Discover Kinshasa

If you’re looking for a hotel in Kinshasa, culture and history may be important factors in choosing your destination. The Grande Halle, historic memorial sites and a national museum each offer a different focus. The Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary, just outside the city, can also be considered a destination in its own right.

Performances and events

The Grande Halle at the Institut Français de Kinshasa can host a variety of performances and events. These include ballets by Alain Platel and performances by Papa Wemba, as well as circus, theater and dance competitions. The program spans different forms of performance, so an interest in dance, music or theater can be explored through specific examples.

Another event series is the Grands Débats de la Gombe, held every month at the Grande Halle. Each edition attracts more than 500 people. It’s worth checking the current schedule when planning your trip: the monthly series offers a different reason to visit than the performances mentioned above, and attending a specific event depends on its date.

History at specific sites

The first steam locomotive, driven by engineer Nicolas Cito, stands on the grounds of what is now Gare centrale. At Rond-point Forescom, the Mémorial du Soldat Congolais commemorates three periods in the Congolese army’s history with three soldiers standing side by side: the Force publique, the Forces armées zaïroises (FAZ) and the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC). The names explicitly make the monument’s historical divisions part of its subject.

The Palais de la Nation is another specific historical landmark: the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was proclaimed there on June 30, 1960. The mausoleum of Laurent-Désiré Kabila is on the former Place du Trône. Kabila was the first president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was also known as Mzee. Together, these sites offer different ways to explore history: a specific declaration of independence, a presidential mausoleum and a monument that recalls several periods in the army’s history.

Museum and open-air art

The Musée National is in the historic Commune Lingwala in Kinshasa. The Jardin des Premiers Ministres is located on the grounds of the Primature and honors former prime ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with busts. At the same time, the garden is an open-air museum dedicated to artistic expression in the Congo and features several important works of art. Here, remembrance of former heads of government meets an explicitly artistic focus. This offers a different approach to choosing cultural attractions than a performance at the Grande Halle or a historic monument.

A destination just outside Kinshasa

The Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary is just outside the city. There, visitors can accompany a caretaker on a boat ride at feeding time and watch bonobos gather to collect their food. This visit offers a distinct focus alongside Kinshasa’s cultural and memorial sites: the emphasis is on the bonobos and observing their behavior as they come together to feed. If you’d also like to explore the surrounding area while planning your trip, this place is therefore best considered a separate destination outside the city.

Discover more destinations: Biaro‎, Mpita, Lubumbashi.

Return to the broader travel overview: Congo.