The original city, laid out by the freed slaves of 1792 around the Cotton Tree at the junction of Siaka Stevens Street, Lightfoot Boston Street, and Wallace Johnson Street. This is the densest and most historic part of Freetown — Parliament, State House, the National Museum, the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals, and the Krio civic landmarks are all packed into a ten-minute walk.
It is also relentless: heavy traffic, no pavements in places, traders spilling onto the street, and noise everywhere. Take a guide if it is your first time, or come on a Sunday morning when things briefly quiet down.