Francistown travel guide

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Francistown, the second largest city in Botswana is located in eastern Botswana. It is oftenly called as the "Capital of the North". The town is a favorite tourists’ destination, located at the confluence of the Tati and Inchwe rivers. The city has a Zimbabwean feel to it with well stocked markets, exclusive shopping malls, excellent restaurants etc. Even the city’s nightlife is worth exploring as there are numerous casinos, clubs etc making it an ideal destination.

Fast Facts

There are not many places of interest for travellers in Francistown. But still you can head to Supa-Ngwao Museum which depicts the history of Francistown and is the cultural centre of north-eastern Botswana. The beautiful and well maintained parks are the main attractions here.

Francistown does not have a lot to offer when it comes to entertainment, but still there are few cinemas and clubs like the New Yorker etc. Both the Marangu and the Thapama hotels have very popular bars and casinos.

The city has many good restaurants and eating outlets, serving mouth watering food at reasonable prices. But if you are looking for street food then mostly you will find maize porridge, meat, cobs etc.

Some of the known restaurants are : -

• Western, Barbara's Bistro : - Western, Barbara's Bistro is the town's best restaurant.
• Diggers Pub : - Diggers Pub is located near the village mall.
• Grill : - Grill is the most popular amongst the youngsters.
• The Silver Spur : - The Silver Spur serves traditional delicacies.

Francistown has numerous shopping malls around the bus station which are reasonable and fairly cheap. Most of the people head to the mall in the evening for shopping. Some of the popular ones are : -

♦ Barclays Plaza
♦ Nzano Center
♦ The Village Mall (Diggers Inn)
♦ Galo Shopping Center
♦ Golden Valley Mall (Marang Superspar Complex)
♦ Nswazwi Shopping Center.

The town and its people are always involved in some or the other activities. There are plenty of leisure and outdoor activities. You can try the thrill and adventure by going for various water sports near the lake. If not sports, then spend a calm evening with your loved ones in the mall. You can even take a stroll and admire the beauty around.

There are various options to travel around inside the city. You can hire a taxi or take car on rent. Renting a car is not very expensive. Buses also take you around the city but are often crowded and tiring. Hitching is a faster option than taking the bus.

The town itself is very compact and has several options open for reaching here. There is a railway station at the northern end and the bus station at the southern end. The city is connected to all the main cities of Botswana through train and bus.

You can also reach the city by air as there are many scheduled flights served by the country.