Top choice in Addis Ababa
Eight years after being founded by designer Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu to help talented artisans in her neighbourhood, soleRebels Footwear's shoes are made using locally sourced natural fibres, hand-made fabric and, for soles, old car and truck tyres. Staff are paid up to four times the average wage in Ethiopia and is one of Ethiopia’s best-known companies internationally.
It is the world’s first shoe company to have been certified by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).
3.6 MILES
Set within Haile Selassie’s former palace, and surrounded by the beautiful gardens and fountains of the university’s main campus, is the enthralling…
3.19 MILES
The collection on show at the National Museum is ranked among the most important in sub-Saharan Africa, but sadly many of its exhibits are poorly labelled…
'Red Terror' Martyrs Memorial Museum
1.77 MILES
‘As if I bore them all in one night, they slew them in a single night.’ These were the words spoken by the mother of four teenage children all killed on…
2.81 MILES
Commissioned by Emperor Menelik II to commemorate his stunning 1896 defeat of the Italians in Adwa, and dedicated to St George (Ethiopia’s patron saint),…
2.9 MILES
This massive and ornate cathedral is the second-most important place of worship in Ethiopia (ranking behind the Old Church of St Mary of Zion in Aksum)…
5.56 MILES
The Washa Mikael Church is a few kilometres east of Addis Ababa's town centre. Though local priests date it back to the 3rd century AD, it most probably…
2.39 MILES
Wading into the market chaos known as Merkato, just west of Addis' centre, can be as rewarding as it is exasperating. You may find the most eloquent aroma…
1.26 MILES
Long the symbol of Ethiopia’s monarchy, the Lion of Judah is ubiquitous throughout the country – and although images of the almighty animal abound in…
1.26 MILES
Long the symbol of Ethiopia’s monarchy, the Lion of Judah is ubiquitous throughout the country – and although images of the almighty animal abound in…
2. National Archives & Library of Ethiopia
1.53 MILES
Shelves groan under the weight of 20,000 books on Ethiopia. The English-language section is quite good.
1.75 MILES
Despite only being founded on Addis' centenary in 1986, the Addis Ababa Museum is the city’s scruffiest museum. That said, perusing candid portraits of…
1.76 MILES
The towering Derg Monument is one of the more poignant reminders of the country’s painful communist rule. Topped by a massive red star and emblazoned with…
5. 'Red Terror' Martyrs Memorial Museum
1.77 MILES
‘As if I bore them all in one night, they slew them in a single night.’ These were the words spoken by the mother of four teenage children all killed on…
6. Afewerk Tekle’s Home & Studio
1.8 MILES
A member of several international academies and with a drawer full of international decorations – about 100 at last count, including the British Order of…
1.89 MILES
This is where the Ethiopian president lives. Don't even think of taking a photo.