Lomé, the capital of “Africa's smile”
Lomé is the capital of Togo, the smallest African State. It stretches out along the Gulf of Guinea coastline and is home to more than 830,000 inhabitants. Togo's climate is tropical, with two rainy seasons. Lomé is lucky enough to be by the ocean, making its climate milder - especially during very hot weather. To enjoy your trip to Lomé as best as possible, the winter months are more pleasant - from December to March.
Once there, the locals speak various dialects so you may not understand much of what is said. French is the city's official language, but some people may speak a little English (especially in places most prone to welcoming tourists).
To plan your trip and purchase your airline ticket to Lomé, make sure you remember the time difference. For instance, it is 4h when departing from New York. Once you have reached the capital, give yourself a full day to visit it. Air France offers regular flights to Lomé, with a lay-over in Paris.
Before leaving for your amazing trip, make sure you prepare your flight to Lomé and check you have met all administrative obligations.
Lomé - a heart of gold before all else
Lomé is a typical African city when all styles and architectures mix according to past and present influences. The town has a rather prosperous past, as French and German tourists would often come and enjoy the many luxurious hotels and restaurants, as well as the beaches that stretch out as far as the eye can see. Tourism is not as dominant nowadays, but locals are still as welcoming and open to foreigners. You will be welcomed with open arms and invited to share the daily customers of local families. People there are simple and always ready to talk about their country's history! For a memorable experience, why not choose to stay with locals? That way you will be fully immersed.
During your stay in Lomé, you can discover the town centre and its remaining colonial architecture, the governor's palace and the Sacré Coeur cathedral. Nearby, you will be surprised to see lots of very new and modern buildings, such as the CEDEAO. To find out more about Lomé and Togo, head to the National Museum wand admire its collection of traditional objects of all sorts. Lastly, you can swing by the Independence Monument located in the administrative district. It was erected in 1960 and celebrates the end of the colonial period.
You can also make the most of your trip to Lomé to experience the huge market, spread out in a triple-storey hall. Those it may be slightly disconcerting at first, you will be fully immersed in local culture. You can enjoy this main market as well as the night markets, and buy lots of souvenirs and specialities.offers many direct flights to Paris departing from major US airports.
When you arrive at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airportyou can easily reach your hotel with the Super Shuttle, Air France buses, Citybird taxis or the Paris public transportation network (RER, metro, etc.).
You may reserve a flight for Paris or you may also reserve your flight + hotel and/or car rental when you reserve your ticket.
Lomé, curious and must-see places
Lomé will surprise you in many different ways. Simply wander around and enjoy. As a sidestep to strolling around the city, we recommend a lovely pirogue ride on Lake Togo. There you can discover local bird species - magnificent yet very hard to pronounce! Prepare your camera and take lots of beautiful, colourful pictures of your time there.
Lastly, the most curious and surprising of outings will no doubt be the charm market! Togo has preserved a rather deep-set culture of voodooism, to which this market bears testimony. Animal bones and skulls are laid out everywhere, along with dried skins and various remedial ingredients sold by healers.