Travel guide

Saint-Louis

A faded colonial island city

🗓️ Best time: November–May💰 Budget · ~$55/day📍 Senegal

🏨 Find hotels ✈️ Search flights 🎫 Tours & activities

About Saint-Louis

A UNESCO former colonial capital on an island in the Senegal River — pastel French-colonial buildings and a famous iron bridge, a rich jazz-and-music scene, colourful fishing pirogues, and a bird-rich delta nearby.

⭐ Things to do in Saint-Louis

Island colonial architectureFaidherbe BridgeGuet Ndar fishing villageDjoudj bird sanctuarySaint-Louis Jazz Festival (May)Langue de Barbarie sandspitDjoudj flamingos & pelicansPointe à Pitre pirogues

🍽️ What to eat in Saint-Louis

Signature local dishes worth seeking out.

Thieboudienne (fish & rice)Yassa pouletFresh grilled fishBissap & bouye juice

✈️ Know before you go

🚕 Getting around

Walkable island; calèches (horse carts) and taxis.

💡 Local tip

Boat into the Djoudj sanctuary — one of the world's great bird reserves — for pelicans and flamingos.