The center: dense with monuments, hotels and restaurants
Maputo's historic center lies on a headland overlooking the bay, densely packed with colonial buildings, hotels, restaurants and museums. It is bounded (on our map) by Avenida Mao Tse Tung and Avenida Karl Max, and excludes the coastal zone of the lower town, geographically separated from the center. Along its chequered streets punctuated by modernist buildings, 1970s architect-designed houses and historic colonial mansions, you can stroll along wide sidewalks planted with tall trees. In the end, Maputo is a gentle city, with all its vegetation and sea breeze, quite calm. With its promenades along the coast, its views over the bay and the baixa, it's an ideal place for a stroll. Note the street names, which celebrate, in addition to the great communist leaders of the time (Karl Marx, Mao Tse-tung), the names of the founding fathers of independent African nations: Sékou Touré, first president of Guinea-Conakry, Julius Nyerere, founder of free Tanzania, Patrice Lumumba (leader of the DRC), Kenneth Kaunda, father of the Zambian nation... and of course Samora Machel and Eduardo Mondlane, Frelimo's national heroes. The heart of the center is the Place de l'Indépendance.
The lower town: the station, the port and a popular market
The bustling baixa (lower) city is home to the port, railway station, many government offices and banks, and the oldest colonial buildings. It is organized around avenida 25 Setembro, from the central market to the marina at the end of the bay, which marks the beginning of avenida Marginale. Modern shopping malls have sprung up along the bay-side waterfront. At night, young people go out in the baixa, on Bagamoyo Street or at Feira Popular. This is the liveliest and least residential of the districts, as is often the case around ports. It's also the one that attracts the most underworld crowds, so it's advisable not to hang around in the less-frequented areas between the baixa and the city center. This is especially true of the Avenida Marginale area.
The upper town: chic and trendy
The cidade alta, on a hill, welcomes the privileged. It's a 30-minute walk from the center, or a 10-minute cab or chopela ride. Located north of the center, it is bordered by the sea on its eastern flank. During the period of Portuguese rule, the rich - the whites - settled on the heights. Here you'll find embassies, ministries, hotels, restaurants and luxury villas. Today, the quiet, tree-lined streets are home to a number of attractive guesthouses. There are also many chic bars and restaurants, sophisticated concept stores... It's a trendy area. This part of the city can be divided into two areas, centered around Avenue Kwame Nkrumah: the quiet, residential Sommerschield district, home to a number of embassies, and the more densely built intermediate district, which separates this upper town from the center. Don't miss the Santo António church in this district, a brutalist work in the shape of a lemon squeezer with colorful stained-glass windows.
Costa do Sol: the beaches
If you want to enjoy the beach and seaside pleasures, head north above the upper town towards Costa do Sol. The district is a veritable museum, with buildings from the Portuguese colonial era, built in the Art Deco style. Above all, it's a beautiful, unspoilt beach ideal for sunbathing and swimming, far from the waters of the port. Fishermen's dhows will take you to the nearby islands of Xefina Grande and Xefina Pequena if you fancy an adventure (it's very close).
