Mombasa actually sits on an island, a centre for trade with Arabia, India and the Far East.  Slaves and ivory were exchanged for spices and small goods, and later for gold dollars. Flotillas of Arab dhows still collect in the Old Harbour. The Old Town retains a strongly Arab flavour, with narrow, crowded streets and street vendors selling all manner of local and imported craftwork; Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese in 1593 and taken by the Omani Arabs in 1698 after a 33-month seige, is now a museum and worth visiting; the Old Harbour is an interesting place for early morning and late afternoon strolls, and is often filled with sailing dhows from the Yemen and Persian Gulf.

Biashara Street is probably the best place to go to buy kikoi and khanga cloths; the main city market is the Makupa Market, off Mwembe Tayari, and there is a floating market at Tudor Creek.

Most of the beach resorts which are actually listed as Mombasa are some way out of town, along a 120km (70 mile) stretch of coast.  To the north of the city, resorts such as Bamburi Beach, Casuarina Beach, Kenya Beach and Nyali Beach are amongst the older developments with easy access to the city centre and activities, restaurants and clubs.

Lamu Town was founded in the 9th century and is one of a handful of Swahili towns whose many mosques and fine old Arab houses with impressive carved wooden doors have survived intact.  

 

• Mombasa's Old Harbour ~ As a centre for trade with Arabia, India and Asia, flotillas of Arab dhows still collect here. 
• Fort Jesus ~ Built by the Portuguese, this fort is now a museum  displaying various artifacts from the era where Mombasa served as a transit point for the slave trade.  Its interior comprises of torture rooms and prison cells where slaves were kept in captivity before being traded. Occasionally there are son-et-lumiere shows held here.
• The Mombasa "Tusks" ~  The tusks were built to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the town in 1952, as they lay directly on the path from the port to the town. Ivory was considered to be an exquisite commodity during the time, and in essence the tusks were meant to embrace the Queen and the British Empire into the town and within its social structure.
• Ngomongo Village Cultural Park ~ Showing the lifestyle of 11 different Kenyan tribes.
• Mamba Crocodile Village ~ Mamba Village, which is situated in Nyali, is East Africa's largest crocodile farm. A tour of the farm starts with a movie on the life cycle and behaviour of crocodiles, followed by a comprehensive tour of the rest of farm, and ends with the highlight of the day: a spectacular scene of blood-thirsty crocodiles fighting for food during feeding time.
• Gedi Ruins ~ Gedi was a small town built entirely from rocks and stones, which was inhabited by a few thousand Swahili people and ruled by a very rich Sultan. The ruins date back from the 15th century, and through careful preservation most of the original foundations, can still be seen today. A well-informed and educated guide gives a tour of the ruins.