Things to Do

Porto-Novo's historic centre holds a cluster of museums and buildings that reflect its layered Portuguese, Brazilian, and Yoruba heritage. The city is small enough to explore on foot in a day.

Guide

Things to Do

01

Palais Royal (Musée Honmè)

Former royal palace preserving Yoruba dynasty court treasures

Museum
02

Brazilian Mosque

Brazilian-built church turned mosque, a trace of the slave trade

Architecture
03

Great Mosque of Porto-Novo

Afro-Brazilian mosque with one of Porto-Novos most striking facades

Sight
04

Musée Ethnographique de Porto-Novo

Yoruba masks and local history in Porto-Novo

Museum
05

Lake Nokoué and Ganvié

Lake Nokoué lies just south of Porto-Novo and stretches west to Cotonou. The lake's most remarkable feature is Ganvié, a fishing village of several …

Sight
06

Grand Marché d'Adjara

Traditional rotating market on a centuries-old four-day cycle

Sight
07

Place Jean Bayol

The central public square of Porto-Novo, Place Jean Bayol is the hub of outdoor life in the old city. The square is anchored by …

Sight