Faded colonial grandeur by the Atlantic
Grand-Bassam, a short drive east of Abidjan, was the country's first colonial capital. Its historic quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a grid of colonial buildings with verandas and balconies, some restored, others slowly returning to nature. The National Costume Museum is housed in the former governor's palace. The town sits on a strip of land between a lagoon and the Atlantic, with a long beach lined with restaurants and craft shops, popular with Abidjan residents at weekends.