Discover Thiès through two cultural perspectives: at the Village Artisanal de Thiès, you can try your hand at traditional crafts; Place de France is linked to an announced renovation project. This brings hands-on craft experiences and an urban planning issue together in Thiès.
Crafts and History at the Village Artisanal
The Village Artisanal de Thiès was founded in 1967 at the initiative of the Office Sénégalais de l’Artisanat. The buildings that now house it were built in the colonial style and recall the presence of military personnel.
Visitors can make traditional Senegalese products at the Village, including reverse glass paintings, and play traditional percussion instruments. A visit therefore includes both creative activities and the musical use of instruments. When planning, two specific areas of focus can be distinguished: creative work and percussion. If you have a particular activity in mind, it is advisable to ask in advance about current options.
Place de France and an Announced Project
Place de France is in the center of Thiès and was described by the mayor as an emblematic place. An announced renovation project proposed converting the square into a public garden and renaming it. The proposal combined a planned new use with a new name. Unlike the craft experiences at the Village, this concerns urban design and the planned transformation of a central place.
More Craft History in Thiès
The Manufactures Sénégalaises des Arts Décoratifs (MSAD) in Thiès was founded in 1966 and has produced numerous handmade tapestries in various sizes. It adds textile work and different formats to the picture of local crafts. Together with the activities at the Village, it illustrates two different aspects of crafts in Thiès: visitors making products and the MSAD producing handmade tapestries.
The Région de Thiès: More Places and Topics
The Région de Thiès offers a broader geographical perspective than the city of Thiès. Regional examples include places associated with water, the coast, and nature, as well as a range of cultural highlights.
In Joal-Fadiouth, pirogue trips are offered through mangroves and along grain stores. The lanes of Fadiouth are paved with shells and oyster shells. In the regional context, a trip on the water and the design of the lanes offer contrasting impressions.
The Bandia Reserve offers family safaris to observe African wildlife; animal sightings depend on conditions. Ngaparou Bay has a large sandy beach. In Nianing Forest, there is a large baobab with a diameter of 32 meters; its age is estimated at 18 centuries.
The geography of the Région de Thiès also includes different stretches of coastline: it has a northern and a southern seafront, separated by the coastline of the Région de Dakar. Tourist highlights also differ between the départements. A regional report from 2026 describes the tourist offering in the Département de Mbour as being focused mainly on beach tourism. The Département de Tivaouane is distinguished by religious tourism, including Gamous and Ziarras. When deciding where to travel, it is therefore important to consider the city and the Région de Thiès as different geographical levels: the coastal, nature, and cultural examples belong to the respective places and départements named in the region.
For the broader travel overview: Thiès.
