The National Museum is an excellent place to learn more about Sierra Leone’s history and culture long before its tragic slave trade and colonial past on guided tours. The museum houses artworks, rare artefacts, traditional clothing and even fascinating, traditional full-body masks as well as nomoli, +500-year-old stone sculptures thought to be revered as mini-gods.

The Sierra Leone Railway started its first passenger train service to the provinces in 1898. During the 70s, its 350 miles of track were torn up and sold as scrap. The rolling stock ended up in a depot by the Freetown docks. Today, through the efforts of Colonel Steve Davies, formerly of IMATT, and the Government of Sierra Leone, the railway museum has been rehabilitated.
The museum showcases the rise and fall of Sierra Leone Railway and includes the carriage of the former Governor, the Royal saloon, a wooden bodied passenger carriage, a bogie passenger brake (oldest vehicle in the collection), several Gardner-powered Hudswell Clarke diesel locomotives, a wick ham inspection trolley, a 1915 Manning Wardle Saddle tank and No. 73, a huge 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 Beyer Garrett from 1955.

St Charles church is Africa’s oldest stone church south of the Sahara and is in fact the third oldest in Africa. The first foundation stone was laid in 1809 and the building was completed in 1816. It is also known as the ‘Mount Zion of Sierra Leone’ overlooking the beautiful village of Regent.

The gateway, which now arches over the entrance to Connaught hospital, was once the entrance to the compound where men and women freed from slavery were temporarily housed for documentation and minor medical attention before dispersal to settlements. The Gateway to the King’s Yard was proclaimed a National Monument in May 1949.

Built during Charles MacCarthy’s governorate in 1818, these steps leading to the port of Freetown are said to be one of the oldest structures in the city. Located on Wallace Johnson Street, Old Wharf Steps are more commonly known as the ‘Freedom Steps’, as they were the first steps that liberated slaves first set foot on Sierra Leone soil.

You can literally touch history in this downtown church, some of whose pews and rafters come from the ship that first brought 550 Maroons – former Jamaican slaves – from Nova Scotia at the end of the eighteenth century. The church was built around 1820, making it one of Freetown’s oldest. It is pretty, petite and very welcoming. This charming church is a modest white structure surrounded by a low white wall. Visitors can join choir practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Recently the church celebrated its 200th anniversary.

To stand beneath the bowers of this iconic tree – older than the city itself – is to tread the turf where Freetown’s Nova Scotian settlers sang hymns in thanks for their safe passage in 1792. Majestic and long-suffering – slaves were once sold here – the tree still conjures up notions of Freetown’s honoured heritage. There are illustrations showing the first inhabitants of the city resting under its branches. Today its huge branches chaperone the start of busy downtown, filling the main roundabout on Siaka Stevens Street. The huge Cotton Tree was once Freetown’s best known sight, before a storm sadly knocked it down in May 2023. But a part of the trunk is still standing, make sure to pay a visit!

Gaze across the colourful rooftops of Freetown, the lush forest of the Western Area Peninsula National Park and all the way to the warm waters of the Sierra Leone River Estuary from the stunning vantage point that is Leicester Peak. Rising some 564 metres above the banks of the estuary, this lofty view point is the best panoramic spot from which to survey the bustling capital below. Keep your camera at hand and capture the energy of the city, the remnants of the tragic 2017 landslide site and the beautiful beaches beyond. Or simply sit and take it all in, joining the locals as they admire their favourite views of Freetown.

The Big Markit is one of the oldest markets in Sierra Leone, dating from the 18th century. Today visitors will find an incredible array of arts and crafts for sale, from wooden carvings, drums and jewellery to paintings and woven craft such as Sierra Leone’s celebrated shukublai, a basket traditionally made by the Temne in which possessions are kept safe. Located in the heart of Freetown, this vibrant marketplace showcases the vibrant colours, sounds, and flavours of Sierra Leone. The market is an ideal place to find unique souvenirs.

The Original Fourah Bay College building is located in the east end of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Fourah Bay College opened in 1827 as the first institution of higher learning in modern sub-Saharan Africa. The Old Fourah Bay College is perhaps the single most influential institution in Africa in accounting for the penetration and acceleration of the spread of Western education on the continent.

The Original Fourah Bay College building was in regular use till the Second World War, when the college was temporarily moved outside Freetown for security reasons. After the war it became the headquarters of the Sierra Leone Government Railway; and later as a Magistrate court in the 1980. The building ceased to be in use in early 1990. The Original Fourah Bay College building was proclaimed a National Monument in 1955.