Kumasi Cultural Tour: Manhyia Palace & Kejetia Market

The Golden Stool has stayed buried in Kumasi soil for nearly 300 years, and the palace museum explains why it matters.

This day tour from Accra to Kumasi explores Ashanti royal history and culture through three museums and the city's largest market, with a private guide, round-trip transport and an air-conditioned vehicle. You watch a film at Manhyia Palace Museum, then walk through rooms holding royal regalia, jewelry and ceremonial objects; visit the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, built to resemble an Ashanti chief's home with ethnic sculptures on its walls; explore Kejetia Market, one of West Africa's largest with 11,000 stalls; and stop in Bonwire, the birthplace of Kente cloth worn by Ashanti kings. The tour runs between 2 and 6 hours depending on your pace and interests.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Manhyia Palace Museum1h · entry included
2. Prempeh II Jubilee Museum1h · entry included
3. Kejetia Market1m · entry included

Explore Kumasi's Ashanti heritage

• Watch film on Ashanti history
• Tour Manhyia Palace Museum artifacts
• Visit site of Golden Stool and sword
• Explore Prempeh II Jubilee Museum
• Experience Kejetia Market
• Visit Bonwire town for Kente cloth

The Experience

The Manhyia Palace Museum opens with a film about Ashanti history, then guides you through original palace rooms filled with artifacts that shaped the kingdom. You'll learn about figures like Yaa Asantewaa, the war queen, and understand the current ruler's place on the throne. The site sits near where Akwasidee tribe chiefs convene every six weeks: a living connection to the palace's role in governance that the museum itself explains. The Golden Stool, driven into the ground nearly 300 years ago by the chief priest Okomfo Anokye, anchors the Ashanti creation story. Legend holds that the kingdom will collapse if it is ever removed.

Kejetia Market sprawls across Kumasi's center with 11,000 stalls and at least four times as many workers as stalls: a scale that reads almost overwhelming up close, with rusted tin roofing and the density of a circular shantytown. Walking through it with your guide lets you navigate the market as locals do rather than as a passing visitor. The Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, though modest in size, holds the ceremonial and battle apparel of Ashanti king Prempeh II, his jewelry, protective amulets, dining and bathing supplies, royal insignia and brass weights for weighing gold, all arranged inside a structure built to resemble a chief's home with a front courtyard and walls carved with ethnic sculptures. A personalized tour is included with entry.

Bonwire, located about 18 kilometers from Kumasi on the Kumasi-Mampong road, is the birthplace of Kente cloth: the most celebrated fabric in Africa and the cloth worn by Ashanti kings. The tour includes round-trip transport from Accra in an air-conditioned vehicle with a private guide who speaks English, French or German. Duration varies between 2 and 6 hours depending on how long you spend at each stop.

What’s included

• Private transportation and round-trip transfer from Accra to Kumasi.
• air-conditioned vehicle.
• private tour guide in English, French or German.
• entry to Manhyia Palace Museum with film and guided walk through artifact rooms.
• entry to Prempeh II Jubilee Museum with personalized tour.
• access to Kejetia Market with guide.
• stop in Bonwire to learn about Kente cloth origins.

Days and timesDaily · 06:00

Ages18 to 60 years · Seniors (61+) · 15 to 17 years · 4 to 14 years · 1 to 3 years — Free

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Expedition-Go Tours Ltd

Is this one for you?The tour spans 2 to 6 hours depending on how long you spend at each site, so you control the pace: linger at the museums if the artifacts hold you, or move through more quickly to see all four stops. Your private guide and vehicle mean you're not waiting for a group or following a fixed schedule, which works well if your day in Kumasi needs to fit around other plans in Accra.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, French and German.

Can children come?

15 to 17 years; 4 to 14 years; 1 to 3 years, free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What is the Golden Stool and why does the Manhyia Palace Museum focus on it?

The Golden Stool was driven into the ground nearly 300 years ago by the chief priest Okomfo Anokye during the founding of the Ashanti Nation. Ashanti belief holds that the kingdom will collapse if the stool is ever removed from the ground, and it has remained despite attempts to pull it out. The museum explains its spiritual and political significance to Ashanti rule.

How big is Kejetia Market and what will I see there?

Kejetia Market is one of West Africa's largest, with 11,000 stalls and at least four times as many workers as stalls. Walking through it with your guide, you'll experience the market as locals do: navigating the dense layout with rusted tin roofing and learning how the marketplace functions in the city.

What artifacts are displayed at the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum?

The museum holds the ceremonial and battle apparel of Ashanti king Prempeh II, his jewelry, protective amulets, personal dining and bathing supplies, royal insignia and brass weights for weighing gold. The building itself is constructed to resemble an Ashanti chief's home, with a front courtyard and walls covered in ethnic sculptures.

What is Kente cloth and where does it come from?

Kente is the most celebrated cloth in Africa and is worn by Ashanti kings. It originated in Bonwire, a town located about 18 kilometers from Kumasi on the Kumasi-Mampong road, which the tour includes as a stop.

Does the tour include meals?

The tour includes private transportation, the air-conditioned vehicle and a private guide. Lunch is not included, so you can choose where and what to eat during the day.