Two thirds of Djibouti's population lives in the capital, and everything of consequence in the country flows through it. Djibouti City is not a beautiful city — it is hot, dusty, and sprawling — but it has a scruffy energy and serves as the only practical base for exploring the country.
The French influence is immediately visible: baguettes at breakfast, cafe terraces, street signs in French, and the old European Quarter with its crumbling colonial architecture. But the soul of the city is Somali and Afar — the central market is loud, colorful, and worth a visit; the port is a working harbor where fishing boats and cargo ships share the waterfront; and the restaurants serve fah-fah and skoudehkaris alongside steak-frites.
The city is the departure point for nearly everything. Day trips to Lake Assal leave from here. Boats to the Moucha Islands depart from the port. Whale shark excursions run from November to February. And the railway station connects to Addis Ababa via the modern electrified line — one of the great train journeys in East Africa.
Djibouti City is expensive. The presence of French, American, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian military bases means a large expatriate population competing for hotels, restaurants, and services, which pushes prices well above what you would pay elsewhere in the Horn of Africa. Budget options exist but require effort to find.