Monrovia's most evocative site is the Ducor Palace Hotel, the decaying hulk of a 1960s luxury hotel that dominates the hilltop above the city — tours of the ruins can be arranged informally. Providence Island, at the mouth of the Mesurado River, is the landing point of the first freed American settlers in 1822; a short boat trip reaches the remains of Fort Norris and a small memorial. In the city centre, Waterside Market is the busiest market in the country — a dense, noisy, colourful maze worth an hour of wandering.
The National Museum of Liberia holds artefacts and documents tracing the country's history from the indigenous peoples through the settler period to independence. Cape Mesurado at the tip of the peninsula offers views over the ocean and back across the city.