Private Full-Day Tour of Addis Ababa: Sightseeing, Culture, and Cuisine

Experience the best of Addis Ababa on a private full-day tour. Discover the city’s history, culture, and cuisine with an expert guide. Visit top attractions, enjoy stunning views, and immerse yourself in the local way of life. Customize the tour to suit your interests.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • St. George’s Cathedral - Saint George Cathedral stands as one of the oldest religious landmarks in Addis Ababa, renowned for its unique octagonal design.
    Inside, visitors can admire mosaics depicting biblical scenes, such as the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon.
    Additionally, there are hand-painted artworks illustrating historical and…
What's Included
  • Tour escort/host
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Hotel/Airport pickup and drop-off with private air conditioned vehicle
  • Bottled water
  • Professional experienced English speaking tour guide
  • Lunch
  • Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Attendance
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Merkato Market is closed on Sundays. National Museum is temporarily closed from Dec 19, 2024.
  • Entrance fees
Additional Information

Ideal for travelers with a layover in Addis Ababa, this tour offers a personalized experience in the city.
With a knowledgeable tour guide, gain an excellent introduction to Addis Ababa for first-time visitors.
Discover the top attractions in Addis Ababa that interest you. Travel in a private, air-conditioned vehicle to explore the city’s most…

Location
St. George's Cathedral
Piazza
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(149 Ratings)
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Jet14453809432
Jun 9, 2025
Great Addis Tour! - I had a great experience of Addis with the guide Biruk. The visit to a local home, traditional coffee making experience and Injera making were awesome! I highly recommend Merit tours!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer25433843205
Jun 5, 2025
Best Addis Ababa Tour ever!!! - If you’re on the fence about booking a full-day tour of Addis Ababa—hop off that fence immediately (carefully) and do it. This tour was hands-down one of the best travel days we’ve ever had. A perfect mix of culture, history, food, and chaos—in the best possible way. First off, our guide? A total gem and our new best friend. Super knowledgeable, incredibly friendly, and keep us safe and smiling while navigating the wonderfully unpredictable energy of Addis. We kicked things off with visits to some seriously stunning churches—majestic, peaceful, and full of stories that our guide brought to life with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for football finals. Then came the food. Oh, the food. We dove into a local lunch that basically ruined us for any future attempts at injera outside of Ethiopia. And just when we thought it couldn’t get better, we had the ultimate Ethiopian coffee experience. Warning: you may never look at your sad office coffee the same way again. But wait—pottery! Yes, we got our hands (literally) into some local craftsmanship, which was both humbling and impressive. Let’s just say there’s a reason we’re not quitting our day jobs to become ceramicists. And then… the market. This wasn’t just a market, this was a city within a city. The sheer scale was mind-blowing. We could have wandered for hours—and we did! Our guide turned what could have been an overwhelming maze into an adventure, full of stories, laughs, and a few unexpected purchases that we loved. In short: Addis Ababa stole a piece of our hearts, and this tour was the perfect way to meet the city. Safe, fun, delicious, and endlessly fascinating. Book it, wear comfy shoes, and prepare to have your mind (and tastebuds) blown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mccarver
Jun 1, 2025
Above and beyond my expectations - My family and I did this tour during our stopover between flights. (Two parents and four kids ages 7, 10, 13, and 18.) There are no words to describe what an incredible experience we had on this tour. Our guide, Biruk, was so knowledgeable about Ethiopia and the city of Addis Ababa, and he shared all kinds of facts about its history as well as present day life and culture. He went above and beyond to make this tour the "perfect fit" for our family, which I'm sure is a challenge with such a wide range of ages to cater to. Our first stop was the National Museum of Ethiopia. Biruk walked us through and told us all about the artifacts that are on display. Following the museum, we made our way up the mountain for a stop at the viewpoint, which provided a beautiful view of the city. It also had the most amazing smell, which Biruk told us was eucalyptus. After the viewpoint, our favorite part was visiting a local family's home for a traditional coffee ceremony and lunch. There are no words to describe how special and memorable this was to meet and interact with locals in their home. The hostess was just lovely and so welcoming to us. The lunch was delicious... We couldn't stop eating, because it was so good! The coffee was also very good, and I am not a big coffee drinker. I won't share too much here, because I don't want to spoil it, but if you do this tour, do NOT miss out on this special stop that you will be sure to cherish forever. After the coffee ceremony, we went to the Mercato. It was super crowded, so we didn't get out, but it was definitely worth driving through to see what it's all about. Biruk was great and explained everything to us as our driver, so skillfully, drove through the crowd of people. Biruk also took us for a last minute stop at my husband's request for roasted corn. He also took us to see an old train station, which was pretty neat. I highly recommend this tour and Biruk as a guide. This experience exceeded my expectations. We felt totally safe the entire time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rob_h
May 31, 2025
Awesome experience - Everything you could want in a tour. A timely and knowledgeable guide, flexible pickup/drop off locations and times, flexible itinerary, immersive activities like learning how to roast coffee, incredible hospitality with local honey wine.
Review provided by Viator
E7301qlthomask
May 25, 2025
2 days private tour of Addis Ababa, great planning, super German speaking guide, top agency, thank you. - Were actually just trying to halve the flight time with a short stay, but Ethiopia is certainly worth a longer stay. We had received a first-class German-speaking guide from the agency. Melkamu is a top guide with a lot of expertise. We imitate a lot of information about the culture and history of Addis Ababa and all of Ethiopia. Melkamu also has a great knowledge of the flora and fauna of the country. Many thanks to Muluken from the agency and to our guide Melkamu for the extremely informative short stay, we got in the mood for more from Ethiopia.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marco_v
May 25, 2025
A lesson about Ethiopia! - A day full of information and culture in one of the places with the most history in the world. My guide knew all the points and had a lot of information.
Review provided by Viator
F7551rzjeffr
May 22, 2025
Fantastic Tour of Addis Ababa with Henok and Merit Ethiopian Experience - I had an amazing day touring Addis Ababa with Henok who works for Merit Ethiopian Experience. From the moment the tour started, he was friendly, professional, and made me feel completely at ease... like I was meeting up with an old friend. We visited the city highlights, which I was able to customize based on my interests. This tour was part of a larger itinerary which had been heavy on historical sites, so I was eager to instead spend more time observing people, culture and customs. We were able to participate in a coffee making ceremony, eat lunch in a local family's home, and spend over an hour wandering around the Mercato, where he helped me complete several purchases. My tour was smooth, well-organized, and laid back enough not to return to my hotel and late night outbound flight not feeling exhausted. Also. shout out to my driver Bekele who taught me I never want to drive myself in Addis Ababa, crazy traffic! Highly recommend Henok and Merit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspire56917517954
May 21, 2025
Private Tour of Addis Ababa - Five Stars for our tour today. Our guide Burik is very knowledgeable about Addis Ababa and its history and culture. We visited St. George’s Cathedral, the Mercato, up the mountain where we enjoyed the cultural experience of coffee with a light snack. We also visited the Martyrs Museum and learned about the tragedy that happened in the 1990’s here.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sircool
May 19, 2025
A must do! - This is a must do tour if you’re visiting Addis Ababa. We visited Addis many years ago and the city has changed so much. We were amazed to see all the new buildings and infrastructure. Muluken is an excellent guide and we would highly recommend booking a tour with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connort932
May 6, 2025
A Perfect Day in Addis Ababa with Hanok, Insightful, Warm, and Unforgettable! - I had the absolute pleasure of spending the day on a private tour of Addis Ababa with Hanok, and I can’t recommend the experience highly enough. From the moment we met, Hanok was warm, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable, the kind of guide who feels more like an old friend showing you around his hometown. He brought the city to life with thoughtful insights into Ethiopia’s history, culture, and daily rhythms. Whether we were walking through bustling local markets, exploring historic churches, or stopping for a delicious traditional coffee, Hanok shared fascinating context and personal stories that made each moment memorable. It was the perfect way to get under the skin of Addis, not just to see the sights, but to feel the heartbeat of the city. I left with a deeper appreciation for the place and its people, and that’s entirely thanks to Hanok’s passion and care. If you’re in Addis and want more than just a checklist tour, this is the one to book. Hanok made the day exceptional.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $160 (Per Group)
up to 6 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).