No, until now, no airlines operating in the United Kingdom or Ivory Coast have initiated direct flights between the two countries. Most passengers opt to get an Air France ticket to the Ivory Coast from London Heathrow Airport. Consistently, the airline provides the cheapest means to get to this West African country, even in the busy season.
With Air France, Ivory Coast is just a few pounds and a couple of hours away. Ivory Coast, being a former colony of France, still retains a cordial relationship with the former colonial power, and there is a significant Ivorian Diaspora living in France as well. To connect both countries, Air France manages cheap flights to Ivory Coast that are also beneficial for the British tourists and Ivorian Expats living in the UK.
The first leg of your travels is from a city in the UK to Paris’ Charles de Gaul Airport. Fortunately, there are many options to take and many Air France flights to choose from. From London alone, 28 flights are leaving for Paris each week. The most popular one is AF 1681 that is scheduled to fly from London at 9:40 AM and arrive at Paris in about one hour and fifteen minutes every single day. Twenty-two flights take off from Manchester, and thirty-seven Air France flights operate from Birmingham towards Paris each week.
From Paris onwards to Abidjan, Air France operates fourteen flights a week to the Ivorian city. Flight number AF 520 leaves Paris to Abidjan at 10 AM and lands on the tarmac at 4:30 PM Ivorian Time, after travelling for eight and a half hours. AF 524, AF 702 and AF 914 also flies nonstop to Abidjan from Paris, but only on select days of the week. As always, please contact our agents well in advance to get the cheapest rates on Air France flights to Côte d’Ivoire.
Ivory Coast has more than 25 airports all over the country; however, there is only one international airport that serves as the main gateway. The Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) in Abidjan is the only international airport serving the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. Port Bouët Airport, as it is also known, handles 2 million people a year. Apart from being connected by the Abidjan Metro, which is a project destined to be complete in December of 2023, the airport is linked with highways that lead into the very heart of the city. The city centre is about a 40-minute car drive from Port Bouët Airport.
The best time to visit the Ivory Coast is from December to February. The country is in the tropics, right on the Gulf of Guinea. Both of these factors contribute to define the weather of the Ivory Coast. Humidity is the lowest in the winter seasons, and it becomes more comfortable for people to breathe with a fresher atmosphere. There is only a 5 to 10 per cent chance of rain during these times as well. The mean temperature during these three months is at 26°C, which makes this part of the year ideal for a visit to the Ivory Coast. Clearly, with most travellers coming to the country during the winter months, the prices for the tickets and the hotel rooms increase. At times tickets are scarce, so call our agents three to four months in advance to book cheap tickets to Ivory Coast.
The cheapest month of the year to visit the Ivory Coast is in March. Though the humidity has yet to reach its peak values, the mean temperature exceeds 30°C, which can be unpleasant for some. Usually, during March, there are five to ten rainy days, which might prevent you from exploring the country entirely, but the easiest way to tackle that by taking an umbrella with you. The change in weather keeps most tourists at bay, but for those who are on a budget, March can bring surprisingly good deals on accommodations and tickets to the Ivory Coast.
As compared to neighbouring African countries, Ivory Coast has better road and transportation services, especially between cities. There are, however, Ivorian soldiers at the checkpoints along the way which takes up much time. Keep your British Passport with you at all times when you are travelling. There have been some reports that a few soldiers demand bribes from foreign passengers in the bus, especially if they are of French nationality. In Abidjan, the best way to get around is by hiring a car. A hired car not only gives you personal freedom but in the long run, it is cheaper than travelling by taxis. The traffic moves at a glacial pace in rush hours, so be patient when you are driving through the streets of Abidjan. Please negotiate the travel fare with the driver before taking the taxi out for a ride.