Tourism in Eritrea

Eritrea still has very good diplomatic relations with Italy.

With its neighbouring country,  Ethiopia and its ever growing tourism development, Eritrea has been described as a ''hidden gem'' .Within Asmara, you find the most amazing collection of architectural designs in all of Africa. During Mussolini's time, Italy spent a lot of time and money planning and building Eritrea's capital. It was at this time where Asmara was given the name of "Piccola Roma" (Little Rome). When visiting Asmara, you can't help but admire the way the Italians made it so unique and different than all the other African cities. After the Italian colonization, Europeans and western architects used Asmara to experiment different styles of architecture which brings architects from all around the world to examine and admire the unique buildings.

Although Eritrea is considered a ''hidden gem'', the tourists who go to Eritrea are very lucky, considering there are many beautiful places to see, both natural and manmade.

1) Admire the architecture in Asmara and Moorish Massawa ( coast)
 2) Go swimming with dolphins and scuba dive around Dahlak Archipelago.
3) Hike the sheer slopes of Tsada Amba to the monastery at its peak.



Uncharted Dankalia Desert.

 4) Journey through Dankalia's wildlife rich desert.

5) Visit Medeber Market where material goods and household items are made and fixed through the recycling of metal.

6)Visit the National Museum and explore the different cultures and ethnicities within Eritrea!

7) Steam Trains; while here in Canada, we don't get the opportunity to use steam trains anymore, but in Eritrea they still have one travelling from Asmara to Massawa ( coast of Eritrea)

8) The tour of Eritrea is a multiple day bicycle race throughout Eritrea. It was originally promoted by the Italian community in Eritrea with the name Primo Giro dell'Eritrea.  After 2 years of the Tour of Eritrea, it stopped running due to political reason, but as a celebration of the 10th year anniversary of Eritrean Independance, it was resurrected.



Massawa



Eritrea has always been a place of trade due to its access to the Mediterranean, but also a typical place for invasions.
Many people of different races (Arabs, Indians, Italians...) around Eritrea go to visit Eritrea. Whether its to see its port to the red sea or to see the architectural designs or to simply to study its great history.  Eritrea has also been described as the "Miami of Africa" with its numerous beautiful beaches.

 There are just so many tourist attractions to see in such a beautiful country!

To learn about more tourist attractions visit: This website

Hotels in Asmara, Eritrea.
- One of the most westernized hotels filled with many luxuries is the Asmara Palace. Asmara Palace is one of the best hotels found in Eritrea, just a few kilometres away from the Asmara airport.

- Another beautiful hotel and oldest hotel in Asmara is Albergo Italia. Built in 1899 and totally renovated in 2004 by Italians, in hopes of preserving Italian culture in Eritrea.
Prices vary with the room- the rooms available  are :  - Double -Suited Room
-Lofted rooms   - Yellow Suite  -Green Suite  -Red Suite  and the Imperial Suite.

Yellow Suite, Green Suite, Red Suite:
   -overnight including breakfast- $180

Lofted room (max. 3 persons)

-overnight including breakfast $120

   -Half Board: $230

   -Full Board: $250

Standard Room: Overnight including breakfast: $ 80

Half Board: $150

Full Board: $170

Contact information :
Albergo Italia
Nakfa Avenue, 13 Asmara, Eritrea
Tel: 0029-1-1-120740
Fax: 0029-1-1-126993
info@albergoitaliaasmara.com

Nigdet:

People in Asmara, have a celebration every month where each Orthodox Church has a particular day during the year when a Saint is celebrated. We call this holiday 'Nigdet'. People from other churches or neighbourhoods join the Orthodox Church that is hosting the party in celebration of a particular Saint ( ie: Mariam Orthodox Cathedral : Nov. 30th) . On this day, the neighbourhood has a festival filled with food, dance and culture, where all guests and worshippers are invited to celebrate. This celebration is also known as the  " Saints Feast" where the people of the church prepare a great feast for the people of Asmara.  The Feast is usually held after the ceremony where many people gather to eat and drink "suwa" ( a homemade alcoholic beverage). Events like these bring so many different ethnicities and religions together. If one where to visit Asmara, they should make sure they put this on their agenda to have a taste of how traditional holiday festivals are celebrated.