Maputo is lazy. Leisurely. Its art-deco architecture and the beauty of the Central Railway Station. It’s the port and its fish market and vendors tables straining under the weight of mangoes, bananas and passion fruit. Its drab Soviet buildings and live music every night. It is creamy spicy prawn dinners and cold cold beer. It is the gateway to Mozambique and the bright colours of the country’s fabric. It is cashews and acacia trees and buttery pastries. Maputo is wide avenues and sun dappled sidewalk eateries.Maputo is unhurried but never boring.

Away from the beach Maputo is thriving city of new construction and old architecture. (Image: Gustavo Sugahara, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr)

The beautiful old CFM Railway Station at the centre of Maputo. (Image: Rosino, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr)

The romantic ambience of a restaurant at the railway station. (Image: Brian Negin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr)

Maputo’s art-deco buildings need just a little paint to restore their radiance. (Image: Raul Soler, CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr)

The concrete folds of Maputo’s Polana Church bloom like flower petals in the small church designed by Brazilian architect Nuno Craveiro Lopes in 1962. (Image: Tomas Forgac, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr)

Baobabs on the legendary Pemba Beach. (Image: Rosino, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr)

Maputo away from the beaches is a warren of colourful restaurants bars and stores. (Image: Raul Soler, CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr)

It’s a city of hipster bars and vibrant nightlife. (Image: Ana Raquel S. Hernandes, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

It’s a city of colourful beautiful handmade crafts. On display at the local crafts market. (Image: Jose Carlos Babo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr)

Downtown Maputo you will find the Jardim Tunduru Botanical Garden, an oasis to help you escape steamy tropical days. (Image: Babak Fakhamzadeh, CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr)

Spend time in Maputo, but don’t ignore the charm of the rest of the country. (Image: Raul Soler, CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr)

Catembe, the bucolic fishing town a stone throws away from Maputo. (Image: Rosino, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

It’s a country that loves to party, a bar in Praia do Tofo. (Image Ana Raquel S. Hernandes, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

Fortifications in the village of Ibo, on Ibo Island, in the Quirimbas archipelago. (Image: Rosino, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

Inhambane is home to interesting examples of Victorian colonial buildings. (Image: Rosino, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr)