Hotels near Stone Town

Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the historic centre of Zanzibar - a maze of narrow alleys between coral-stone buildings built during the 19th-century Omani sultanate trading peak. The town was the most important slave-trading and spice-trading port on the East African coast until the 1873 abolition. Mixed Swahili, Arab, Indian, and European architecture creates one of the most distinctive urban environments on the Indian Ocean.

Standout sights: the House of Wonders (Beit-el-Ajaib, 1883 sultan's palace under restoration), the Old Fort (a 17th-century Omani fortress now hosting nightly cultural performances), the carved Zanzibar doors (200+ surviving, each unique), Freddie Mercury's birthplace (the Queen frontman was born here in 1946), and the Forodhani Gardens evening food market on the seafront. Free to wander; allow 4 hours for a slow Stone Town walk.

Pro Tip: Visit the Forodhani Gardens evening food market from 17:00 for grilled seafood (octopus, lobster, fish kebabs) and Zanzibar pizza (a local crepe-omelette specialty) - 5-15 USD per dish. The carved-door walk from Freddie Mercury House through Hurumzi is the photogenic Stone Town walking route.