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the best way in the country is to rent a car or travel by BUS the collectif CARS are cheapin the town you may use ZEM , motorcycle with driver in yelloow coat. it is very cheap but you must negotiate before the ride, and they drive quite dangerouslybut if you are 2 or 4, it is a great FUN for they like to run a race !!!MAP of the countries....
The best way to get to Republique du Benin is fly direct from Paris CDG with Air France. You could also fly to Lome in Togo and go overland.The coastal towns of Cotonou, the largest town in Benin and Ouidah and the run down capital of Porto Novo are all easily reached by public transportation.As I was on a special project, rented a four wheel drive and that made the travel much easier.
The easiest way to get to Benin is to fly there. There are direct flights from several cities in Europe as well as from other african countries. I took the direct flight from Paris to Cotonou. I went from Benin to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso by taxi. It took about 17 hours or so but was not expensive. In order to get around in Benin alot of people use socalled bush taxis. Thats taxis that wait until full of people (Too full in some cases !) and then leave for a special destination. There are plenty of motorbikes in Cotonou and all over the country. My friend Luc also had a motorbike so we travel around in Cotonou on it. When we went out of town we hired a taxi. There are also trains in Benin but I did not try them. PHOTO: LUC ON HIS MORTORBIKE IN CENTRAL COTONOU.
I recommend flying through Europe (France or Belgium) into the Cotonou Airport. Do not take an African airline (Air Afrique - bad), unless it is Ethiopian Air. I get my round-trip tickets for about $1,400 dollars (but I recieve a discount). Go through a travel agent.There are really only two modes of transportation. First, there are the taxis. I recomend using these if at all possible. You should be able to get from one side of Cotonou to the other for about 300-450 francs. You will need to barder. If one breaks down while you are in it, do not feel bad about walking off and finding another one.The other mode are motos called zimi's (or zimizan). These are generally cheaper, but much more dangerous. The are 'eternally optimistic' and drive very crazy. I have a friend who saw a man fall off the back of one and get his head run over by a truck. So. . . travel at your own risk. Some times...
The road from the Togo-Benin border to Cotonou takes you through different landscapes like jungle, along the beach and you drive through many villages. It takes 3-4 hours to drive.
Mototaxis (zimijeans) are available in every town.In the smaller towns its almost the only way to move around.Price:50-1000 CFAFor all day starting 2500-3000 CFA
bushtaxi:Cotonou-Ouidah 500 CFACotonou-Abomey 1500 CFACotonou-Dassa 2500-3000 CFA
Roads in Benin are decent for most vehicles. Beware of the occasional slow cars/bikes/scooters. Lots of pedestrians on the sides of roads/highways. Sturdy car or jeep/SUV.
Novotel Orisha Cotonou (Bld De La Marina.) Cotonou
52 Opinions
Hotel du Lac Cotonou
1 Review and 23 Opinions This lovely hotel sits on the edge of the Lagoon and my room overlooked it quite literally – the...
Ibis Cotonou Cotonou
1 Review and 26 Opinions Hotel Ibis Cotonou in Boulevard de la Marina is the cheaper alternative if you can not afford to...
Reviews and photos of Benin attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Benin sightseeing.
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Q: I shall be travelling through Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso very soon. Any advice on what I should or should not wear...
A: Hi I am assuming from your VT name that you don't usually favour skimpy clothing? Well, just in case I am mistaken, this is not the part of the world to venture out in...
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