On my first morning in Abidjan, the city felt like a grand open-air museum. The sun filtered through the canopy of bougainvillea cascading over a faded ochre villa, and the rumble of early traffic mixed with calls of street vendors setting up their stands. I paused at a corner café, ordered a café touba, and watched as Abidjan’s architectural layers quietly revealed themselves—an eclectic blend of past and present, of Paris-in-Africa elegance and West African bustle.

A Walk Through Plateaux: Modern Metropolis Meets Tropical Light

The Plateau district is Abidjan’s business heart, where sleek glass towers and concrete high-rises rise above manicured medians. I strolled along Boulevard Hassan II just after sunrise, when the light danced across reflective façades and joggers shared the pavements with office workers clutching morning papers.

• Spotlight on La Pyramide: This iconic tiered building feels like a modernist chess piece overlooking the city. Originally designed in the 1970s, its stepped silhouette reminded me of a futuristic ziggurat. On the ground floor, a quiet courtyard café serves fresh attiéké bowls—tapioca grated from cassava with a hint of chili oil.
• Hidden Gem – La Tour Postel 2001: Off the main drag, a narrow side street leads to this slightly weathered tower. The blend of Art Deco flourishes and minimalist concrete lines gives it a quietly retro charm. It’s a perfect spot to capture sunrise reflections in your travel journal or your Instagram (@curiocity.lens has some of my sunrise shots here: https://instagram.com/curiocity.lens).

Plateau to Cocody: Colonial Elegance and University Vibes

Just east of Plateau is Cocody, a more residential and leafy district. Here, the architecture shifts to the gentle curves and ornate balconies of French colonial villas. I jumped into a shared taxi (called a “Gbaka”) and headed toward the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny campus, not for lectures, but to admire the long colonnades and open courtyards where students lounge under mango trees.

On rue des Jardins, pastel-painted mansions show off wrought-iron railings, shuttered windows, and tiled roofs. Many are now art galleries or small guesthouses. During my stay, I booked a room in a renovated villa with high ceilings and original mosaic floors—it felt like living in a 1920s novel.

Practical Tip:

If you’re exploring Cocody on foot, carry bottled water and a small umbrella. The sun can be intense by midday, and many of these historic homes have little shade at street level.

Marcory & Treichville: Neighborhood Life and Street-Side Flavors

To experience Abidjan’s more spontaneous side, I hopped on a moto-taxi to Marcory and Treichville. These neighborhoods pulse with street-life energy. You’ll find clusters of stalls selling all kinds of fresh produce—mangoes, plantains, peppers—and small grills where vendors cook brochettes (spiced kebabs) and chicken mafé over charcoal.

• Market Architecture: The large open-air markets here are a tangle of low-rise concrete sheds and ramshackle awnings. It’s chaotic, colorful, and endlessly photogenic. I spent an afternoon wandering between rows of stalls, sketching the interplay of light and shadow on corrugated steel roofs.
• Street-Side Café Culture: Beside the main market entrance in Treichville, several roadside cafés cluster around a tiny roundabout. Locals come here for strong, sweet coffee and a domino game. It’s a great spot to practice a few phrases in Baoulé or Dioula, and to soak up neighborhood chatter.

Futuristic & Forgotten: Abidjan’s Post-Independence Experiments

Beyond the well-trodden districts, Abidjan harbors some fascinating architectural experiments from the 1960s and 1970s. On a guided walk with a local architecture student, I discovered Brutalist apartment blocks with bold geometric balconies, now half-shrouded by vines. These structures were meant to symbolize a confident, modern Ivory Coast newly independent from France.

One standout building, the Cité Administrative, has a gigantic concrete sunshade on its western face—an early example of sustainable design. Although parts of it are closed for renovation, you can still admire its sculptural quality from the street below.

Practical Insight:

Many of these post-independence sites aren’t on tourist maps. If you want to see them, connect with a local architecture collective or ask at the Cultural Affairs office in Plateau. Wear sturdy shoes—some sites have uneven pavements or construction zones.

Sunset on the Ébrié Lagoon

No architectural tour of Abidjan is complete without a view over the Ébrié Lagoon. I took a late afternoon ferry from Treichville to Zone 4, watching the city skyline glow orange as the sun dipped. In the distance, the famous Second Bridge arched across the water—a silhouette against molten light.

On the Zone 4 pier, small wooden boats sell fresh grilled fish on banana leaves—perfect to nibble while twilight deepens. The breeze off the lagoon cools the air, and the city noise feels miles away.

Final Thoughts: Buildings That Tell Stories

Walking Abidjan is like flipping through a visual history book. Every façade, whether gleaming or weathered, carries a story of colonial pasts, nationalist dreams, or entrepreneurial spirit. I left with hundreds of photos, a notebook full of sketches, and a deep appreciation for a city that dares to combine tropical warmth with ambitious design.

Next time you’re planning West Africa travels, consider giving at least three days to Abidjan’s urban tapestry. Pack light layers for both sun and rain, download a ride-hailing app like Yango for taxis, and get ready to be surprised around every corner.

Safe travels—and don’t forget to pause at those unexpected architectural details that turn a city stroll into an adventure.