IVORY COAST
Discover Abidjan
from
Meilleur prix
- Time difference
- 1h behind France in winter, and 2h in summer.
- Currency
- Franc CFA (XOF)
- Flight time
- 6h40
- Area size
- 422 km2
- Languages
- French
- Local temperature
- Between 22°C and 35°C
- Population
- 4 707 404 inhabitants
Formalities
French citizens with standard or official passports must have a biometric visa in order to enter Côte d'Ivoire. Furthermore, the traveler’s passport must be valid for six months after the return date. The visa and return or onward ticket are requisites for entering the country.
Obtaining the visa
You must be in possession of a biometric visa to enter Côte d'Ivoire. The visa request must be made to the Ivorian Embassy in Paris.
Allow for around 7 days and 110 euros of consular costs to obtain a two-month visa.
Information on customs and security formalities is provided as a guide.
Under no circumstances may Corsair be held responsible if your official documentation is not in order.
To prepare your trip, we suggest you contact the island’s tourist office:
Ivorian Embassy in Paris
102, avenue Raymond Poincaré
Tel.: 01.53.64.62.62 | Fax: 01.45.00.47.97
email: rciparis@ambassadecotedivoire.fr
Worth knowing
Vaccines against yellow fever and malaria are obligatory. Watch out for what you eat and drink locally. Vaccines against tetanus, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, meningococci, typhoid, hepatitis A and B are recommended.
Language
French is the official language. Dioula is the most commonly used language for trade
Shopping hours
Most shops are open from 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday.
Transport
- Buses: Urban bus and taxi transport in Abidjan is run by SOTRA (Abidjan Transport Company) and SOTU (Urban Transport Company).
- Taxi: There are 2 types of taxi in Abidjan. Red taxis go anywhere in the city, while the yellow collective taxis or woro-woro are restricted to a particular district.
- Boat: Pinnaces and boat buses link several districts of Abidjan.
- Car hire: Abidjan has lots of car hire firms, such as Avis, Hertz or Europcar.
Safety
Risks primarily concentrated in Abidjan (theft, assault).
Services
Administrative offices are open between 08:00 and 17:00 Monday to Friday
Holidays and celebrations
1st January: New Year’s Day.
February: Festival of Masks (Man region).
March: Bouaké Carnival.
April: Festival of Dipri (commemoration of Bidyo’s sacrifice).
March-April: Easter.
June: Ascension; Pentecost.
7 August: Independence Day.
November: Festival of Abissa, for one week.
7 December: National Festival.
December: Festival of Tabaski (sheep festival).
25 December: Christmas.
Essentials
Not to be missed
Characterised by strong industrialisation and booming urban development. Its international class hotel facilities, its transport, means of communication and its size make it an ideal city for business tourism.
If you are there for leisure, you will be able to check out its fine sand beaches, with palm and coconut trees, primarily located along the lagoon strip of the Vridi district.
In the evening, you will not be disappointed by the relaxation spots such as Milles Maquis and Zone 4, Les II-Plateaux and Angre in Cocody, and rue Princesse and Niangon in Yopougon. Not to mention the maquis and bars, as well as lots of open spaces in all corners of the city.
You can also check out one of the many artistic events at the Treichville Palace of Culture, which is the most popular auditorium in Abidjan.
Gastronomy
A rich and varied cuisine
Abidjan will give you the chance to discover a great variety of dishes, with nearly one hundred different recipes.
The most famous dishes are: foutou, attieké, kedjenou, grilled turkey, millet porridge, and stewed or fried yam.
Culture
Ivory Coast can boast a great cultural wealth. It is a crossroads where around sixty ethnic groups live together in peace, each with their own cultures and rites, characterized by rhythmic dances to the sound of the tams-tams.
You can also admire the finest traditional dances in the west of the Ivory Coast. There are many local traditions and customs, with a strong presence, and it is important to respect them.
Oral tradition is still very strong in the villages, where griots (a traditional communicator in Western Africa) pass down the stories. They are regarded as the "memory of the village". Finally, "the word tree" is the tree under which wise men meet, to settle conflicts or other family-related problems. You will find that the hospitality and friendliness are authentic.
Note that craftsmen still use the ancestral bronze working technique of “cité perdue”.
Climate
The climate of Ivory Coast changes varies by region; so the best time of year to go depends on where you wish to visit.
If you are planning to stay on the coast, the best time of year is the dry season, which runs from December to April.
If you are planning to stay inland, we recommend going between October and February, or December and February to check out the savannah region. Note that the seasons, whether dry or wet, are always accompanied by fairly high temperatures (28°C on average).
