Like many big cities - and this is the biggest between Cairo and Johannesburg - Nairobi's smart offices and expensive shops sit alongside slums and poverty.
If you want to get a taste of life in the city, visit River Road but get an up-to-date picture of where not to wander after dark when you arrive.
If you're in town earlier on, be warned that lunch is the main meal of the day and this is what most of the cheaper restaurants cater for.
If you've been at the cricket all day and want a meal at night, you'll need to venture out to some of the more expensive restaurants in town.
Rather than basing yourself in the city centre during your stay, you might be advised to find a bed in a district such as Westlands (4km from the city) where you'll find plenty of hotels, restaurants and shops to spend your money on local souvenirs.
Those who want to sample some real Kenyan hospitality should head for the Modern Green Day & Night Bar which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It purports to have not closed its front door since 1968 for one
simple reason - it hasn't got one!
In truth, the city is short on tourist sights, but nearby there are several interesting places to visit.
At the Bomas of Kenya, Langata Giraffe Centre and the Nairobi National Park, you can see all of the 'big five' apart from elephants.