In Cotonou, go to the seemingly endless Grand Marche market. You’ll find plenty of cheap souvenirs, clothes and many other things there.

There are no direct flights from Russia. The easiest and the cheapest one is with connecting flight in Paris.

In Benin all dishes are very spicy. If it is not your option, ask to cook without species.

In the evening, at Benin border nearly all police officers wear no uniform. Ask to show you a badge or an ID, otherwise you may run into scammers.

If the hour is late as you are crossing the border, you may be stopped and charged extra fees or involved into a conflict. If so, just stay at a hotel next to the border and wait until morning. In the morning other border officers will do their shift and the conflict may be over. Besides, crossing the border is easier in the daytime.

In Porto-Novo suburbs there are many fishing villages. Go there to grab some cheap fish.

As a general rule, Benin’s beaches are rather dirty, save for Grand-Popo’s beaches.

Decent gas stations are very rare. The fuel is cheap, though. It can be bought right along the sides of the roads from people with bottles.