Togo: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Togo feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 26 written places.
Warm and talkative; greetings are the social glue and market banter is half the fun.
✓ Considered polite
- Greet before anything - a bonjour and a how-are-you exchange come before every question or purchase
- Use your right hand to give, receive and eat
- Haggle at markets with good humour - it is expected and enjoyed
- Ask permission before photographing people, shrines or market stalls
✗ Better avoided
- Hand over money or goods with your left hand
- Skip greeting the elders when entering a room - age is respected first
- Photograph vodun ceremonies uninvited - ask a host or guide to arrange it properly
- Jump straight to business - small talk first is basic politeness
Worth knowing
- The CFA franc is the currency and cash is essential - cards work only in the bigger Lome hotels
- Zemidjans (motorbike taxis) are everywhere - agree the fare before you get on
- French is the lingua franca; Ewe and Kabiye are the big local languages
- Sunday mornings are quiet, with churches full and many shops shut until afternoon
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.