What it is
A city of around six million spread across peninsulas and islands in the Ébrié Lagoon, linked by bridges. Le Plateau is the high-rise business district. Cocody is residential and holds the university and several galleries. Treichville and Marcory are older, denser and where most of the music is.
Why go
The city runs late and loudly. Maquis, open-air grill restaurants, are the standard evening and the food is excellent. Coupé-décalé came out of the Abidjan and Paris club circuit and is still played here. St Paul's Cathedral on the Plateau is a striking piece of 1980s architecture. Banco National Park is rainforest inside the city limits, and at its entrance the fanico, the open-air laundrymen, have worked the river for generations.
When to go
December to March. The lagoon crossings are the traffic pressure point, so keep each day on one side. Most people arrange evenings through their hotel or a local guide rather than arriving cold at a club.
Most people stay 3-4 nights.