Benin international travel guide in 2023

Benin 🇧🇯

Last updated: February 26, 2023

Benin is part of Africa with main city at Porto Novo. It's usually 🌤️ 30.24 °C in Benin with a rainfall of 🌧 34.33 mm. Internet speed in Benin is on average 1.1 Mbps. In Benin you drive on the right side. Its Least Developed country with a population of 11M people. The main currency is West African CFA franc. The languages spoken are French. Automatic teller machines are rare in Benin. Current travel safety advice is Exercise a high degree of caution. Get other useful information like socket plugs, SIM cards and emergency numbers.

👍 Least Developed 🌤️ ~30.24 °C 🌧 ~34.33 mm 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 11M people

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Advice

🛡️ Travel safety

Exercise a high degree of caution

We've reviewed our advice for Benin. We haven't changed the overall level, exercise a high degree of caution. Some areas have an increased risk and we have raised the level of advice. We advise: Exercise a high degree of caution in Benin overall due to the high levels of violent and petty crime. Higher levels apply in some areas.

Issue date: July 20, 2022

Weather

🌤️ Temperature

🌧 Rainfall

General

🔌 Sockets

Benin uses 220V, 50Hz with sockets and plugs Type C and Type E.

🌐 Languages

The languages that are typically spoken are French

Money

💱 Currencies Used

Benin uses the West African CFA franc (symbol: Fr), code XOF.Banknotes come in denominations of 10000, 5000, 2000, 1000 and 500 francs. Franc is subdivided into 100 centimes. Coins come in denominations of 500, 250, 200, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 francs.

🏧 ATMs

Automatic teller machines are rare in Benin. Your best bet is to look for them in large cities and community places.You do not need a chip & PIN card to use an ATM — your standard magnetic card will work fine.

Calling

📡 Internet

Internet speed in Benin is on average 1.1 Mbps. WiFi coverage in Benin is very low. It's quite hard to find one.

📱 Phones

You can buy a SIM card for about 7,902.62 XOF, which includes 1 GB of data plan. You can choose from 4 telecoms: BBcom, Glo, MTN or Moov. Benin uses GSM mobile networks GSM 900 and GSM 1800. If you don't want to buy SIM card in Benin upon arrival, make sure to check the roaming charges with your telecom provider before your departure so there are no surprises when you return home.

📞 Calling

To call Benin, dial +, then 229 (the country code for Benin), then the area code and the local number. For local calls within Benin, start with the area code. In the case above area code is 22 .

Driving

🛣️ Road rules

In Benin you drive on the right side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick). Unless otherwise posted, the speed limits for cars and motorcycles are as follows: 50 km/h (31 mph) in all built-up areas, 90 km/h (55 mph) on undivided highways, 90 km/h (55 mph) on motorways and 90 km/h (55 mph) on expressways.

Benin travel details

It's important to consider getting travel medical insurance to ensure you're covered in case of unexpected medical emergencies. For just $42, you can get coverage for 4 weeks, providing peace of mind and financial protection while you're away from home.

Stay in Benin

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