The part everyone skips, and the part everyone regrets skipping

What it is

The old quarter of Zanzibar City: a dense maze of coral-stone buildings and narrow alleys, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a working town rather than a preserved one.

It was for centuries a major trading port between the African mainland, the Gulf and the Indian subcontinent, and the architecture shows all of it — Omani, Indian, Swahili and European, frequently in the same street and sometimes in the same building.

The history it does not hide

Zanzibar’s wealth came from cloves and from the trade in enslaved people, and the town does not present itself as though only the first of those happened.

The site of the former slave market, with the Anglican cathedral built over it and the memorial in the grounds, is a serious hour. It is not a sightseeing stop and we would not describe a visit to Stone Town as charming without saying this first.

Going is worth it. Going without knowing what you are walking into is not.

What to actually do

• Walk, with somebody who knows it. The alleys are genuinely a maze and a good guide turns a pretty walk into a legible one.
• The carved doors, which are the town’s signature and which repay being told what the carvings mean.
• The spice and produce market, early, when it is a working market rather than a sight.
• The seafront in the late afternoon, which is where the town goes to swim, play football and eat.
• A rooftop at sunset, which is a cliché and is a cliché for the usual reason.

Practicalities

It is hot and humid, more so than the coast, because the alleys hold the heat and there is no sea breeze in the middle of them.

Modest dress is expected and appreciated outside hotels — shoulders and knees covered, for men as well as women. This is a Muslim town and the request is a small one.

Ramadan changes the atmosphere considerably: many restaurants closed during daylight, the town quiet by day and alive after dark. It is a fascinating time to visit and a frustrating one to visit unprepared.

How long

One night is enough to see it. Two is better, and lets you do a morning walk and an afternoon without rushing either.

It also works beautifully as the buffer between a safari and a beach, which is the practical argument for including it even if the history is not what drew you.

Where to stay

Inside the old town, in a converted merchant house, rather than at a resort outside it. The point of Stone Town is being in it after dark when the day trippers have gone.

The rooms are frequently quirky, the buildings are old, and some have no lift and a great many stairs. That is part of it, and it is worth knowing if stairs are a problem.