The grandest and most formal part of town is the area around City Square , in the southwest. This square kilometre is Nairobi's heart: government buildings, banks and offices (most of them housed in commercial buildings with names like Jubilee Insurance House and Lonrho House) merge to the north and east with upmarket shopping streets and luxury hotels. The area's big landmarks are the extraordinary Kenyatta International Conference Centre , with its huge cylindrical tower and artichoke-shaped conference centre, the blue-glass skyscraper of Lonrho House , and the bizarre zebra-striped "legs" of the Nation Centre , all visible from miles outside the city. To the south of this area, towards the train station, stands the Memorial Park on the site of the bombed Cooperative Bank Building.

North of Kenyatta Avenue , there's a shift to smaller scale and lesser finance. The City Market is here, surrounded by a denser district of shops, restaurants and hotels. The Jeevanjee Gardens are a welcome patch of greenery (though avoid walking through after dark), and a little further north is the university district and Nairobi's oldest establishment, The Norfolk Hotel , contemporary with the original rebuilding of the city.

East of Moi Avenue , the character changes more radically. Here, and down towards the reeking Nairobi River, is the relatively poor, inner-city district identified with River Road , its main thoroughfare. The River Road quarter is where most long-distance buses and matatus start and terminate, and where you'll find the capital's cheapest restaurants and hotels, as well as the highest concentration of African-owned businesses. It's also a somewhat notorious area, with a traditional concentration of sharks and pickpockets. You can meet European residents who work five minutes' walk away and in all their years in Nairobi have never been to this part of town.

Getting around central Nairobi is straightforward. By day, most visitors walk ; by night, they take a taxi . Unless you're only here for a day or two, though, it's certainly worth getting to know the city's public transport systems.