The City of Dar es Salaam, literally "The abode of peace", is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Though Dar es Salaam lost its official status as capital city to Dodoma in 1974 (a move which was not complete until 1996), it remains the centre of the permanent central government bureaucracy and continues to serve as the capital for the surrounding regions.
Dar, as it is popularly known, offers a huge variety of city hotel accommodation options. As well as the central city hotel choices, many other beachside city hotel resorts are offered on the southern and northern beaches. Most city hotel hotels have regular discos or live music, especially at the weekends; as do the majority of bars.
Dar is full of historical buildings, many of which date back to German and British colonial times. Spanning two sweeps of bay, looking out over the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam is relaxed in atmosphere and can easily be navigated on foot (the guided city tour takes around 2 hours).
