Things to do in Saint-Louis

8 activities, venues and outings in Saint-Louis, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Institut Français
French cultural centre. Here you will find a café, library and often times there are concerts, films and art exhibitions. Pick up the monthly program brochure at the center, one of the hotels around Saint-Louis or the Syndicat d’Initiative.
Mon-Fri 08:30-12:30 and 15:00-18:00; Sat 08:30-16:00
Do
Ndar-Toute-plage
This is where the city meets the Atlantic. You can see the colorful fishing boats here, but this beach unfortunately also doubles as a kind of landfill. Therefore, it's not a place for beach activities like tanning or swimming.
Do
Plage Hydrobase
The long Plage Hydrobase stretching along the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula is the proper beach of Saint-Louis, popular with locals, tourists and cattle. A number of the city's hotels are also along or near this beach. However, also on Plage Hydrobase you will find plastic and other waste in the sand.
Do
Plage de Sal Sal
Plage de Sal Sal to the north of the city is pristine and deserted, so much that you might not encounter anyone else here. The beach stretches across the border to Mauritania, so you should be careful not to go too far north. There's a chance you will see police officers on your way here, tell them that you are going to the beach.
Do Not mapped
Les Fanals
This festival is held each year between Christmas and New Years and is a night parade of lanterns, lit from within by candlelight that resemble carnival floats and are accompanied by songs and drums. This historic procession is unique to Saint-Louis and was initiated by the signares, who in colonial times were the colonists’ prestigious wives.
Do Not mapped
Saint-Louis International Jazz Festival
This annual event generally occurs in late May for about a week. The 2025 edition of this internationally renowned event attracted over 30 jazz musicians, and visitors from around the world. It is the most important jazz festival in Africa. The events of the festival take place all over town. Dates and programs can be found online.
Do
Office de Tourisme / Syndicat d’Initiative
The local tourist office.
Do Not mapped
Sahel Decouverte – Agence de Voyages

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Saint-Louis (CC BY-SA 4.0).