💰 Quick Context: The West African CFA Franc
Togo uses the West African CFA Franc (XOF), pegged to the euro at 1 EUR = 655.957 XOF. Quick mental math: 1,000 XOF ≈ €1.50 ≈ $1.65. Togo is a narrow country wedged between Ghana and Benin, stretching from the Gulf of Guinea coast to the Sahel. Lomé (the capital, right on the Ghana border) has the best banking infrastructure. The CFA franc works across the West African zone, so if you are traveling to neighboring Benin, your money works in both countries without exchange.
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Togo's main tourist draws are the Akodessewa Fetish Market (the world's largest voodoo market, in Lomé), the beaches along the coast, and the Koutammakou UNESCO World Heritage landscape in the north (home of the Batammariba people and their tower-houses called "takienta"). The country is also a convenient border hop from Ghana (Aflao/Lomé border) or Benin (Hilacondji crossing).
CFA Franc Works Across West Africa
Your CFA franc banknotes work in Benin, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, and Niger. If you are doing a West African overland trip, there is no need to exchange money when crossing between CFA zone countries. Ghana uses the cedi (GHS), which is a different currency entirely. Exchange your CFA for cedis at the Aflao/Lomé border (money changers operate on both sides) or at exchange bureaux in Lomé before crossing.
Cash vs. Card: What to Expect in Togo
Togo is primarily cash-based, with card acceptance limited to Lomé's better hotels and a handful of restaurants. Hotel 2 Février (Lomé's landmark 36-story hotel), Onomo Hotel Lomé, and Sarakawa Hotel accept Visa and Mastercard. Some restaurants on Boulevard du Mono and near the Place de l'Indépendance have card terminals.
Outside Lomé, it is strictly cash. Kpalimé (the charming hill town popular with hikers), Kara (northern Togo's main city), Sokodé, Atákpamé, and the Koutammakou region have no card acceptance. The Grand Marché in Lomé (one of West Africa's most vibrant markets) and the Akodessewa Fetish Market are entirely cash-based.
Daily budget in cash: budget travelers spending 10,000–20,000 XOF ($16.60–$33) per day. Mid-range travel: 25,000–50,000 XOF ($42–$83) per day. Withdraw or exchange in Lomé before heading north.
How to Get CFA Francs for Your Togo Trip
Togo uses the West African CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro at XOF 655.957 = 1 EUR, which keeps EUR-to-XOF exchange close to free at any Lomé bank counter. Cards work in Lomé at Hotel 2 Février, Onomo Hotel, Sarakawa Hotel, and a handful of Boulevard du Mono restaurants. Almost everything else (the Grand Marché and Akodessewa Fetish Market in Lomé, Kpalimé's hill-town guesthouses, Kara, Sokodé, Atákpamé, and the Koutammakou Tamberma villages) is strictly cash. Lomé is also Ecobank's continental HQ, so foreign-card ATM coverage in the capital is unusually good for West Africa, but it thins fast as you head north.
Bring EUR cash before you fly
CFA francs aren't typically stocked by US banks (Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi), but the EUR-to-XOF peg means a EUR envelope is just as good. A currency-exchange service like CEI Currency Exchange ships physical euros to a US address with insured 2–5 day delivery. Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citi all stock EUR for branch pickup or home delivery. Togo does not have a Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner. Most travelers handle Togo by bringing EUR (preferred over USD given French colonial banking ties and the peg) and exchanging at Ecobank, Société Générale, or Orabank Lomé on landing. The cleanest setup for a Lomé + Kpalimé + Koutammakou loop: a Wise card for Lomé hotel and restaurant card payments, plus a CEI envelope of EUR sized to your Grand Marché, hill-town guesthouse, and northern-region cash budget.
Withdraw from a Togolese bank ATM
Once you're in Togo, the cheapest source of CFA francs is one of the major bank ATMs. Ecobank Togo (continental HQ for the Ecobank group, so coverage is strong here), Société Générale Togo, Orabank Togo, and BTCI (Banque Togolaise pour le Commerce et l'Industrie) all give the actual interbank rate (effectively the EUR peg cross-rate) with no markup. Most charge a small per-transaction operator fee for foreign cards. Withdrawal limits run roughly XOF 150,000–200,000 per transaction (about $250–$332). ATMs cluster around Lomé (Boulevard du Mono, Place de l'Indépendance, the Grand Marché perimeter, and at LFW airport arrivals), with thinner coverage in Kara and Kpalimé. The Koutammakou and other northern villages have zero infrastructure. Decline DCC every time the screen offers "charge in EUR". See the Best ATMs section below for the bank-by-bank lineup. Want to know what an Ecobank Togo withdrawal will actually cost on your card? Drop it into our ATM fee calculator.
Airport counters & hotel exchange windows
Three traps to walk past in Togo. The currency-exchange counter at LFW (Gnassingbé Eyadéma International) airport advertises rates that look reasonable but routinely runs 5–8% off the EUR peg cross-rate. The exchange windows inside Lomé hotel lobbies (Hotel 2 Février, Onomo, Sarakawa) bake the markup into the rate. Honest exception worth knowing: bank counters at Ecobank, Société Générale, and Orabank in central Lomé exchange clean EUR cash to XOF at competitive rates close to the peg cross-rate. Stick to bank-branded ATMs at Ecobank, SG, Orabank, or BTCI; decline DCC; and central Lomé bank counters are the acceptable cash-to-cash route. Togo does not yet have a city-specific guide on this site, but the Best ATMs section below covers the bank lineup.
For a side-by-side comparison of every method (bank wire, travel card, pre-order, ATM, exchange counter) including EUR-to-XOF timing tips, see our complete Getting Currency guide →.