Explore Elmina through different aspects of its past and present: St. George’s Castle combines guided tours with elevated views, Fort St. Jago provides a historical counterpoint, and the fishing harbour and Benya Lagoon give fishing a place of its own. When planning your trip, it helps not to combine these themes into a fixed itinerary. First consider whether you would like to focus mainly on historical sites, views or the connection to the fishing community.

St. George’s Castle: Tour and Views

On guided tours of St. George’s Castle, visitors can see the former warehouses and slave dungeons, chapels and the Governor’s Chamber. These rooms offer different points of interest along the tour: they are specific stops explored on a guided visit and give the experience more than a single architectural focus. If these interior spaces are what you would like to see, plan your visit around the tour options and confirm current availability with the operator.

The battlements of the four-storey Castle offer a different perspective. From there, visitors can take elevated photographs of the surrounding harbours, fishing boats and nearby Fort St. Jago. This brings two different interests together at the same place: views of specific rooms inside and an elevated view of the harbour and its surroundings. If you would like to take photos, you can make this viewpoint a separate focus alongside the tour.

Fort St. Jago across from the Castle

Fort St. Jago, also known as Fort Coenraadsburg, stands on a high hill across from St. George’s Castle in Elmina. The two names refer to the same place, so knowing both can help you find your way around. The hill and the fort’s position across from the Castle make it a distinct historical point of interest, not another room within the Castle tour.

The site’s earlier use is also part of its history: a small Portuguese chapel dedicated to Saint Jago previously stood where the fort is now. This change over time can be described briefly without equating the chapel with the present-day fort. If you are interested in the history of both places, you can therefore consider them as distinct sites: the Castle, with its tour stops, and the Fort on the hill across from it.

Fishing Harbour and Benya Lagoon

Elmina’s expanded fishing harbour has a fish auction hall and areas for mending nets. These facilities are associated with commercial fishing and add specific fishing-related activities to the picture of the city. They therefore differ from the historical sites: the focus here is on the facilities mentioned for fishing operations, not another castle or viewpoint.

Benya Lagoon is also connected to fishing. At the Bakatue event, reported on July 9, 2026, Edina’s traditional authority, led by Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, the Edinamanhen, performed rituals at the lagoon. They served to lift the fishing ban in the lagoon and conclude a six-week sacred period for the old fishing community. The report thus describes a specific event, naming the people involved and the proceedings. It adds a cultural context linking the lagoon, fishing rules and community to the factual information about the harbour.

Which focus suits your trip?

If you would like to combine interiors and views, the Castle offers a guided tour and battlement views as different aspects of a visit; confirm tour availability with the operator in advance. Fort St. Jago offers its own historical perspective, with its position across from the Castle. The harbour and Bakatue, by contrast, draw attention to fishing and its importance to Elmina.

Discover more destinations:

Moree, Saltpond, Winneba, Biriwa, Assin Manso, Ajumako, Oduponkpehe, Buduburam

For the overview of the wider region: Central Region.