Built in 1956 as the official residence of the Belgian governor general in Kinshasa, the Palais de la Nation was where Congo's first president, Patrick Lumumba, denounced colonialism during a speech following his election to the presidency following the country's independence in 1960. It is today the home to the DRC president's administration and is closed to the public.
Palais de la Nation
Kinshasa
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
12.78 MILES
Ninety minutes west of Kinshasa, just beyond the city's sprawl, this excellent project provides a home for orphaned bonobos. Long thought to be…
3 MILES
This amazing ethnographic archive comprising some 45,000 objects has been waiting patiently for its new home, a US$10 million prestige investment from…
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16.93 MILES
This excellent snake farm is located 28km from downtown Kinshasa and makes for a great day out. Owner Franck will gladly show you the poisonous and…
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1.58 MILES
This wonderful modernised embankment is a great place for a stroll, and affords fantastic views over the Congo River to Kinshasa, looming in the distance…
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6.93 MILES
These wide and powerful rapids on the Congo River can be viewed on the outskirts of Brazzaville. Most people observe the rapids from the nearby bar Site…
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2.37 MILES
This modernist 1949 building was the crowning achievement of French architect Roger Erell, who was known for fusing Western architectural ideas with local…
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0.1 MILES
This tomb of former president Laurent Kabila (1939-2001) is worth seeing, although reaching it involves passing through several layers of security in the…
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14.96 MILES
A great day trip from Kinshasa, the Chutes de Lukaya have a wonderful natural setting, a decent restaurant (open at the weekend only), natural lakes to…
Nearby Kinshasa attractions
0.1 MILES
This tomb of former president Laurent Kabila (1939-2001) is worth seeing, although reaching it involves passing through several layers of security in the…
1.5 MILES
Heavily guarded and best not approached or photographed, this is the residence of Congo's long-term president, Denis Sassou N'Guesso.
1.58 MILES
This wonderful modernised embankment is a great place for a stroll, and affords fantastic views over the Congo River to Kinshasa, looming in the distance…
1.61 MILES
This regarded art school has loads of sculpture around the grounds, and you can often see students and professors at work.
1.63 MILES
Brazzaville's modernist city hall has an enviable location just by the Congo River, and anyone who has spent time in France will notice the unmistakable…
1.66 MILES
Sift through all the tat at Brazzaville's tourist market and you'll find some decent weavings and woodcarvings.
1.68 MILES
The body of Italian-French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who founded the settlement that became Brazzaville, was returned to Congo in 2006 and is…
1.77 MILES
Built under Belgian rule in 1947, this brick cathedral is one of Kinshasa's most important religious buildings.