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Antananarivo Has No Tourist Infrastructure
By Douglas Scott
Antananarivo formerly Tananarive is a town and national capital of Madagascar, central Madagascar Island.
Air transport is widely used. The international airport at Ivato is eleven miles north of the city. A railway connects the capital with Toamasina, the islands chief port, to the east, as well as with Antsirabe to the south and Lake Alaotra to the north.
There are three main methods of navigating the capital taxi, bus and on foot. Most tourists tend to use taxis as they are very practical. Make sure you agree the rate with the driver before entering the taxi. Also, be aware that traffic tends to be heavy in Analakely during typical rush hour times. If you are comfortable being squeezed onto a van with other people, the buses, or taxi be, is the most affordable form of transportation. However, tourists are not usually familiar with taxi be routes. While the city is quite large, Analakely is fairly navigable on foot.
However there really is no tourist infrastructure to speak of in Antananarivo, for some that is part of the attraction. There is a lot of hustle and bustle but not really much for the casual tourist to do, and you run the gauntlet of aggressive beggars if you frequent the central shopping area. Also, due to the altitude, the capital is significantly colder than the coastal areas. Probably sensible to allocate no more than a couple of days to Tana.
Rova the Queens palace. A cab ride or very long walk from the hotel district, but be warned that it has been severely fire damaged by suspected arson in the late 1990s,
and only the stone shell remains, together with some outbuildings, statues and a Chapel. In 2005 visitors were paying a small entry fee to a kiosk and then being semi officially hijacked by native Tana guides, usually University students with good English or French who give a good account of the Rovas features in return for a gratuity.
Prime Ministers Palace, near the Rova. In 2005, the situation here was even more uncertain, the Palace appeared to be closed, but a freelance guide let visitors in and gave a comprehensive account of the historical artefacts which were on show, again in return for a gratuity.
Go to the open air markets for all of the crafts.
Tipping is not standard practise except in the more upmarket restaurants and hotels in Nosy be and Antananarivo. Officially, the tourism authorities do not encourage tipping but rounding off a bill or paying for quality service is not objected to either. Bargaining, on the other hand, is a way of life and the concept of a fixed price is virtually unknown, except in mid to top range hotels and shops but in the smaller commercial establishments, never pay till you have exhausted your patience or the sellers and struck a good bargain. Douglas Scott works for The Rental Car Hire Specialist. and is a free lance writer for TheAntananarivo Rental Site
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