Dantokpa Market, Open-air market in Cotonou, Benin.
Dantokpa Market is an open-air market in Cotonou featuring a multi-story main building surrounded by numerous trading stalls and huts along a waterfront location. The layout organizes different merchandise zones where sellers and buyers conduct their daily commerce.
The market was established in 1963 and later grew into one of West Africa's largest commercial centers. Over time, the location became a major economic hub connecting traders across the region.
Women lead most trading activities here, offering everything from fresh produce and textiles to traditional medicines and ceremonial items that reflect local daily practices.
Merchants and customers reach the market by both land and water routes, with many boats docking directly at the waterfront. The different arrival options make it easy to explore the site on foot or by water transport.
The site operates as a self-contained economic system where roughly one million daily visitors engage in trade. This volume and the specialized trading zones create something like a city within the city.
Location: Cotonou
Inception: 1963
GPS coordinates: 6.37299,2.43506
Latest update: December 6, 2025 16:04
Benin brings together centuries of history with landscapes that shift from the Atlantic coast to protected wilderness areas inland. The country holds places where royal dynasties left their mark, like the Royal Palaces of Abomey with walls decorated by Fon artisans, and coastal towns such as Ouidah where Portuguese forts now house museums telling the story of the region's complex past. In the north, Pendjari and W National Parks shelter elephants, lions, and leopards across savannas that stretch into neighboring countries, while along the coast, beaches like Coco Beach and Fidjrosse offer access to the Gulf of Guinea. Daily life unfolds in spaces that reveal how people have adapted to their surroundings. Ganvié sits above Lake Nokoué, a settlement where wooden houses stand on stilts and canoes serve as the main way to move from place to place. In Cotonou, Dantokpa Market spreads out near the Ouémé River, filled with vendors selling everything from cloth to herbs. Churches built during the colonial era, including the red and white striped cathedral in Cotonou, punctuate the cities. Whether you're drawn to wildlife, the layers of human history, or the rhythm of markets and waterfront communities, Benin provides a window into West Africa that mixes old traditions with everyday moments still taking shape.
Monument Amazone
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Dantokpa Market
121 m
Fondation Zinsou
2 km
Place de l'Étoile rouge
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Place du Souvenir
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Fondation Claudine Talon
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CanalOlympia Wologuèdé
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Place Bulgarie
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Hall des arts, Loisirs et Sports de Cotonou
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Ancien Pont Bridge
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Poste de péage et de pesage d’Èkpè
11.1 km
Stade René Pleven d'Akpakpa
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437 m
Fidjrossè Beach
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Pont Konrad-Adenauer de Cotonou
1.6 km
Route des peches
8.2 km
Herbier national du Bénin
11.2 km
Mosquée Zongo de Cotonou
2 km
Jet d’eau d’Akossombo
5 km
Synchronisation musique et sport
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Saint Michel Church, Benin
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Femmes allant et revenant du marché
2.4 km
Ménagère (statue)
327 m
Triangle réconciliation
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Calvaire de Fidjrossè
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Iroko FabLab
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Fidjrosse Beach ️
11.7 km
Route de la pêche
7.2 kmReviews
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