In the capital city of Maputo, formerly Lourenco Marques, you are never far from the coast and visitors to the city can enjoy the refreshing sea breeze at the many restaurants serving locally caught seafood. Along  the marginal is the fish market, where you will find fresh fish for the barbeque without all the effort of catching it.

Located near the very southern tip of the country, Maputo was once renowned as a beautiful city and rated by world travelers alongside Cape Town and Rio. But after almost 20 years of war and deprivation the capital is very rundown today, with crumbling buildings and dirty streets. Nevertheless, it's still an interesting place, with a very lively atmosphere. And the place slowly but surely improves. Old-timers say Maputo is already regaining some of its old charm.

The oldest historic site is the fort, where you can patrol the ramparts, look at the old cannons or just sit and rest in the grassy courtyard. A must-see is the train station, designed and built in the early 1900s by the same Eiffel who gave us the famous tower. Recently renovated, it looks more like a palace, with polished wood and marble decorations, topped by a gigantic copper dome.