Fidjrossè & Route des Pêches (19)

Fidjrossè, a coastal district on the western edge of Cotonou, Benin, marks the starting point of the Route des Pêches, a coastal road linking the economic capital to Ouidah over roughly 40 kilometers. Running between the Atlantic Ocean and a string of lagoons fringed with coconut palms, the route follows former sandy tracks progressively paved since 2014 under a tourism development project advanced during Patrice Talon's presidency. Fidjrossè, a well-off district home to Cardinal Bernardin Gantin International Airport, gives way to fishing villages, vodun temples such as the one at Adjahouta, and emerging resort areas like Avlékété. Every year in late August, the popular "Route des Pêches à la Marche" walk covers 32 kilometers of this coastline. 

Ganhi Market (14)

At the heart of Cotonou, Ganhi market reopened in December 2024 after a complete reconstruction. Once the city's ageing, poorly ventilated fruit and vegetable trading hub, it has given way to an architectural complex designed by Arte Charpentier, in partnership with Beninese firm CASA A ARCHI. The 7,200-square-metre building spans two storeys beneath an umbrella-shaped steel roof structure, designed to optimise natural ventilation and daylight throughout the market. Its locally produced bricks host around 700 stalls for food trading, handicrafts and textiles. It is part of Benin's nationwide programme of 35 urban and regional markets, which also covers Porto-Novo, Abomey, Djougou and Parakou. 

Jardin de l'Amazone (18)

Across Boulevard de la Marina from the Amazon Monument lies the Jardin de l'Amazone, also known as the Jardin de l'Esplanade. It is part of the broad urban and landscape redevelopment programme launched by the government along the boulevard, alongside the Esplanade des Amazones, Independence Square and the Champ de Foire. Lawns, paved paths, oleander beds and concrete poles form this public green space, steps from the Presidential Palace, whose flag dominates the skyline. A place for rest, it draws walkers, picnicking families and joggers, with a clear view toward the distant Amazon silhouette. It reflects President Patrice Talon's push to showcase Cotonou's tourism heritage. 

Le marché des arts de Cotonou (11)

The Marché des arts de Cotonou, in Benin, is a commercial site laid out in the Gbegamey neighbourhood, along the former railway line, opposite the Bourse du Travail. Opened in 2023, it relocates artisans and traders from the Centre de promotion de l'artisanat (CPA), whose former site closed in 2022 as part of a national programme to renovate urban markets led by the Beninese government. Around a hundred stalls, their rooflines edged with a red fascia band, sell wood carvings, ritual masks, bead and brass jewellery, printed wax fabric and hand-woven, hand-dyed cloth, traditional instruments, leather goods and basketry. The site combines craft production with direct sales, in direct contact with visitors from across Benin. 

Notre-Dame-de-Miséricorde Cathedral (7)

Recognisable by its red-and-white striped ceramic-tile walls near the Ancien Pont bridge, Notre-Dame-de-Miséricorde is Cotonou's principal Catholic sanctuary. Construction began in 1912 and was completed in 1935 through the efforts of Father Colineaux, followed by a solemn blessing on 8 December 1938 by Bishop Louis Parisot; no architect is formally documented for the building. Its triple-nave basilical plan, without a Latin-cross layout, links it to early Christian sanctuaries. As the mother church of the Archdiocese of Cotonou, founded in 1955, it marked the archdiocese's 70th-anniversary jubilee in 2025. Inside, the nave features white-and-blue colonnades and a trompe-l'œil fresco adorning the choir. 

The Amazon monument (31)

On the Esplanade des Amazones, boulevard de la Marina in Cotonou, stands the Amazon Monument, a metal-framed statue clad in bronze, 30 metres high and weighing around 150 tonnes, making it the second-tallest statue in Africa. The work honours the Agoodjié, an all-female military regiment of the kingdom of Danxomè, created under Queen Tassi Hangbé (1708-1711) and later restructured by King Guézo. Designed by Chinese sculptor Li Xiangqun, it was approved by the Council of Ministers in July 2019 and unveiled on 30 July 2022 by President Patrice Talon, marking Benin's 62nd independence anniversary. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the monument has become a strong symbol of the country's visual identity. 

The Barakah airplane (31)

On Cadjéhoun beach in Cotonou lies the wreck of a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar named "Barakah." Built in the late 1970s, the aircraft flew successively for All Nippon Airways, Rich International Airlines, Kampuchea Airlines and Sierra Leonean carrier Air Rum, which used it for Hajj pilgrimage charter flights to Mecca. Left stranded at Cotonou airport after Air Rum's collapse in 2008, it remained there for several years, until 2015, when a Beninese businessman bought it and had it towed roughly 400 metres across the road to the beach, intending to turn the fuselage into a restaurant. Now a well-known tourist curiosity, the wreck draws walkers, vendors and photographers along Cotonou's coastline. 

The Bio Guéra statue (7)

Erected at the Erevan roundabout in Cotonou, the equestrian statue of Bio Guéra honours this Wasangari prince, born in 1856 in the village of Gbaasi in northern Benin. A formidable war chief, he led the resistance of the Wasangari, Boo, Fulani and Baatonu peoples against French colonial conquest, fighting the head tax, forced labour and loss of freedom, before falling in combat on 17 December 1916. Unveiled on 30 July 2022 for Benin's 62nd independence anniversary, the copper-cast work mounted on a steel frame measures 10 metres in length and 7 metres in height, weighing 13 tonnes. It first stood at the airport roundabout before being relocated to its current site overlooking the boulevard. 

The Red Star Square (9)

Built by Soviets between 1975 and 1977, Red Star Square symbolizes Benin's 1974 Marxist-Leninist commitment. This vast roundabout in central Cotonou features a towering statue - called Jacob by locals - holding rifle, bundle of wood, and hoe, representing the military, people's energy, and agriculture. Once restricted to revolutionary ceremonies, the square has transformed into the city's social hub where athletes, families, and visitors converge.