Nairobi: 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.
Nairobi is the capital of Kenya (Nairobi County), 1,684 m (5,525 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Syokimau railway station. Our booking partner lists 4,671+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Nairobi runs from about 12 h 5 min a day in late June to 12 h 14 min in late December (computed for -1.28° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Nairobi is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre, whose 13,507-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Nairobi Wilson Airport (WIL, 4 km).
Flights to Nairobi: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Syokimau railway station. Trains to Nairobi
Buses to Nairobi · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 4,671+ places to stay in Nairobi (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 481 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (264), and 34 are five-star. Across 239 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10. Guests have left 104,135 reviews in total.
Hotels in Nairobi: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 12 hostels in Nairobi, out of 4,671 places to stay of every kind — 0.3% of everywhere it lists in the city, a small share: this is a city where nearly everything on offer is a hotel or an apartment. Guests have left 966 reviews across them.
Hostels in Nairobi: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Nairobi National Museum | 347,500 | — |
The busiest is Nairobi National Museum at 347,500 visitors. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Nairobi
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Kakamega, 288 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Arusha, 232 km (Tanzania) — flights
- Nakuru, 136 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Ruiru, 22 km — tours
- Eldoret, 264 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Kisumu, 264 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Kikuyu, 18 km — tours
- Bariadi, 357 km (Tanzania)
- Thika, 40 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Moshi, 237 km (Tanzania) — flights
Twin towns and sister cities: Denver, Raleigh, Kunming, Colonia Tovar, Pingxiang, Rio de Janeiro, Parintins.
Common questions
Which airport serves Nairobi?
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Nairobi?
About 4.4 million people live in Nairobi, across 696 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Nairobi in?
Africa/Nairobi, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Nairobi?
The Shilling (KES). Traffic drives on the left.
Are there hostels in Nairobi?
12 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Nairobi.
How many hotels are there in Nairobi?
Our booking partner lists 4,671 or more places to stay in Nairobi, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Nairobi?
Kakamega (288 km), Arusha (232 km), Nakuru (136 km), Ruiru (22 km), Eldoret (264 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 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel 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.