Cotonou Transportation

Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is located in the western side of Cotonou. It is an old and small airport terminal with both arrival and departures in the ground floor.

The check-in procedure and the security was fast in african terms the evening I left for Paris. Air France had its own computerized passport control which made a small queue before the check-in counter. The local Air France staff at the check-in counter were skilfull and worked fast. The immigration service was just behind the wall on the right side. No question was asked, and they stamped the passport.

It all stopped at the queue right in front of the Xray machine when a policeman walked around and asked all white passengers to show their Benin visa. This was a weird situation, since the immigration service had already checked and stamped the passports. Was it just a greedy policeman searching for a bribe on potential passengers who had exceeded their legal time of stay in Benin? It is well known that some tourists have only a 48 hours transit visa and take the chance of exceed the time with some hours. (I had many days left). Checking the passengers took so long time that it was no time left for a duty-free shopping.

GPS location is 6°21'11.42" N 2°23'6.54" E

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CTI (Central Transport International) is a bus company operating from the Gare Station, just opposite the cathedral. GPS location is 6°21'19.37" N 2°26'23.91" E.

Buses are departing to Mali/Bukina Faso, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana.

Air France flies to Cotonou. If you have a short connection in Paris your luggage won't make it.
We took Royal Air Maroc last time--much better fare, but on the way back to europe it's a very long layover in Casablanca. The service was great and our luggage made it
Friends have flown through Libya which is a pretty good connection

Zimmedjans! (moto-taxis) They're great! Fast and very unsave. In night the drivers can be drunk, but forget about that and use them. Nearby Marche Dantokpa it can be very hard to bargaining. Walk to a less special place and try again. Stay also alert. Very sometimes the guys don't speak french or have problems in their head, but they won't bring you to the right place. Let them stop and take another one. You can play saver by using only the guys with clean cloths and to talk a little to check their language skills. If you're with another person it's sometimes cheaper to go with two on one zimme.
If you stay for a long time, you can get your own zimme.

Very slower, but cheaper and saver are the taxicars. But they aren't very useful for citycrossing.

Don't use a bike in Cotonou.

For short distances you can take a walk. Cotonou is save to walk. Not much criminality and often trottoirs, but don't fall into the riols (they're open at some places).

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Agence de voyages et de tourisme.
Sai Tours is a good travel agency in the busy Boulevard Steinmetz. Ask for Olivia, the french speaking woman.

Bush taxis (taxi-brousse) departs all time of the day from Gare de Dantokpa to Nigeria, or from Gare Jonquet to Lomé. It is ordinary private cars packed with passengers.