# Things to Do in Cotonou & Ouidah

> Visit the Ouidah Slave Route, take city tours and book excursions through Benin Royal Hotel. Activities, transport and tickets.

Canonical: https://www.beninroyalhotel.com/en/activities
Language: en

### Cotonou City Tour

![Cotonou City Tour](https://www.beninroyalhotel.com/images/activity-city-tour.jpg)

Immerse yourself in the rhythms of West Africa's most energetic city. Your guide leads you through the organised chaos of Dantokpa Market — one of the largest open-air markets on the continent — before winding through colonial-era streets to the waterfront. This is Cotonou unfiltered: colour, commerce, faith and daily life woven into every block.

- Duration: Half day
- Departure: 8:00 AM

- Dantokpa Market — West Africa's largest open-air market
- Cathedral of Notre-Dame des Apôtres
- The Old Port and Cotonou waterfront
- Fondation Zinsou contemporary art museum
- Local street food tastings with your guide

Included: Expert local guide; Hotel pickup and drop-off; Bottled water.

### Historical Slave Route

![Historical Slave Route](https://www.beninroyalhotel.com/images/activity-slave-route.jpg)

One of the most significant journeys in West Africa. The route from Abomey to Ouidah traces the path walked by enslaved men, women and children before they were shipped across the Atlantic. The Door of No Return stands at the edge of the sea — a monument both devastating and necessary. Your guide provides historical context that brings this chapter of human history into full, sobering relief.

- Duration: Full day
- Departure: 7:30 AM

- Ouidah — the historic slave-trading port city
- The Door of No Return monument on the Atlantic shore
- Ouidah Historical Museum (former Portuguese fort)
- The Python Temple of Ouidah
- The Route des Esclaves — the 4km memorial road

Included: Expert historian guide; Hotel pickup and drop-off; Lunch included; Bottled water; Museum entry fees.

### Art & Crafts Village

![Art & Crafts Village](https://www.beninroyalhotel.com/images/activity-crafts.jpg)

Step into the workshops of Cotonou's most celebrated artisans. You will watch potters shape clay using techniques unchanged for generations, see weavers produce the vivid kente-style cloth that fills the city's markets, and speak with painters whose work references Vodun symbolism and Beninese royal iconography. Small quantities of exceptional pieces are available to purchase directly from the makers.

- Duration: 3 hours
- Departure: 9:00 AM

- Traditional pottery and clay workshop demonstrations
- Kente-style textile weaving — meet the weavers
- Painting studios: Vodun symbolism and royal iconography
- Bronze casting in the lost-wax tradition
- Direct purchase from artisans — no market markup

Included: Art specialist guide; Hotel pickup and drop-off; Bottled water.