A favorite hangout of ex-pats and NGO workers, the Limetree is nevertheless one of the best (and surprisingly affordable) resautrant/cafes in Addis.

"Agelgil" - off south west end of Maskal Flower Road - across the railway line. In the old Villa Verde compound. One of the cities best Traditional Restaurants. Excellent dancers; everyone gets a good view; customers NOT pushed in like sardines. Good Tej. "Addis Cuisine". Wollo Sefer. Bole end of Ethio Chinese Friendship Road,on the north side of 6 lane road. Good western and Ethiopian food.

Splurge

• Fisherman Restaurant Mickey Leland Street, Near Atlas Hotel. Is a half Chinese half Tibetan restaurant serving an excellent range of Asian cuisine and specializing in seafood.

• Aladdin Restaurant Bole Rwanda. Serves Middle-Eastern food. Very expensive but authentic and delicious.

• Castellis in Piazza. Top Italian restaurant here since 1942.

• Top View Restaurant. Past Bole airport near gutara. Very good food but can be expensive for a dinner meal.

• Serenade Restaurant. In the amset kilo area, close to Nazareth School. Will need a reservation. plobably the best food in town, middle eastern influence.