Hostels in Benin Hostels in Benin

You are looking for hostels in Benin? Good news, you have come to the right place.

On this page we list every single city with hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostelz.com helps you to find your Benin hostel and compare its prices on the major booking sites such as Hostelworld, Hostelsclub and Booking.com. So you can sleep on a budget and save money while backpacking Benin.

All Cities in Benin

We list every single hostel in Benin and the world. In total, we have 1 cities in Benin for you. Please note that not all cities actually have a hostel to stay in. Below you can filter for cities with hostels and with no hostels-type accommodation, but guesthouses and budget hotels. This will help your planning.

All Benin hostels on a map

Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.

Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in Benin. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.

Our handwritten guide on Backpacking Benin

Benin is a country in West Africa. It is on the coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea, to the south and bordered by Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. It was a French colony from the 19th century until 1960. In 1960, Benin, as French Dahomey, gained independence from the French but became a Marxist state until the 1990s. In 1991, the Republic of Benin was founded as a multi-party system.

The capital of Benin is Porto Novo, but the government centre, largest city and economic centre is in Cotonou, on the south coast. The majority of the population live near the coastline of the Bight of Benin. The international airport is Cadjehoun Airport in Cotonou; it has daily flights to the African cities of Ougadougou, Lome, Monrovia, Accra, Lagos, and Douala. There are also direct flights to Paris, Brussels, and Istanbul. The transportation infrastructure in Benin is good; there is are paved highways that connects Benin to Niger in the north, Nigeria in the east, and Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast to the west. There are over 5,000km of unpaved road.

Climate in Benin is sub-Saharan. This means that it tends to be hot and humid. Benin has two hot seasons and two rainy seasons. The main rainy season is from April to July, and there is a shorter rainy period from late September to November. The average temperature year-round is between 24-31 degrees Celcius. Benin also experiences the Harmattan, the dry wind from the Sahara. This happens in December.

The currency in Benin is the CFA Franc. Agriculture is the main industry, with cotton being the main export and accounts for 40% of the GDP. Benin has one of the most stable West African economies, helped mainly by the fact that the seaport at Cotonou enables trade and transportation to other West African countries. It is also one of the safest countries in West Africa to travel to. President Yahi championed a successful fight against corruption and terrorism that has seen tourism numbers rise - and sources say they will continue to rise. Tourism is now a key focus in Benin’s economic growth plans.

Travellers keen to visit Benin should be aware that travelling in West Africa is different than travelling anywhere else. There are few European-style hostels in the country, and those few hostels will be in the main city of Cotonou or in a more populated region like the coastal cities. In more remote places, instead of hostels travellers should look for hotels or even guesthouses. Keep in mind that hotels and other accommodation in Africa tends to be very basic and maybe not what you are used to.

Once you have your accommodation in Benin sorted, explore this unique and vibrant country. Benin is known for its rich literature and oral history traditions. Music and drumming is another creative outlet and exciting to watch. French is the official language in Benin, as it is in most other former French colonies on the western coast of Africa, but you will hear other regional dialects like Fon, Yoruba, and Dendi. Travellers that are interested in the outdoors will be keen to visit the Pendjari and Reserve du W du Niger parks, where you can see untouched landscapes and wild savannah animals like rhinos, hippos, lions, and elephants. In Atakora, the country’s most mountainous region, you can go for short hikes and explore the majestic Kota Waterfalls. In general, the country is not overly mountainous, but the landscape is like no other.

expert for Benin hostels

Handwritten by local expert for Benin hostels Jakob Lombardi

Travel Tips for Benin - from the Community

Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking Benin. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Benin. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!

FAQ on Hostels in Benin

There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:

Finding Hostels and Prices

What hostel booking sites are best to use?

There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.

This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.

For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.

How much are hostels in Benin?

Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.

You can search for exacty hostel prices in Benin here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.

When to book hostels?

If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.

We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.

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Safety and Packing

Are hostels in Benin safe?

Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.

What to pack when staying in hostels?

There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.

  1. Padlock
  2. Earplugs
  3. Sleeping Mask
  4. Quick Dry Travel Towel
  5. Head Lamp

There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.

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