Douala: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Douala is a city of 1.3 million people in Cameroon (Littoral), 19 m (62 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Douala International Airport (DLA), 5 km (3 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Bessengue train station. Our booking partner lists 505 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Douala runs from about 11 h 56 min a day in late December to 12 h 24 min in late June (computed for 4.05° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Douala is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Douala International Airport (DLA), 5 km (3 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,350 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Douala: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Bessengue train station. Trains to Douala
Buses to Douala · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 505 places to stay in Douala. Of the 229 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (146). Across 19 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.6 out of 10. Guests have left 4,669 reviews in total.
Hotels in Douala: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Port Harcourt, 309 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Onitsha, 399 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Yaoundé, 202 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Aba, 285 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Enugu, 361 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Owerri, 336 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Calabar, 183 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Uyo, 226 km (Nigeria) — flights
- Bamenda, 218 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Bafoussam, 178 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Philadelphia, Akhisar, Rome, Trieste, Windhoek, Newark, Dakar, Ouagadougou, Agadir, Durban, Sfax, Taiyuan.
Common questions
Which airport serves Douala?
Douala International Airport (DLA), 5 km (3 mi) from the centre.
How big is Douala?
About 1.3 million people live in Douala, across 210 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Douala in?
Africa/Douala, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Douala?
The Franc (XAF). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Douala?
Our booking partner lists 505 places to stay in Douala, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Douala?
Port Harcourt (309 km), Onitsha (399 km), Yaoundé (202 km), Aba (285 km), Enugu (361 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.