Cotonou Travel Guide

 DAO Says:  OK. This is slightly bizarre. There are 2 Ecobanks off of the Rue des Hindous. This is the second one as you walk south. Its actually their Head Office here. They do foreign currency - at a great rate - fee free. Also they are more than willing to give you small useful notes... 

 DAO Says:  Cotonou does not have a lot of places selling postcards, and they are hard to find. If you go to the steps of the main Post Office and turn around - you will see some stalls to your right (first picture). It may look like they just sell stationery and household goods. They... 

 DAO Says:  Visas for most passport holders are available at 10,000 CFA on main border points. I entered at Hilakondji, the main land border between Togo and Benin. I did get hassle from some fat woman (who barely fit in her) uniform. She started with "You should have gotten a visa... 

 DAO Says:  I had read about this place as being an ex-pat heaven in the middle of an ex-pat area and decided I would go for a beer and maybe eat here. I wish I had not. I pulled up on my motorcycle taxi to see a packed outside terrace at the front. I made my way inside for a beer and a... 

 DAO Says:  My guidebook said this was a good restaurant and I must say I had a nice meal. The surroundings are an airy tastefully decorated, open area with some nice ceiling fans. The temperature was exactly right. The service was friendly and I was given a nice dish of popcorn and... 

 missmango Says:  I have been to the Yes Papa very often now and when I read the other comments here I am a bit surprised. I guess there is a misunderstanding that easily occurs if you do not really make the effort to actually talk to the people there. The Yes Papa is not a commercial bar as... 

 Linda2011 Says:  This place is called "Bar Cafe Cappuccino" and it is one of the best places in town to begin the weekend. A rally cosy drinking spot located in a sidestreet of rue des cheminots. And I easily found it because of the desciption given here. It is really closed to the concrete... 

 georeiser Says:  A lot of Zemijan motorcycle taxis are cruising around with their yellow waistcoat. Just make a "psst sound", and the nearest one will stop. Just say where you are going and settle the price. To ride them expect to pay anything from 200 to 500 CFA (less than 1 USD). But make... 

 Linda2011 Says:  This is the biggest supermarkt I have ever seen at the African Westcoast. It is a bit prica, but here you can get everything like in a European supermarket. It's definetely one of the best places to buy food, drink, clothing, bath & beauty, even xmas stuff :-) It's... 

 georeiser Says:  Cotonou is said to be a dangerous city. Even though I didn't experince any trouble, there are some areas in Cotonou you should avoid. The Plakodji area close to the beach is a place where even locals avoid. Also the harbour area (1 km to the west) is also dangerous. The big... 

 georeiser Says:   The Beach road, Boulevard de la Marina, goes all the way from the airport on the western side of Cotonou to the Plakodji area on the eastern side of the city. The western part of the road is nice with official buildings, hotels, private residences and gardens. The eastern...