7 Days in Ghana: The Itinerary We'd Give a Friend (2026)

One honest week in Ghana = three days in and around Accra, two on the Cape Coast, two in Kumasi. It's the classic golden-triangle loop: capital energy, slave-trade history that will mark you, and the living Ashanti kingdom, without spending half your trip on the road. (Mole and the North deserve their own trip; squeezing them into a week means flights and rush.)

Tour operators sell versions of this loop for $1,400–$4,400 per person. Built à-la-carte (flights aside), it costs a fraction of that, and every piece below is bookable individually.

Day 1: Land in Accra, ease in

Arrive at Accra International Airport (everyone still says Kotoka). The arrival guide covers the basics: yellow-fever card ready, SIM in arrivals, small cedi for the ride. Check in, then keep it gentle: sunset drinks at Labadi or a rooftop in Osu, first jollof of the trip.

Day 2: Accra's history walk

Morning: walk Jamestown with a local guide. The lighthouse, the fishing harbour, the boxing gyms, the Chale Wote murals. Afternoon: Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, then the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre. Evening: Osu's Oxford Street for street food and nightlife, or a hosted food tour if you want the full education.

Day 3: Markets and making things

Makola Market in the morning with someone who knows the traders (alone it's overwhelming; guided it's the best show in Accra). Afternoon options: a kente- or bead-making workshop, Black Star Square photos, or a quick run up to Aburi Botanical Gardens for hill air. Pack tonight. Early start tomorrow.

Day 4: Cape Coast, the heavy day

Road to Cape Coast (3–4 hours). Go straight to Cape Coast Castle: the dungeons, the Door of No Return, a guided tour that does the history justice. This is the emotional centre of the trip. Don't schedule anything fluffy after it. Evening: fresh fish by the shore, early night. (Entry fees are being revised by the museums board in 2026, so confirm at the gate.)

Day 5: Kakum and Elmina

Dawn start for Kakum National Park: the canopy walkway is quietest and birdiest at opening (GH₵130 foreign adults + ~GH₵35 entry, as of Jan 2026). Late morning to Elmina Castle (1482, the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa) and its riotous fishing harbour. Afternoon: road or flight logistics toward Kumasi (4–5 hours by road), or overnight again on the coast and travel early.

Day 6: Kumasi, the Ashanti kingdom

Manhyia Palace Museum for the story of the Golden Stool and Yaa Asantewaa, then Kejetia, West Africa's largest market, ~10,000 traders strong. Afternoon in the craft villages: kente looms at Bonwire or Adanwomase, adinkra stamping at Ntonso. If your dates align with an Akwasidae festival (every six weeks), reorder the whole day around it: gold regalia, drums, the Asantehene in state.

Day 7: Fly home via Accra

Morning flight Kumasi→Accra (40–45 minutes on AWA or PassionAir) or the 5–6 hour road. Last-minute gifts (shea butter, beads, that kente strip you commissioned), one more plate of waakye, airport.

Make-it-yours swaps

• Heritage focus: add Assin Manso Slave River between Cape Coast and Kumasi.
• Nature focus: drop Kumasi, add a second Kakum day + Shai Hills from Accra.
• December trip: keep the same loop but book everything by September and add concert nights (see the best-time guide).
• 10 days? Fly Accra→Tamale and give Mole National Park the 3 days it deserves; see the Northern Ghana guide.

Practical notes

• Visas: sorted online since May 2026 for most nationalities. Check the entry requirements first; African passport holders apply free.
• Getting around: intercity by VIP/STC coach or private driver; in cities use Uber/Bolt. Accra–Kumasi flights save a half-day.
• Money: cards in hotels and malls; cash (cedi) for markets, tours, taxis and small chops. ATMs are everywhere in cities.
• Pace warning: Ghana runs on relationships, not schedules. Build slack, accept the detour, drink the offered Club beer. That's the trip.

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Written by the GuideX team in Accra. Every stop above exists as a bookable, host-led experience: build your week here.