Markets to visit Togo

You have to go there early in the morning. The fishermen arrive with their pirogues and sell directly the product of fishing to the mothers who then resell on the markets. Typical and colorful. It is advisable to go there by car or cab because the access is not easy and the neighborhoods crossed are not the safest. Dugouts unloading on the quay, nets being made and unmade, baskets filled with fish... the place is alive with exchanges between fishermen, buyers, visitors and food stalls.

It is essentially a tourist market with small stores selling local handicrafts such as jewelry, paintings, ebony, carved wood and batiks. The merchants call out to visitors and negotiation is part of the buying process. Handicrafts and replicas of antiques are of high quality, especially if you cross the "rue des arts", which is located in the street of the Hotel du Golf. This is where you will find your gifts to make and other souvenirs to bring back. To be discovered without hesitation!

Bordering Benin, it is a very lively market where cultural mixing is permanent. Veiled Muslim women in brightly colored tunics, Fulani women with eyes highlighted with kohl and wearing their gri-gri around their neck. So many colors, contrasts and richness. The market is frequented by the Kotokoli, the Tchamba, the Kabyé and the Peul, who are numerous in the region. If you look hard enough, you will find some handicrafts, notably pyrographed calabashes. Tchamba is without question one of the most beautiful rural markets in the region.

There are several markets held almost every day in and around the city of Pya. Pya-Hodo, Tcharé (very nice, and lively from 2pm) on Mondays; Pya, Kouméa, Tchitchao on Fridays. You can find a little bit of everything, from vegetables to dog meat, from cereals to loincloths. In some cases, you will have to negotiate prices. The market in Tcharé is famous for its items made by the blacksmiths of Wiyamdé and the potters of Tcharé. The late morning is perfect for strolling through these markets and soaking up the local atmosphere.

It is a colorful market where people drink tchoukoutou, amillet beer. It is most lively on Wednesdays and Saturdays when people flock from all over the region as well as from neighboring countries (Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana). You can find a little bit of everything: cereals (sorghum, millet, corn...), tubers (yams, sweet potatoes...), vegetables, fruits, meat, clothes and various kitchen utensils. On busy days, you will have to make your way through the crowd, and therefore be very careful with your belongings.