Benin itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Match the trip length to the region, not to the number of sights. The south is compact and paved; the north is a long haul with a security question attached.

This is the itinerary most first-time visitors should book. Fly into Cotonou, spend two nights there to shake off the flight and see Dantokpa market and the Fondation Zinsou, then move west.

Ouidah takes two nights: the Python Temple, the Sacred Forest of Kpassè and the walk out to the Door of No Return are best split over a morning and an afternoon, and the town slows down after dark in a way Cotonou does not. From Ouidah, Abomey is a half-day drive north; two nights there let you see the UNESCO royal palaces unhurried and still have time for the craft workshops.

Finish with one night back in Cotonou before your flight. Ganvié and Porto-Novo fit as day trips from Cotonou at either end — Ganvié early morning by boat from Abomey-Calavi, Porto-Novo as a half-day for the Afro-Brazilian houses and the Musée da Silva.

With a second week, the coast opens up. Add Grand-Popo for two nights of beach and lagoon, and Possotomè on Lake Ahémé for village boat trips and a slower pace. The order that works is Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Ouidah, Grand-Popo, Possotomè, Abomey, Cotonou — you end near the airport instead of doubling back.

The 14-day version crosses into Togo on the coast road: Grand-Popo to Lomé is a short border hop, then Kpalimé in the hills for three nights of waterfalls and walking, and a final night in Lomé to fly out. Get the Togo e-visa before you travel rather than at the border, and keep a spare day for the crossing.

Three weeks is enough to reach the Atakora, but the north carries travel advisories and the decision is not only about time. Check your government's current advice and the situation on the ground before you commit; if it is clear, the route runs north through Dassa-Zoumé for the hills and pilgrimage site, then on to Natitingou as a base for the Tata Somba houses and the Pendjari area.

Build the north as a separate block of five to seven nights with its own buffer, and keep the southern loop intact at the start so a change of plan does not wreck the whole trip. If the advice is unfavourable, spend the third week on a slower southern version instead: more nights in Grand-Popo and Possotomè, a proper stay in Porto-Novo, and day trips you skipped the first time.

Distances in the south are short but slow: allow half a day for Cotonou to Abomey and a full day for anything involving the north road. A car with a driver costs more than shared taxis but saves hours and lets you stop at the sights between towns. Shared taxis and bush taxis run the paved southern corridors frequently and are the cheap option.

Book the e-visa and carry a yellow-fever certificate before you fly; both are checked. Carry cash in CFA francs — cards work in Cotonou hotels and some restaurants, but not at markets, and ATMs outside the cities are unreliable. Tipping is modest and informal.

Time the trip for the dry season, November to March. Early January is the exception worth planning around: Vodun Days in Ouidah fills hotels, so book ahead or avoid the dates deliberately.