Lusaka's main attractions are its museums, markets, and craft centres. You won't need more than a day or two to see the highlights, but the city's markets alone can absorb a good few hours.
The Lusaka National Museum sits on Independence Avenue and covers the full arc of Zambian history across four sections: ethnography, witchcraft, political history, and contemporary art. Its witchcraft exhibit — featuring objects confiscated by police, presented as cultural history — is unlike anything in most museums.
The Lusaka City Market, a huge single-roof marketplace west of Cairo Road, houses over 4,000 stalls selling clothes, local art, jewellery, and food. For crafts and gifts, head to Kabwata Cultural Village on Burma Road, where artists work on-site in thatched workshops, or the Sunday craft market at Arcades Shopping Centre.
Beyond the city, Lusaka National Park — one of the only national parks within a capital city anywhere in the world — sits 30 kilometres east with white rhinos, giraffes, and zebras. Munda Wanga Environmental Park to the south has a small zoo, botanical gardens, and natural swimming pools. For something more unusual, Kalimba Reptile Park north of the city lets you get close to pythons, crocodiles, and monitor lizards.
The Freedom Statue on Independence Avenue and the Embassy Park Presidential Burial Site near Cathedral Hill are both worth a stop for anyone interested in the country's post-independence history.