Beira

Central Beira

Beira is a port town in Mozambique.

Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique and capital of the Sofala Province. During the 1950s and 60s, before the independence of Mozambique, Beira was a playground for white and rich Rhodesians as the country was a colony of Portugal, which did not participate in the UN embargo against Rhodesia. Still an important port city, few tourists find their way here today. Those who do will discover a beautiful, but crumbling, city by the sea with great food and hospitality.

Understand

Beira took a direct hit from Cyclone Idai on 15 March 2019, and according to the Red Cross 90% of the city was destroyed.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Beira International Airport (BEW  ^IATA) (is about 10 km out of the town, and can be easily reached by bus and taxi). The national carrier LAM has flights from Johannesburg, Harare and from the capital Maputo, as well as other regional cities in Mozambique. South African Airways also offers flights from Johannesburg. Malawi airlines has flights from Lilongwe. The airport has a shop, bar, restaurant and post office.  

By train

Rail services are slowly returning, after having been completely halted due to the long civil war. There are daily commuter trains from nearby Dondo and a once-weekly long-distance service from Moatize, just outside Tete which is the largest city of inland north-western Mozambique. Additionally, there's a service from Machipanda, at the border with Zimbabwe, via Chimoio.

• 2 Beira railway station (Estação Ferroviária da Beira). A prime example of modernist architecture, tells tales of a bygone era when Beira was a major terminus for long-distance trains from then Rhodesia. (updated Nov 2020)

By road

The main road between Zimbabwe and Beira is in good condition, but with some deep pot holes. The Zimbabwe economy relies heavily on this route and it carries many trucks and buses, mostly overloaded. Road travel is best done by daylight as many pedestrians and animals are hard to see after dusk. Minibuses to Chimoio take 3 hours and cost MT200. there is direct buses to Vilankulo MT550 which takes 7 hours.

Get around

Minibuses, so called chapas, are easily available for local transport and for connections to neighboring cities like Chimoio.

See

• 1 Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de Nossa Senhora do Rosário). Seat of the Archdiocese of Beira, built in a Gothic Revival style and inaugurated in 1925. It was heavily damaged by cyclone Idai in 2019. (updated Nov 2020)
• 2 Grande Hotel Beira (On Avenida Mateus Sansao Muthemba, west of city centre). More of an anti-attraction, this former luxury hotel which once was known as the "pride of Africa" is since the last 30 years occupied by thousands of squatters displaced by the country's long civil war. It serves as a living memory of better times and the horrors of war. (updated Nov 2020)
• Savanna Beach (20–30 km out of town) ask around if someone is going. You could venture and take a chapa heading in the direction. You have to take a little boat across to the beach, worth the effort. Water is cleaner than Beira and waves are better. Good fishing. Simple restaurant with nice atmosphere.
• Gorongosa (200–300 km) in Sofala Province. Once a very well known park. Now starting to recover, good investments. Good challets and food.
• Rio Maria (10–15 km). When traveling from Macuti to Airport, turn right at Monte Verde and take the sandy road. At Rio Maria is a nice river and sea. No facilities there. Don't get car stuck in mud close to beach. Very relaxing.

Buy

Mercado Central(The central market) offers some craftworks, spices, fish and fruits.

Eat

• Beira Sol Opposite Hotel Tivoli.
• 2mais1 Center.
• Biques, Av. FPLM, ☏ +258 23 312451. A camping and bar/restaurant about 2 km out of the centre of Beira. Worthwhile the trip but not so easy to find. Terrace overlooking the sea, excellent food and drink. Pool table. This place is popular with locals and tourists. 
• Cá te Espero, Rua Companhia Moçambique (Between TDM and Praça de Metical), ☏ +258 23 326970. "Beisl" 
• Kanimambo Chinese restaurant with excellent food in the city center. Average atmosphere, aircon.
• Nautico Nice views of the sea, swimming pool. Need to pay small entrance fee of 20Mtn if non-member.
• Pappas, officially called Shakila snacks. Best food in town, also expensive. Close to Hotel Tivoli. 
• Restaurante Macuti (formerly Wings), ☏ +258 23 312520. Chinese/Portuguese cooking. Inside Macuti Housing Complex, park outside. Good food, can take a while if the restaurant is full. Aircon inside and nice seating area outside. Chicken with cashew and pineaplle or the Bife Cremoso is nice. 
• Solange, Av. Eduardo Mondlane 836, ☏ +258 23 322992. Portuguese owned. Good food, including pizza. Good ambiance. Also has a bar. 
• Chipima's Burguer, Rua Luis Inacio. The best hamburgers in town. In the city centre around the corner of the Banco de Moçambique. Good hygiene, friendly staff and popular with locals. 

Drink

• Café Riviera. On the same Praça has easy chairs, good coffee and pastries. 
• Só Bolos (close to Praça de Independencia and the golf course). Great to have breakfast or coffee. 
• Beira Bar. Nice restaurant and bar serving meals and drinks located on the beach. Two levels with an outside deck overlooking the hustle and bustle of the street beach adjacent road and great view of beach. A good selection of food including seafood, chicken, pizza, vegetarian. Downstairs entertainment (band) late week and over weekends. Good prices. 
• Barbeque Beach. Located on the beach strip, 2nd level, casual relaxed bar and barbeque restaurant, serves range of soft drinks, beers and spirits and casual food including burgers, chicken, ribs and steaks cooked downstairs on the charcoal barbecue. Great value relaxed setting. 

Sleep

• Beira Guesthouse, Av. Eduardo Mondlane 1311, ☏ +258 23 324030. 
• Beira Sol, Rua da Madeira Barrio da Mquinino 168 (close to the governor's house). 
• 1 Jardim das Velas, Av. das F.P.L.M., n. 282 (Not far from the airport), ☏ +258 2331 2209. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 10:00. A Mediterranean-style lodge on the beach front. There are 12 rooms in total, 6 with an ocean view, and 6 on the ground floor. No restaurant, so no breakfast available. But bars and restaurants are not far away. US $110. 
• Hotel Indico, ☏ +258 82 329944. 
• Hotel Moçambique (close to Hotel Tivoli and the Swimming Pool), ☏ +258 233 29354, +258 233 29352, +258 82 3870250. Many rooms: single, double, single suite, double suite. Simple, close to center of town. Bring your own towels. Starting at MT1400 incl. breakfast. 
• Hotel Savoy, Rua de Pedro Alvares Cabral, ☏ +258 23 329302. Centrally located but run-down hotel in a 1960s highrise, offering a glimpse of yesterdays charm and how Beira was in Portuguese times. Probably the cheapest accommodation in central Beira though. 
• 2 Hotel Tivoli, Avenida Bagamoyo 336, ☏ +258 23 320300, fax: +258 23 320301, h.tivoli-beira@teledata.mz. Your best bet for a decent sleep in a clean place. The rooms are small. A/C. One PC with free internet access in the lobby. Some rooms have wireless Internet - ask for it. Restaurant and bar in the hotel but expensive. A few meters from the hotel (turn right at the entry) a large interesting food market with lots of small places to eat. Freshly grilled fish. 
• Pensao Moderna, Rua Travessa de Igreja 263, ☏ +258 23 329901. A mid-range alternative with good rooms. 
• Sena Hotel, Av Martires da Revolcao N 189 (On road to airport opposite Beira International School), ☏ +258 233 110 70. Check-in: 10:00, check-out: 10:00. New Hotel on the way to airport. Clean and well kept however the restaurant desperately needs improvement. 
• Hotel Miramar, Rue Vilas Boas Ttuao, ☏ +258 23-322283. Single/double rooms. MT800/1600. (updated Apr 2015)

Stay safe

Don't walk in the Baixa area at night alone. If you walk around during day time just keep your precious stuff at the hotel. Don't walk around with a fat wallet or your expensive cellphone. Most crime is on a "give me your phone and/or wallet because I have a big knife" basis. If driving at night just keep doors locked and windows almost closed to avoid issues.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday night people party and can get very drunk, if you run over someone as a foreigner it's gonna cause you a big headache so drive slowly. Kids also run across the road often without looking out for cars. Avoid driving at night.

The city was 90% destroyed by Cyclone Idai, in March 2019.