Istanbul – Cotonou flights on monthly payments

When to visit Cotonou

November to February is the dry season and the easiest period, with daytime temperatures of 30C to 33C, low humidity and, in December and January, the harmattan wind from the Sahara that makes the air hazy but cooler. April to July is the long rainy season with June the wettest month; August brings a short dry break and September to October the second rains. Temperatures never fall below 27C and the sea is warm all year.

Things to do in Cotonou

Dantokpa Market

Spreading over 20 hectares on the bank of the Lake Nokoué channel, the market is among the largest open markets in West Africa and tens of thousands of people shop here each day. There are sections for cloth, spices, electronics and live animals; the best known corner is the fetish section where Vodun ritual goods are sold. Go early in the morning and carry bags in front of you.

Ganvié Stilt Village

Built on stilts in the middle of Lake Nokoué, the village of more than 20,000 people was founded in the 17th century by the Tofinu people as a refuge from slave raiders, whose Fon warriors were forbidden by their beliefs to enter water. Every building, including the school, the market and the mosque, stands over the water and transport is by canoe. Boats leave from the Abomey-Calavi jetty 20 kilometres north of the centre, and the trip takes three hours in all.

Zinsou Foundation

Opened in 2005, the foundation was among the first private institutions created to show contemporary African art in Africa, and its exhibition space in Cotonou is free. The masks made from plastic jerrycans by the Beninese artist Romuald Hazoumè are the best known pieces in the collection. The foundation's museum in Ouidah occupies Villa Ajavon, an Afro-Brazilian style mansion of 1922.

Door of No Return, Ouidah

Ouidah, 40 kilometres west of Cotonou, was one of the largest ports of the Atlantic slave trade between the 17th and 19th centuries. The four kilometre Slave Route down from the town to the shore, with stops such as the tree of forgetting, ends at the concrete memorial arch raised on the beach in 1995. Reliefs and sculptures along the way tell the history, and a morning visit is cooler.

Temple of Pythons, Ouidah

In the centre of Ouidah, directly opposite the basilica of 1909, the small temple houses dozens of royal pythons; the snake is sacred in the town's Vodun belief and the temple lets visitors take one on their shoulders. The church and the temple standing face to face is the best known image of faiths living side by side in Benin. The visit takes half an hour.

The Amazon Monument

The 30 metre bronze statue unveiled in 2022 on the seafront Marina boulevard represents the all female warrior regiments of the 19th century Kingdom of Dahomey, the Agodjie whom Europeans called the Amazons, and has become the new emblem of the city. The wide square in front fills in the late afternoon for walks and photographs, and the Fidjrossè beach beside it is lined with open air restaurants grilling fish. The surf of the Gulf of Guinea is strong, so the marked sections are used for swimming.

Which city is cheaper to fly to Cotonou from?

Departing from Izmir is the cheapest option for this destination: 51,400 TL in October. Each price below is the floor for that origin’s own best month; click a price and the search opens with that origin and date.

Airlines on the Istanbul – Cotonou route

Türk Hava Yolları flies Istanbul – Cotonou direct. Suso pulls live flights through Google Flights; pick the best option and spread the cost over monthly payments.

About Cotonou

Cotonou is a popular route for Benin (Africa). For more travel guidance, when to go and things to do, see our Cotonou destination page.

Istanbul – Cotonou FAQ