Bamako is the hot and dusty capital of one of the poorest countries in the world. It is a very busy place full of people, traffic and a cacophony of sounds and music. The city has many wide boulevards, built by the French in colonial times, but the city center is quite compact and it is easily explored on foot. The center is in the area that lies within the triangle formed by Ave de Fleuve, Blvd du Peuple and Ave van Vollenhoven. Bamako straddles the Niger river.

The Grand Marché (market) is in the center of this triangle. It used to be in a colonial-style building, but it burnt completely in 1993. Until it is rebuilt, people put their stalls in the streets around the burnt building. There is not much that can't be bought there and it is an excellent place to get an original souvenir from Mali.

The Musée National (National Museum of Mali) is on the road to the mali National Zoo, north of the city center. The museum has interesting exhibitions on ethnographic and architectural features. It is one of the best museums in Western Africa.

There is an Artisans's Market on the junction of Boulevard du Peuple and Place de la République, where some good handicrafts can be found. Nearby is the Grand Mosque of Bamako. A cathedral can be found just behind Ave de Fleuve. There are numerous other mosques and Christian churches and temples in Bamako.

One of the most interesting suburbs of the capital is Lafibougou in the west, where you can see beautiful cliffs, as well as a bustling market.

Some other interesting sites in Bamako include the University of Bamako and the Modibo Keita International Airport.

The tallest building in Mali is the 20-storey BCEAO Tower. The building was modeled on the Sudano-Sahelian architecture of the famous mosques of Djenne and Timbuktu. Just east from the BCEAO complex is a park and a formal garden. They sit at the place where the diagonally running Boulevard du Peuple reaches the Niger river.

Most government offices are located in the Cité Administrative (Administrative City), which is a complex of buildings just west of the King Fahd Bridge.

Bamako boasts a whole host of hotels and pensions. Food can be purchased from street stalls, but there are also numerous restaurants and bars. The railway station is just north of the city center, while the airports is to the south, on the other side of the Niger River.

The gare routière is 6 km from the center, while the main taxi station is near the railway station, but there are several more taxi stands all over the city. You can also get around by minibus, which is cheaper. Trips on the Niger River can be booked in Bamako as well.