Windhoek sits at about 1,650 metres in the middle of the country, between the Khomas Highlands, the Auas Mountains and the Eros Mountains. Hosea Kutako International Airport lies a little over 40 kilometres east of town, out in the bush. On almost every road trip Windhoek is your first and last stop: you collect the rental car here, stock up and spend the first night. At the 2023 census the capital had 486,186 residents.
- foundation stone of the Alte Feste
- 1890
- residents, 2023 census
- 486,186
- above sea level
- 1,655 m
- to Hosea Kutako airport
- 40+ km
Before you set off you need three things: cash, signal and supplies. ATMs are in banks and shopping centres, and you will want Namibian dollars in cash for fuel stations in the countryside. A tourist SIM is sold at the airport; bring your passport. Since March 2024 MTC has also sold travellers an eSIM you can buy before you leave home. It is data only. MTC has the better coverage outside the towns, while TN Mobile is strongest in the cities.
According to the German Foreign Office, muggings in Windhoek happen mostly on Sundays and public holidays, in the centre as well as on the outskirts. Leave valuables and your camera in the room, and do not walk anywhere after dark. And if someone on the road from the airport signals a fault with your car, keep driving to the next fuel station.
Highlands, hot springs and a fort
The altitude sets the climate. In December the temperature climbs past 30 °C, in July it can drop below freezing at night. Pack a jumper even in summer.
It all began with the hot springs in today's Klein Windhoek. The Nama called the place ǀAe-ǁGams, hot spring, the Herero Otjomuise, place of steam. Around 1840 the Orlam leader Jonker Afrikaner settled at one of the springs with his people. Where the name Windhoek comes from is not settled. Most read it as Afrikaans for windy corner; another explanation traces it to the Winterhoek Mountains in South Africa.
The modern city dates from 18 October 1890. On that day the German captain Curt von François laid the foundation stone of the Alte Feste, a fort for the first soldiers and settlers. From here Windhoek grew into the capital of the colony, and after 1990 into the capital of independent Namibia.
A walk through the centre
The main street is Independence Avenue. In German times it was Kaiserstrasse, and in 1928 it became the first street in town to be tarred. Shops, banks and restaurants line it.
On a rise above it stands the Christuskirche, the city's landmark, visible from almost everywhere. Right next to it: the Alte Feste and the Tintenpalast of 1912 and 1913. Its nickname, ink palace, is said to come from all the ink the civil servants used up inside. Both houses of parliament sit there today.
Further east on the hill stand three castles designed by the architect Wilhelm Sander: Heinitzburg, Schwerinsburg and Sanderburg. Sander built Heinitzburg in 1914, at first for himself, and sold it in 1916 to Count von Schwerin, who named it after his wife's family. Today it is a hotel with a restaurant and a view over the city.
The other side of the city
Northwest of the centre lies Katutura. The name is translated as "the place where people do not live", often more loosely as "where we do not want to live". After the Old Location uprising of December 1959 the apartheid administration forcibly moved the black residents here, because the centre was to stay white. The old settlement was closed in 1968. Closer to the centre, Khomasdal was built in the early 1960s for the people apartheid classified as "coloured".
If you want to see more of Windhoek than its colonial side, take a guided tour through these townships.
Today, as of Windhoek has grown fast since 2005: 233,529 residents at the 2001 census, 486,186 in 2023. From the airport you now drive in on the four-lane Dr Hage G. Geingob Freeway, 45 kilometres long, with the last sections open since September 2025. The National Museum in the Alte Feste has been closed since about 2014, and the building has been under restoration since April 2025. Next to the Christuskirche the Independence Memorial Museum opened in March 2014. The Reiterdenkmal, the equestrian statue we saw there in 2005, was taken down in 2009, put up again in front of the Alte Feste in 2010 and moved into its courtyard on the night after Christmas Day 2013.
- Time needed
- one night after arrival, two if you want to see the city
Our tipAfter the long-haul flight, spend the first night in Windhoek and set off the next morning. Do the shopping for the first few days in the afternoon at a shopping centre, where supermarket and ATM are close together.
Places to stay in Windhoek
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Cozy Arty Apartment In Walking Distance Of Cbd
8 Pettenkofer Street
- Pool
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €52per night on 14 August 2027
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Enchanting Self-catering Villa With Queen Bed
26 Robert Mugabe Avenue
- Pool
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Air conditioning
from €82per night on 24 June 2027
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House on Olof Palme
146 Olof Palme Street
- Pool
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Parking
from €147per night on 23 November 2026
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Hartmann Suites Serviced Self-Catering Apartments
Corner of Burg and Ballot Street
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Pets allowed
from €55per night on 13 May 2027
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John-Lou'S One-Bedroom Apartment
Chateau Street Luxury Hill
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Wi-Fi
from €73per night on 12 May 2027
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The Windhoek Luxury Suites
Corner of Hebenstreit str & Josephwood
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Air conditioning
from €177per night on 23 November 2026
Check prices on trivagoWindhoek: frequently asked questions
How far is Hosea Kutako airport from Windhoek?
Hosea Kutako International Airport is a little over 40 kilometres east of Windhoek. Since September 2025 the four-lane Dr Hage G. Geingob Freeway has run all the way into the city.
Is it safe to walk around Windhoek?
By day, yes, but without valuables and without a camera round your neck. According to the German Foreign Office, muggings in Windhoek happen mostly on Sundays and public holidays, and you should not walk anywhere after dark.
Where can I get a SIM card in Windhoek?
You can buy a tourist SIM at Hosea Kutako airport on arrival; you need your passport. Alternatively, MTC has sold a data-only eSIM since March 2024 that you can buy before you fly.
How did Windhoek get its name?
Nobody knows for sure. Most read Windhoek as Afrikaans for windy corner; another explanation traces it to the Winterhoek Mountains in South Africa. The Nama name for the place is ǀAe-ǁGams, hot spring.