Attend an ancestral ceremony in a royal palace, enjoy a spa and its healing clay in the heart of the mangroves, have a home-cooked lunch thanks to the chefs in the restaurant’s kitchen, spend hours in a hair salon, drape a python around your neck, visit a flooded forest by pirogue, dine in a contemporary art museum, watch ghosts dance to the rhythms of talking drums, and admire the most beautiful sunset in Cotonou.

Attend an ancestral ceremony in a royal palace, enjoy a spa and its healing clay in the heart of the mangroves, have a home-cooked lunch thanks to the chefs in the restaurant’s kitchen, spend hours in a hair salon, drape a python around your neck, visit a flooded forest by pirogue, dine in a contemporary art museum, watch ghosts dance to the rhythms of talking drums, and admire the most beautiful sunset in Cotonou. Hidden hotels, outstanding restaurants, secret bars, off-the-radar strolls ... In this guide you’ll find a carefully curated, eclectic selection for every budget. Designed for both travellers and locals, it reveals handpicked addresses chosen by local writers – each place a gateway to discovery, far from the crowds and off the beaten path. A fresh take on the art of travel.