Bangui has reasonable shopping facilities, notably for ebony, gold jewelry, butterfly collections and objets d’art made from butterfly wings. However, one of the best methods of finding bargain souvenirs is by bartering with villagers outside the urban areas for their handmade goods.
Shopping hours Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1600-1900. Some shops close on Monday. The market in Bangui is open 0730-dusk.
Currency Information:CurrencyCFA (
Communauté Financière Africaine) Franc (XAF) =
100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of XAF10,000, 5,000, 2,000, 1,000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of XAF500, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1.
The Central African Republic is part of the French Monetary Area. Only currency issued by the
Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (Bank of Central African States) is valid; currency issued by the
Banque des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Bank of West African States) is not. The CFA Franc is tied to the Euro.
Currency ExchangeCurrency can be exchanged at banks in Bangui and Berbérati.
Credit/Debit Cards and ATMsCredit cards are not generally accepted, except in major hotels.
Traveller's ChequesTo avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in Euros. Even so, commission rates can be very high.
Banking HoursMon-Fri 0700-1230.
Exchange Rate Indicators| Date | Apr 07 |
| £1.00= | XAF969.87 |
| $1.00= | XAF490.65 |
| €1.00= | XAF655.96 |
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