Benin Travel Bucket List

Visit Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin. Explore the Musée Honmé (former royal palace of King Toffa, now a museum showcasing Fon history and artifacts), see the Grand Mosque (a striking Brazilian-style building reflecting Afro-Brazilian heritage), and stroll through the Marché Dantokpa (one of West Africa's largest open-air markets, known for textiles, crafts, and local produce).

Explore royal palaces, voodoo traditions, and palm-lined coast of Benin

Visit Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. Explore the vibrant Dantokpa Market (one of West Africa's largest open-air markets, known for textiles and crafts), see the Fondation Zinsou (contemporary African art museum in a colonial villa), and stroll along the Cotonou Beach (a lively stretch with local food stalls and views of the Atlantic Ocean).

The Python Temple and the Route des Esclaves to the beach, the birthplace of voodoo.

The royal palaces of the Dahomey kings, their bas-reliefs and the story of the Amazon warriors.

"Venice of Africa" — a whole town on stilts in Lake Nokoue.

Memorial arch on the beach where enslaved people were forced onto ships.

Earthen palaces of the kings of Dahomey, a UNESCO site.