Attraction · Teshie
Fort Augustaborg
Fort Augustaborg (Fort Teshie) is a ruined 1787 Danish fort in Teshie, Greater Accra, listed among Ghana's UNESCO-inscribed coastal forts and castles.
Photo: Shahadusadik · Source
Explore Ghana
Things to do in Greater Accra Region
Greater Accra is where most journeys in Ghana begin, and it rewards more than a quick stopover. In Accra itself you can stand at Independence Square, climb the 112 steps of Jamestown Lighthouse for views over the old quarter, and wander Makola Market, the city's largest open-air trading district. The National Museum of Ghana and the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture add depth, while the Accra Arts Centre gathers crafts from across the country.
What ties these places together is the coast and its layered history. Fort Augustaborg in Teshie, Fort Fredensborg at Old Ningo, Ussher Fort and Osu Castle all belong to Ghana's UNESCO-inscribed fort and castle heritage, and several now hold museums. In Teshie, the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop and other fantasy coffin studios show Ga craftsmanship very much alive today.
Beyond the capital the region changes character. Shai Hills Resource Reserve offers savannah, granite hills, baboons and hiking trails, while the Volta River Estuary at Ada Foah, Fort Kongenstein and the Ada Foah Presbyterian Church and Missionary Cemetery sit where the river meets the Atlantic. Legon Botanical Gardens and Doryumu Community Market round out a region of monuments, markets, forts and open country.
Good to know
Before you go
Base yourself in Accra and treat the coast as day trips: Teshie, Old Ningo and Ada Foah lie east along the Gulf of Guinea, while Shai Hills Resource Reserve is roughly 50 km from the city. Distances can take longer than they look, so allow generous time and start early. Before setting out, check opening arrangements, as some sites change status — James Fort, for example, is currently listed as temporarily closed. Carry water, sun protection and small notes for markets, and ask before photographing people or workshops. At Makola Market and the Accra Arts Centre, expect lively bargaining.
Start here
Places to explore
Attraction · Old Ningo
Fort Fredensborg
Fort Fredensborg is a ruined 1734 Danish-Norwegian slave-trading fort at Old Ningo on Ghana's Gulf of Guinea coast, part of a UNESCO World Heritage serial property.
Photo: Owula kpakpo · Source
Attraction · Accra
Independence Square
Independence Square, or Black Star Square, is Accra's national monument square in Osu, home to the Independence Arch, the Black Star Gate and the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier.
Photo: Rjruiziii · Source
Attraction · Accra
James Fort
James Fort is a 17th-century British fort in Jamestown, Accra, built in 1673, later a prison and now a GMMB-managed heritage site that is currently listed as temporarily closed.
Photo: Newfoundlandguy · Source
Attraction · Accra
Jamestown Lighthouse
Jamestown Lighthouse is a 28 m red-and-white banded tower in Jamestown, Accra, built in 1932 to replace an 1871 lighthouse, with 112 steps to summit views.
Photo: Dan Sloan · Source
Attraction · Teshie
Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop
A working carpentry studio in Teshie, Accra, where Ga craftspeople make design coffins — abebuu adekai, "boxes with proverbs" — and welcome visitors to watch the work.
Photo: D-Stanley · Source
Attraction · Accra
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
Accra's memorial park and mausoleum honouring Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and his wife Fathia, on the Old Polo Grounds.
Photo: Nardi Boobo · Source
Attraction · Legon
Legon Botanical Gardens
A botanical garden and outdoor recreation park on the University of Ghana campus at Legon, with playgrounds, ropes courses, a canopy walkway and canoeing.
Photo: Sunkanmi12 · Source
Attraction · Accra
Makola Market
Makola Market is Accra's largest and most famous open-air market, a 1924 trading district in the city's Central Business District on Kojo Thompson Road.
Photo: Benggriff · Source
Attraction · Accra
National Museum of Ghana
Ghana's national museum on Barnes Road in Adabraka, Accra, opened in 1957 and run by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
Photo: Yanajin33 · Source
Attraction · Accra
Osu Castle
Osu Castle (Christiansborg) is a 17th-century fort at Osu, Accra, run by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Photo: Danieljatuat · Source
Attraction · Doryumu
Shai Hills Resource Reserve
Shai Hills Resource Reserve is a Forestry Commission–managed wildlife reserve of savannah and granite hills about 50 km from Accra, known for baboons, caves and hiking trails.
Photo: daSupremo · Source
Attraction · Teshie
Teshie fantasy coffin workshops
Working carpentry studios in Teshie, Accra, where Ga carpenters hand-carve figurative "design coffins" for funerals and export.
Photo: NdaniTV · Source
Attraction · Accra
Ussher Fort
Ussher Fort is a 17th-century Dutch-built fort in James Town, Accra, now home to the Ussher Fort Museum on the history of the slave trade in Ghana.
Photo: Twi inaccr · Source
Attraction · Ada Foah
Volta River Estuary
The Volta River Estuary at Ada Foah is where the Volta River, draining Lake Volta, meets the Atlantic Ocean on Ghana's southeast coast.
Photo: SanBa · Source
Attraction · Accra
W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture
Memorial, museum and research centre in Cantonments, Accra, occupying the former home of W.E.B. Du Bois, with his mausoleum, library and archives.
Photo: Yorker · Source
Attraction
Attraction · Accra
Accra Arts Centre
The Accra Arts Centre (Centre for National Culture) is Ghana's largest arts and crafts marketplace, in central Accra off Atta Mills High Street, with free entry.
Attraction
Attraction · Ada Foah
Ada Foah Presbyterian Church and Missionary Cemetery
A missionary church in Ada Foah, described as built by the first generation of Ghanaian Christians around 1890, with an adjoining cemetery of colonial-era and later graves.
Attraction
Attraction · Doryumu
Doryumu Community Market
Doryumu Community Market is a community trading market in Doryumu, Shai-Osudoku District, Greater Accra Region, Ghana, commissioned in a new or reconstructed form in October 2025.
Attraction
Attraction · Ada Foah
Fort Kongenstein
Fort Kongenstein is a largely sea-eroded 1783 Danish trading fort at Ada Foah, Greater Accra, where only traces of the structure remain.
Attraction
Attraction · Prampram
Lalue Kpledo Shrine
Lalue Kpledo Shrine in Prampram, Greater Accra, is the sacred shrine of the Lalue deity and the focus of the three-part Lalue Kpledomi festival.
Attraction
Attraction · Fantevikope
Nkyinkyim Museum
Nkyinkyim Museum is an outdoor museum and evolving sculpture installation in Nuhalenya-Ada, Greater Accra, created by artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo to honour enslaved African ancestors.
Attraction
Attraction · Old Ningo
Old Ningo Landing Beach
Old Ningo Landing Beach is the public landing beach of Old Ningo (Great Ningo), a Ga-Dangme fishing town in the Ningo-Prampram District, Greater Accra Region, Ghana.
Attraction
Attraction · Teshie
Osabu-Ayiku Shrine
Traditional Ga shrine and seat of the Teshie Wulomo in Teshie, Greater Accra, and customary venue for the Bloahejuu and Abele kuu rites of the Homowo season.