Related Benin Favorites Tips

Fondest memory: All tourists need a Benin visa. But you can also get a 48 hours transit visa at the border for 12000 CFA (17 USD). Once in Cotonou you will have to visit immigration and once again apply, and pay yet again the same amount for an extended visa which can take up to two days to process, valid for 30 days. Visa on arrival is not possible at the airport.

The immigration officers at the Togo-Benin border work very slow, so expect more than 30 minutes handling for the visa. That could be too much if the car is waiting for you on the other side. I got the visa in advance, so the hole process took about 10 minutes. In addition I had to show a yellow fever certificate.

When I left Benin, after the immigration service at Cotonou airport, a policeman checked my passport again for the Benin visa. He was only interested in my visa and didn't look at the entry/exit stamp. It is well known that some tourists only have a 48 hours transit visa and take the chance of exceed the time with some hours. Do not exceed the time on the visa!

Fondest memory: .
Visa: Visa on arrival when you cross the borders by land will be issued for only 48 hours stay. There are some hassle to get the visa, and the process may take some time. This can be a problem if the bus have to wait for you at the border. The price is 12000 CFA (15 USD). Note that visa on arrival is not possible at the airport.
Mobil phone: Good roaming. Prepaid local SIM cards are very cheap.
ATM: Many ATM's in Cotonou. Skimming and scam can be a problem.
Recommended language: French.
Infrastructure: Very poor, but OK in the centre of Cotonou.
Friendliness by the people: A little bit pushy behavior. High class people in Cotonou.
Attention by Police/military: The police are very corrupt. Roadblocks and bribes are the rule. Drivers must expect to pay 500-2000 CFA each time they are stopped by the police.
Crime: Benin is said to be a dangerous country. Many people are poor, so be aware of walking alone in the streets at night or at the beach. However I didn't have any problems.
Rainy period: June, July and August.
Price level: More expensive than Togo. The price level is about the same as Ghana.
Airport departure tax: Nothing to pay at Cotonou airport.

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Fondest memory: When traveling overland with bus or car you have to get off at Aneho bus station in Togo and walk the 300 meters to the border of Benin. The car will wait for you at the other side of of the border. IMPORTANT: Take notice of the car you are driving and get the registration number, color and what type of car it is, because you are in a stressful situation and there are a lot of cars waiting on the other side of the border.

Don't follow the africans when you are walking towards the benin border because they don't need all the paper work as you have to do. First you need to get the Togo exit stamp in the left building before you cross the border. Just fill out the exit-declaration form and give it to the Togo immigration officer. Then you walk to the Benin immigration on the right side after the border. You need a Benin visa, but you can also get a 48 hours transit visa at the border. Note that the Benin immigration officers work very slow, so expect more than 30 minutes handling. That could be too much if the car is waiting for you on the other side. I got the visa in advance, so the immigration process took 10 minutes.

Favorite thing: At the border with Togo we could get easily a transit visa for 48 hours to enter Benin
(20$). For the extension of the visa we had to go to the Immigration Office of the Ministry of Interior in Cotonou (Avenue Jean Paul II).
Before 11 am you have to bring the application form and to pay 12.000 CFA (about 25 $). And in the morning they tell you, that at 6 pm you can collect your new visa for 30 days.
We arrived a bit before 6 pm. We couldn't get our visa and got even the message that the counter would be closed in a few minutes, so we had to come back next monday, after the weekend.
At 6 pm more and more people arrived to collect their visa and we all waited for the things to come.
Surprise ..... at 6.45 pm the counter opened again and everybody got his/ her visa.

Favorite thing: The most curious object I found at the side walks of the Avenue Steinmetz was a mirror.
The mirror showed the image of the president and the text " SE le General Mathion Kerekou, President de la Republique du Benin, Chef de l'Etat"
i wonder, who will hang this mirror in his house or office. It gave me the chance to make a picture of myself in the mirror watched by the president.

Favorite thing: The Avenue Clozel in the heart of the citycentre of Cotonou has a lot of shops, streetstalls and also some restaurants and exchange offices.
I enjoyed the many streetstalls, especially the creative way they display their products.

Favorite thing: We spent one day in Cotonou and walked mainly around in the citycentre.
In the Fon language the meaning of Cotonou, founded in 1830, is ''mouth of the river of death''.
Allthough Cotonou is one of the biggest cities in Benin, it has at many places a laid-back atmosphere. So many of the side streets of the Avenue Steinmetz in the heart of the town are unpaved. It gives the feeling to be in a small town somerwhere in the countryside.

Favorite thing: I liked to stroll around at the African markets, so I did at the market in Ouidah, having a look at the local products.
In this market at the day/moment of my visit many stalls were empty, so it was hard to find enough vegetables for preparing the evening meal. Only these chickens were waiting for their fate.