Thiès
Senegal · Africa
About Thiès
Thiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population of 391,253 in 2023. It lies 72 km (45 mi) east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis. It is the capital of Thiès Region and is a major industrial city.
Before colonization, the Thiès Plateau was a wooded frontier between the kingdoms of Cayor and Baol inhabited by the Serer-Noon, an ethnic sub-group of the Serer people. The Serer-Noon still inhabit the Thiès-Nones neighborhood of the south-west city today. They speak the Noon language, one of the Cangin languages.
The village of Dianxene, belonging to the kingdom of Cayor, was founded on the strategically important plateau in the 17th century. In 1860, it had only 75 inhabitants. The French founded a military post there in 1864, becoming an important force in the city's development ever since. The Spiritans founded a mission there in the late 19th century to help protect the local population from raids out of Mauretania seeking to capture slaves. In 1885, the Dakar–Saint-Louis railway, the first rail line in French West Africa, opened with a stop in Thiès...
Thiès travel guide
Getting there
Thies is 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and Saint-Louis. There is one daily train connecting with Diamniadio, in the eastern suburbs of Dakar, from where it's possible to continue to central Dakar with fast TER trains.
1 Thiès railway station, Ave General de Gaulle. (updated Jan 2025)
Getting around
Taxis are plentiful and most rides will cost you 500CFA. If you're going from the center to the gare routiere in the southern part of the city, 600CFA is not unreasonable.
See
1 Abbaye Keur Moussa Ne (Solesmes Benedictine Monastery), on Route de Abbes just west of Keur Moussa (about 23 km west of Thies), ☏ +221 338361617. Daily 09:30-12:00, Tu F-Su 15:00-17:00; M W 15:00-18:00. This place is unique because you can listen to the monks sing and play the kora instrument. (updated Aug 2020)
Eat
Les Delices, 373 Av. Lamine Gueye, ☏ +221 33 951 75 16. 24 hours daily. Pasta, omelettes, pizzas, grills, oriental and Asian specialties, salads, fish, sandwiches, hamburgers. Also pastries and desserts. (updated Dec 2022) Pamanda, Guinth Rue Amadou Sow, ☏ +221 33 952 15 50. 24 hours daily. They offer different types of Senegalese cuisines, snacks, and at affordable prices. (updated Dec 2022)
Sleep
1 Hôtel Rex, 197 Rue De Dousumont, ☏ +221 9511081. single/double rooms. CFA 7000/9600. (updated Oct 2019)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.