The city is divided by the Niger River, which is spanned only by the Kennedy Bridge. The southern side is entirely residential, with the exception of the university by the river (Gamkalle area), and of no interest to tourists. The northern side spreads out in all directions from the bridge. The limits of the "downtown" area seem to be Blv. de l'Indépendence and (further from the river) Blv. Mali Bero. Radiating from the "Place des Martyrs" at the end of the bridge:
Going left (northwest, Avenue François Mitterrand), you will head past the Hotel Gaweye and Palais du Congrès towards the areas known as Plateau/Issa Beri/Château 1 (Un) which are where the majority of governmental buildings, embassies (most along Rue des Ambassades), and upscale housing can be found. If you turn right at Place des Nations Unis, head straight through Place de la République, and reach Blv. de l'Indépendance, you will see the stadium to the right (opposite Place des Forces Démocratiques).
Going straight (northeast, Rue de Gaweye/Commerce/Kalley), you will head past the Assemblée Nationale (by Place de la Concorde) towards the Grand Marché. If you head around the GM, you will pass through the areas of Abidjan where the Grande Mosquée (at Place de la Grade Prière), Police, & Centre Culturel Oumarou Ganda are locaed. After Boulevard Mali Bero, you enter the "Dan Gao" area.
To the East (follow Rue du 1er Pont, Rue du Grand Hôtel, Ave. de l'Amitié) you will find the Nouveau Marché area, then heading NE along Ave. de L'oua/l'Entente you will pass through Sabon Gari & Poudrière areas (the Wadata handicrafts center is at Blv. Mali Bero). If you continue straight along Ave. de l'Amitié through the Place de la Bienvenue, you will pass the race course and the road becomes Rue de l'Aéroport and leads past the airport and towards Koure (giraffes, see "Get out").
Going right (southeast, Rue de 1er Pont then Corniche Gamkalley), you will pass the Grand Hôtel and enter the Terminus and the Gamkalle Sebangaye areas.
There are few traffic lights. There are numerous roundabouts where traffic from several directions merge; these are known as "Place _____" and are chaotic during rush hour but calm most other times of the day. A few notable roundabouts are: "Place des Martyrs", "Place de la Concorde", "Place de la République", & "Place Mandela".
Road names change frequently. Names generally stick with a road for only a few blocks. A straight road a 3-4 kilometers long might have 5 or 6 sections known by different names. For example, the road which passes over the Kennedy Bridge is known as "Blvd de l'Université" on the south side, "Pont Président Kennedy" over the bridge, "Rue de Gaweye" after Place des Martyrs, "Rue du Commerce" for a couple blocks, then "Rue de Kalley" until it ends at the Grand Marché. And it's length through all those name changes? Barely 2km!
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Niamey
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Niamey - updated Apr 2024
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Niamey Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
