Nouakchott is spread out and there is no reliable public transport system. The closest thing to a centre is the area around the Grand Marché (the main market) and the nearby Avenue Nasser, where most of the hotels, restaurants, and cafés cluster.
Getting around is done mostly by shared taxi (taxi brousse) or by hiring a private taxi. Agree the price before you get in — meters are not used. The city's roads are a mix of tarmac and sand tracks; in the outlying neighbourhoods, four-wheel drive is occasionally useful after rain.