Furnished Apartments for Rent in Dakar (Plateau)
No apartments listed in Plateau yet
The page exists, the properties are on their way. In the meantime, here are other options for your stay — and if you own a property in the area, now's the time to list it.
The Plateau is the only neighborhood in Dakar where you can live for several months without a car. The streets follow a grid, distances are short, and you can walk to the ministries, banks, headquarters, the port, Kermel market, Sandaga and the Gorée ferry terminal. In a city where a trip costs you an hour and a taxi fare, that is an advantage you feel every single day.
It is also the only neighborhood in Dakar that empties out. The Plateau is a place of work: it buzzes from morning until six p.m., then the offices close, people head home to the west and north, and the streets fall silent. Even more so on weekends. Renting a furnished apartment here means accepting that deal: you gain all your days and lose part of your evenings.
The only neighborhood where you walk
For anyone working in the administrative center, the difference is dramatic. From Les Almadies, two daily round trips to the Plateau easily add up to two hours in the car at rush hour. From a furnished apartment in the Plateau, it is ten minutes on foot — and that time given back is what determines the quality of a stay of several weeks, far more than the size of the living room.
The trade-off comes down to one word: evenings. Restaurants exist and they are good, but the choice shrinks sharply after 8 p.m. and on Sundays. Many long-term residents organize their lives around that — shopping on Saturday morning at Kermel, cooking at home during the week, going out in the west of the city on weekends. It is perfectly livable, as long as you have planned for it.
The second thing to know concerns the buildings. The Plateau is the oldest part of the city: buildings from the colonial period and the decades after independence, with generous proportions, high ceilings and balconies — but few elevators, water and electrical systems that have seen better days, and generally no soundproofing on busy streets. These are the three things to check before signing, and none of them show up in photos.
What a furnished apartment in the Plateau covers
Apartment in an older building — the most common type: one or two bedrooms, high ceilings, a balcony over the street, often no elevator. The charm is real; the stairs are climbed on foot.
Business-trip studio — compact, functional, designed for one person who spends the day out. It is the best price-to-location ratio in the city for a short work stay.
Renovated high-floor apartment — rarer and more expensive, with a view over the bay or the rooftops. It is much quieter, which matters on the noisy main streets.
Family apartment with two or three bedrooms — for settling in with children, provided you accept the lack of outdoor space: the Plateau has neither gardens nor courtyards.
The streets that matter
The neighborhood is not uniform, and the address makes a real difference over time.
Around Place de l'Indépendance and Avenue Pompidou, you are at the very center: everything is within reach, there is constant activity, and constant noise too. It is the most practical location and the most tiring.
Toward the eastern corniche and the port, the streets are quieter and you can glimpse the bay. You are still ten minutes' walk from the center, with much quieter evenings.
Toward the Médina, to the west, the neighborhood changes in density and pace: more working-class, livelier in the evening, with markets and street life. Rents are more affordable and you remain within walking distance of the center.
One criterion never appears in listings and matters more than anything: floor and orientation. A second floor on a busy street is nothing like a fifth floor facing the courtyard. Ask about both before comparing two apartments.
Living in the Plateau for several weeks
The climate feels different here. The neighborhood is densely built in stone and concrete, and it stores heat: from March to June, nights cool down less than in the west, where the sea breeze blows constantly. Air conditioning is therefore not a luxury during this period, and you need to know whether the building has a UPS or a generator.
From July to October, the rainy season (hivernage) brings heavy humidity and downpours that can flood some streets for a few hours. It is also when the neighborhood is at its most pleasant in the evening, once the rain has passed.
From November to May, the dry season is genuinely pleasant, with cool mornings — the best period for a work stay here.
As for availability, the Plateau follows the institutional calendar: conferences and official sessions fill up the supply all at once. If your dates are known, book early.
Good to know & booking
The international airport is in Diass, east of the city: allow a good hour from the Plateau, longer at busy times. For a first arrival with luggage for a longer stay, have the transfer arranged in advance.
Once there, make the most of what makes the neighborhood unique: guided cultural tours of the historic center start on foot from your door, the Gorée ferry terminal is a few minutes away, and a Senegalese cooking class is a good investment when you will often be cooking in the evening.
This page lists the furnished apartments in the Plateau; the full Dakar range is on the page of apartments for rent in Dakar. If you want building services — cleaning, security, front desk — see the serviced residences in Dakar. And for a central stay in a less concrete setting, the furnished apartments in Point E offer homes in villas with gardens and trees, fifteen minutes away.
You secure the property by paying 20% of the total online, then pay the balance to the owner on arrival, usually in cash. For a stay of several weeks booked well in advance, this saves you tying up the whole amount. The monthly long-stay discount is negotiated directly with the owner and is the real price lever here. Tourist tax paid on site.
Cancellation is free up to 7 days before arrival in low season (June 1 – October 31) and 14 days in high season (November 1 – May 31); after that, the booking is final and the 20% is non-refundable. A booking canceled within 24 hours of confirmation is fully refunded if arrival is more than seven days away. Last-minute bookings are final upon confirmation, with one possible change of dates up to 48 hours before. If the owner cancels, we offer you an equivalent property in the center or refund all fees in full. The resident rate is displayed on each property for residents of Senegal and the Senegalese diaspora, on an account verified after a phone call.
Who is it for?
Work stays in the administrative center — ministries, banks, headquarters, institutions — for whom the daily commute saved is the deciding factor.
Short, repeated assignments, where you come back several times a year and end up with your own routines in the neighborhood.
Travelers who come for the city itself — the architecture, the markets, the museums, Gorée — and want to be in it rather than travel to it.
And finally, car-free stays, whether by choice or necessity: this is the only neighborhood in Dakar where that poses no problem at all.
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in the Plateau without a car?
Yes, and it is the only neighborhood in Dakar where that is truly the case. The grid layout and short distances let you walk to offices, banks, markets and the Gorée ferry terminal. To leave the neighborhood, taxis and public transportation depart from everywhere.
Is the neighborhood lively in the evening?
Much less than during the day. The Plateau is a place of work: offices close around 6 p.m. and part of the population heads home to the west or north. There are restaurants, but the choice shrinks after 8 p.m., and even more on Sundays. That is the trade-off you accept in exchange for the days you gain.
What should I check in an older building?
Three things that do not show up in photos: whether or not there is an elevator, the condition of the water and electrical systems, and soundproofing if the apartment faces a busy street. Also ask about the floor and orientation — a second floor on the street is nothing like a fifth floor facing the courtyard.
Is it hotter in the Plateau than in western Dakar?
It feels different. The neighborhood is densely built in stone and concrete, and it holds the heat: from March to June, nights cool down less than in Les Almadies, where the sea breeze blows constantly. Air conditioning, and whether there is a UPS or generator, need checking for that period.
Are there family apartments?
Yes, there are two- and three-bedroom apartments, but you have to accept a complete lack of outdoor space: the Plateau has neither gardens nor courtyards. For settling in with young children, a residential neighborhood such as Point E or Mermoz is often more comfortable.
Is the monthly long-stay discount negotiable?
Yes, and it is the main price lever in this segment. Beyond one month, the discussion takes place directly with the owner, whose contact details are made available to you as soon as you book. Raise the subject in your first exchange; it is normal and expected.
How does payment work?
You pay 20% online to secure the property, then the balance to the owner on arrival, usually in cash. For a stay of several weeks booked in advance, this saves you tying up the whole amount. Finally, budget for the tourist tax, 1,000 FCFA per person per night. It is paid directly to the establishment, which collects it — we do not — and the amount is given as a guide.