Port of Cotonou to Ganhi and Dantokpa: A Map of Central Cotonou

Most newcomers meet Cotonou in pieces: a ride from the port, a meeting in Ganhi, a shopping trip to Dantokpa. They never see how the pieces fit, so every trip feels like starting from zero.

The centre is easier than it looks. The port, Ganhi and Dantokpa sit close together along the coast and the lagoon channel, tied by a few big roads and two bridges. This guide walks you through them in order, with distances from the Port Autonome de Cotonou page on Ceety Boy, which shows the road route from four landmarks.

The port is often called the lung of Benin's economy. It was created on 31 December 1964, it is the country's only seaport, and it carries around 90 % of Benin's trade with the outside world. Since January 2018 its management has been delegated to the Port of Antwerp. It also serves countries inland, Niger above all.

It sits on the coast near the Gbéto neighbourhood. Road distances, according to Ceety Boy's route data:

• from the Institut Français du Bénin: about 3.7 km, via Avenue Pape Jean-Paul II;

• from the Centre de Promotion de l'Artisanat: about 3.9 km, via Boulevard Saint-Michel;

• from the Mosquée de Zongo: about 4.1 km, via Rue des Missions and Boulevard de la Marina.

Near the port, in the Jardins de Mathieu, stands the Monument aux Dévoués, a fifteen-metre black granite obelisk with a gold tip. It is a good landmark to give a driver.

Used cars imported into Benin arrive here, by roll-on/roll-off ship or in containers. After leaving the port, imported cars can go to sale yards (parcs de vente) that Benin Customs treats as customs warehouses and clearance areas (a 2022 customs rule).

Two things before you go further. First, we have not verified where today's sale yards are, so ask your dealer or clearing agent and check on a map before you travel. Second, and more important: Nigeria bans vehicle imports through its land borders, including Seme, and the ban is in force. A car bought in Cotonou is for use in Benin. For buying and owning a car here, see our cars in Benin section and the cheap cars in Cotonou guide.

Boulevard de la Marina runs along the seafront. It links the port side with the Palais de la Marina and the Esplanade des Amazones, where the Amazon statue stands. Turning inland brings you to Ganhi.

Ganhi is the old commercial heart of Cotonou. Its name comes from Ganhitô, "near the iron market". It was here, at the trading post where the cathedral now stands, that the village of Kutònu began around 1830. Today Ganhi mixes offices, banks, hotels and old colonial trading houses. Ceety Boy counts 128 checked places around it, including 9 banks and 11 hotels.

What to look for:

• Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Miséricorde, with its burgundy-and-white striped tiles, about 210 metres from the heart of Ganhi.

• The new Ganhi market, rebuilt and inaugurated on 7 December 2024, with 509 selling spaces.

• The seated golden figure on a green octagonal plinth, on the boulevard median next to the market.

See it on the map: Ganhi on Ceety Boy, with every checked place nearby and the road route to each.

Cotonou is cut in two by a channel, the lagoon. The old commercial town sits on the west bank. Akpakpa and the older villages are on the east. Three bridges cross the channel.

Two matter for this trip. The Ancien Pont (the "old bridge") is about 430 metres from the cathedral, near Ganhi. The Pont Martin Luther King is the one next to Dantokpa: the market is about 460 metres from it. Place Lénine, on the Akpakpa side, is about 1.4 km by road from the Martin Luther King bridge.

Dantokpa, or Tokpa, sits by the channel next to the Martin Luther King bridge. Coming from Akpakpa, you cross that bridge to reach it. Its name means "near the river of Dan". By road it is about 2.1 km from Fondation Zinsou, 2.8 km from Place Lénine via the Martin Luther King bridge, and 3.1 km from the Ancien Pont.

Know this before you go: Dantokpa is in the middle of a move. In March 2026 the national markets agency (ANaGeM) set dates for part of its traders to move to Tokpa Yôyô, a new gallery next to the Général Mathieu Kérékou stadium in Kouhounou, and food wholesalers to Tokpa Daho in Akassato, Abomey-Calavi. Tokpa Yôyô is for textiles, leather goods, cosmetics and jewellery. In June 2026 the agency said its 1,400 places were not enough for about 4,000 traders, and in July the government cut the monthly fees in the new markets. Part of the trade still happens around the old site.

The practical rule: if you are going for one specific thing, call your trader first and ask where they sell today.

1. The coast: port, Boulevard de la Marina, Amazon statue.

2. Inland from the coast: Ganhi, the cathedral, the new market.

3. The channel: Ancien Pont near Ganhi, Martin Luther King bridge near Dantokpa.

4. Across the channel: Akpakpa and Place Lénine.

With those four lines in your head, most directions in the centre will make sense. For what to see once you know your way, read our guide to tourist attraction sites in Cotonou.

Where is the Port of Cotonou?
On the coast near the Gbéto neighbourhood, about 3.7 km by road from the Institut Français du Bénin.

Is Dantokpa market moving?
Partly. Since 2026, textile, leather, cosmetics and jewellery traders are being moved to Tokpa Yôyô in Kouhounou and food wholesalers to Tokpa Daho in Akassato. The move is not finished, and some trade continues at the old site.

What is Ganhi known for?
It is Cotonou's old commercial centre: banks, offices, hotels, the cathedral and the rebuilt Ganhi market, opened in December 2024.

Which bridge goes to Dantokpa?
The Pont Martin Luther King. The market is about 460 metres from it.

Can I buy a car at the Port of Cotonou and drive it to Nigeria?
No. Nigeria bans vehicle imports through land borders, and the ban is in force.

See the drive before you make it: Ceety Boy lets you preview drives across central Cotonou in 3D. The phone version is a tester build and a heavy download, so open it on Wi-Fi.