Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It faces Brazzaville, the capital of the neighbouring Republic of the Congo, which can be seen in the distance across the wide Congo River. While sprawling, chaotic and often intimidating, Kinshasa is also a major cultural and intellectual center for Central Africa with a flourishing community of musicians and artists.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Called Leopoldville after King Leopold II of Belgium during colonial rule, and was re-named to its current name in 1966. Kinshasa has the largest population of any city proper in Africa with a population of almost 15 million (2020), and ranks as its third largest metropolitan area after Cairo and Lagos. It also declares itself as the largest French-speaking city in the world, although you will find that most people's French is far less than fluent (by any other measure, it still ranks second behind the Paris urban area). After decades of armed conflicts imposed by neighboring countries, the infrastructure of this once-leading modern African city is now being remarkably restored.
Kinshasa is notorious for its huge traffic jams. It can take up to 2 hours to travel 500m. Avoid commuting time to go around the city. The local official bus service, Transco, runs large buses that provide Urban, interurban, and scholarly transportation across the city-province with a network of 33 lines, frequently used by commuting locals. However, the city bus system pales in comparison to the "taxi" system that has risen organically to serve the needs of the people of Kinshasa. Essentially, these taxis are small buses. They run set routes between embarkation points that are the "stops". The cost between these various points is usually around 350 francs.
1 National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Musée national de la République Démocratique du Congo), ☏ +243 12 61494. First opened in 1970, this museum moved to new premises in June 2019. Hosts a large selection of ethnographic objects. (updated Nov 2019) 2 Lola ya Bonobo, ☏ +243 818 141492. The world's only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos. Since 2002, the sanctuary has been located at Les Petites Chutes de la Lukaya, just outside of Kinshasa. (updated Oct 2018) 3 Kinkole. A small village in the eastern part of the city's rural area. It's on the RN1 (Boulevard Lumumba), further than the airport. It has a nice restaurant area where you can enjoy all the local food on a terrace.
A barbecue on a sandbank on the Congo River is a must. Renting a boat for a day with a driver and all the gear (tables, chairs, a suntent and a barbecue) costs around US$150 at the Yacht Club Kinshasa. Go for a walk/jog along the river in front of the British and German embassies. Go to church on a Sunday morning like most of the locals do. Go out to eat at one of the many restaurants, cafes, bars, and night clubs, live it up like a local.
There are lots of restaurants for expatriates, where you can pay in dollars but they are very expensive. Don't be surprised to pay up to US$20 for a pizza (and $40 at the hotel for one). Al Dar, near the hotel Memling. A Lebanese restaurant in the city centre. A shwarma sandwich runs about US$3, and they have taboule, hummus and desserts as well. There are many cheap roadside stalls, primarily outside Gombe. La Bloque, Bandalungwa. One of the better known roadside stalls. Mama Colonel, Bandal. An excellent restaurant.
Local beer: Turbo King is a darker beer, regular lagers are Primus (which some consider is the best local beer, brewed by the local Heineken brewery) and Skol. European Mutzig comes in smaller bottles. A bit more expensive, and slightly harder to find as it is brewed in Lubumbashi by Simba Breweries, is Tembo, a tasty amber ale. Tembo garners the highest ranking for a DRC beer on ratebeer.com. Lots of expensive French and South African wine available in restaurants and supermarkets.
It is strongly recommended that you have a local with you at all times (besides while being in your hotel). Taxi drivers will usually stay with you too when going to local shops and making quick stops and will serve as your translator if you get a good one. Be careful with any equipment you have with you such as digital cameras and video equipment. Be careful also of what you take pictures of. Even if they say no photos only at the airport and of government buildings, a lot of times the police and UN people will get upset if you are taking videos at other places where it is supposed to be ok to do so.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
Top-rated tours and tickets from €18 — book ahead for the popular ones.
Tours and tickets provided by Viator (a Tripadvisor company). Some links earn Stayonomy a commission.
In Jul, Kinshasa typically sees ~29°C daytime highs and 1 rainy days.
Cheapest destinations travellers searched recently — refreshed daily.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-07-27. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.
stayonomy