For couples · Zanzibar · Tanzania
Romantic things to do in Zanzibar
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Yann Macherez, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Zanzibar is a classic honeymoon island, pairing sunset dhow cruises and rooftop dinners in Stone Town with barefoot beach lodges and seafood on the sand. Couples tend to stay in Stone Town.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 4
- Area for couples
- Stone Town
- Best months
- June
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset dhow cruise
Sail along the Stone Town waterfront on a traditional dhow as the sun sets.
2.Dinner at The Rock
Eat seafood in the restaurant perched on a rock in the sea at Pingwe.
3.Rooftop dinner in Stone Town
Watch the call to prayer and the sunset from a rooftop restaurant above the old town.
4.Sandbank picnic
Swim and lunch on the Nakupenda sandbank, surrounded by turquoise water.
5.Beach lodge in Matemwe
Stay in a quiet boutique lodge facing Mnemba Atoll.
Sights couples love
Beach · Off Stone Town
Nakupenda sandbank
Go with an operator that brings shade and leaves no rubbish behind; there are no facilities on the sandbank.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Kids
Nature · Matemwe
Mnemba Atoll snorkelling
Book with a licensed dive centre or operator and go early, before the wind picks up and the boats arrive.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Couples
Experience · Michamvi Peninsula
The Rock restaurant
Book well ahead and ask about the tide at your booking time.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Couples
- Food
- Photo spot
- Views
Experience · Nungwi
Nungwi dhow yards and sunset
Walk past the dhow builders in the afternoon, then take a sunset sail from the beach.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Views
- Outdoors
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, culture, couples and food lovers
Stone Town
Stone Town is the old quarter of Zanzibar City, a maze of lanes between the waterfront and Creek Road with boutique hotels in restored merchant houses, rooftop restaurants and craft shops. The Old Fort, Forodhani Gardens, Darajani Market and the former slave market site are all on foot, and boats leave from the beach for Prison Island and the sandbanks.
- Good
- History and atmosphere; Best choice of restaurants; Easy boat trips and ferry port
- Watch out
- No good swimming beach; Hot and humid lanes; Touts on the waterfront
- Nearby
- Forodhani Gardens, Old Fort, Darajani Market, Christ Church
Romantic day trips
- Mnemba Atoll (About 1 hour by road and 20–40 minutes by boat) — The island's top snorkelling and diving area, a protected reef ring around a private island with clear water, reef fish, turtles and frequent dolphins.
- Pemba Island (About 30 minutes by plane) — Zanzibar's greener, hillier and far less visited northern island has clove plantations, mangroves and some of the region's best wall diving; better as an overnight than a day trip.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Pilau, Biryani and Samaki wa kupaka. Many tourist restaurants quote prices in US dollars; paying in Tanzanian shillings can work out cheaper.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Zanzibar romantic?
Zanzibar is a classic honeymoon island, pairing sunset dhow cruises and rooftop dinners in Stone Town with barefoot beach lodges and seafood on the sand.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Zanzibar?
Sunset dhow cruise: Sail along the Stone Town waterfront on a traditional dhow as the sun sets.
+Where should couples stay in Zanzibar?
Stone Town: Coral-stone lanes, boutique hotels, rooftop restaurants and the island's history.