The historic quarter of Grand-Bassam occupies a narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Comoé lagoon, just as it did when French traders first settled here in the 1840s. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, it is one of the most complete examples of a late 19th-century French colonial trading town in West Africa, with a layout and building stock that has changed remarkably little since the capital was moved away in 1896.
The quarter is laid out on a simple grid. The main street, Boulevard Treich-Laplène, runs through the centre, flanked by low colonial buildings with wide verandas, iron railings, and shuttered windows designed to catch the ocean breeze. Most are in various stages of picturesque decay: peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and trees growing through rooflines. A handful have been restored; many remain lived-in ruins.
Walking the streets takes no more than an hour, but it is worth doing slowly. The Governor's Palace at the eastern end is the grandest surviving building — two storeys of colonial ambition that still carries authority despite the encroaching vegetation. The old customs house, the post office, and the tribunal are all identifiable from their scale and position even in their ruined state.