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Benin travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Ganvie
Ganvie. Photo: jbdodane, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6h 30mflight from London
West African CFA franccurrency
Apply onlinefor UK passports
Type C, Eplugs

Stilt villages, royal palaces and the birthplace of voodoo

Don't miss

  1. Ganvié
  2. Ouidah
  3. Royal Palaces of Abomey
Good forCultureHistory & ruins

Best time to visit Benin from the UK

Best value: Mar, Oct. Nov–Mar; check FCDO advice for the north. Busiest and priciest: Nov–Feb.

26.5 C26°J27.5 C28°F27.8 C28°M27.5 C28°A27.1 C27°M26 C26°J25.1 C25°J24.7 C25°A25.3 C25°S26 C26°O26.8 C27°N26.8 C27°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Cotonou, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Cotonou for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: March and OctoberThe warmest of the best-value months (26–28°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Nov–FebUsually 26–28°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Apr–SepAround 25–28°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: March (28°C) · coolest: August (25°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
26.527.527.827.527.12625.124.725.32626.826.8

Festivals and events

  • Vodun Days Jan · Ouidah
  • Gelede masks Year-round · Southern villages

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 6h 30m
Distance
5,019 km
Main airport
COO

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Benin to your bucket list Search flights to COO

Practical info and travel guidance

West African CFA francCapital: Porto-Novo
Type C, E · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
117
EmergencyAmbulance 118
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against travel to parts of BeninCheck which areas before you book.
  • VisaApply online before you goeVisa before you travel
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal, but attitudes can be conservativePublic affection may draw attention.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Benin, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 15 December 2025. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Benin before you book and again before you go.

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