Fort Jesus in Mombasa: history, opening hours, ticket price and evening show
Fort Jesus is the Portuguese fortress guarding the entrance to Mombasa's old harbour. Built between 1593 and 1596 to plans by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Cairati, it changed hands several times between the Portuguese, the Omanis, the sultans of Zanzibar and the British. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, it now houses a museum run by the National Museums of Kenya. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the visit. The interest lies as much in the architecture (coral walls, bastions, views of the ocean) as in the museum, which displays ceramics, trade goods and wreck finds from the coast, including those from the Portuguese ship Santo António de Tanná, sunk in 1697 in front of the fort.
Highlights
The courtyard and bastions
The enclosure with its thick coral walls forms a square with corner bastions; you can climb the ramparts, where the view takes in the channel of the old harbour.
The ramparts and the ocean
The cannons still point towards the harbour entrance. The fort stands out well from the neighbouring Old Town.
The museum
Ceramics from the East and from Europe, Swahili objects, pieces from Portuguese wrecks: the route helps explain five centuries of coastal history.
The graffiti and the cells
Inscriptions carved by former occupants survive on some walls.
The sound and light show
Evening shows are advertised at the fort on certain days; dates, times and prices are not confirmed by an official source, see the tips.
Practical info
Tips
- Sources dating from before May 2026 give about 1,200 KES for a non-resident adult. National Museums of Kenya published new fees effective 7 May 2026, and the current non-resident amount could not be confirmed: check it before you come. Payment is cashless (mobile or card). For the evening show, ask on site or at the museum: do not buy tickets from informal resellers. A guided visit on site is worth the price for understanding the place. Combine the visit with the Old Town of Mombasa on foot (under 10 minutes). Information checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Nkrumah Road, in the south-east of Mombasa island, at the entrance to the Old Town. By taxi, Uber or Bolt from the centre or the north coast; on foot from the Old Town.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
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