Top things to see and do include hitting the Nike Art Gallery's four floors of Nigerian contemporary art; treading Lekki Conservation Centre's treetop canopy walk; getting in some swimming and sunning at private Landmark Beach; and heading to Freedom Park (a former colonial prison turned open-air venue) for live music and nightlife. And as for that legendary nightlife, Lagos doesn't get going until midnight and often peaks past 3 am, split between glossy Victoria Island and Lekki clubs like Quilox, with their Afrobeats-and-champagne scene, and the grittier, soul-of-the-city energy of Ikeja's New Afrika Shrine, built by Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti's children to keep his legacy alive. One museum well worth your time are the National Gallery Lagos, which displays a wide range of exhibits and artifacts covering the history and culture of the territories than became Nigeria, with highlights such as Nok terracottas (in particular the Jemaa Head), Ife works, Benin bronzes, and traditional masks and regalia. Another is the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, a venerable museum devoted to the dominent culture of southern Nigeria now housed in a cutting-edge multimedia facility inaugurated just two years ago. 

Dining ranges from roadside stalls slinging street foods such as suya (spicy, skewered grilled meat coated in a peanut-based spice rub) and jollof rice (smoky and tomato-based), to sleek fine-dining rooms serving reimagined Nigerian classics, with fresh seafood a constant thanks to the lagoon and coast. Lodging spans backpacker guesthouses and mid-range hotels on the mainland to glossy five-star towers on Victoria Island and Ikoyi, the city's most polished enclaves, heavy with foreign residents. Lagos can at times be overwhelming and exhausting, with its noise, density, and unpredictable pace testing even seasoned travelers — but it's also utterly magnetic.