24 Hours on Santiago island: The Capital and the Old Town

One Day in Santiago: Praia & Cidade Velha

A full day combining the capital's markets and historic centre with the UNESCO World Heritage site where Cape Verde began.

If you only have one day on Santiago, whether on a stopover, a layover, or passing through on the way to another island, this is the day to have. Praia and Cidade Velha sit close together on the southern coast, and together they cover the island's two great themes: living Creole culture in the capital, and five centuries of history in the old town.

Not sure one day is enough? See our guide to how many days you need on Santiago.

At a Glance: The Day

Morning: Breakfast and a walk through Praia's historic Plateau district, then Sucupira market.

Midday: A short aluguer ride west along the coast to Cidade Velha.

Afternoon: The fortress, a seafood lunch, the historic town, and an optional walk into the valley.

Evening: Sunset at Quebra Canela and dinner with live music in Praia.

Getting Between Them: Cidade Velha lies around 15 kilometres from Praia, a short ride by aluguer or taxi.

Section 1: Morning in Praia

Start in the capital's historic heart, the Plateau, a raised district overlooking the Atlantic.

8:30 AM: Breakfast on the Square. Begin at a café around Praça Alexandre Albuquerque, the Plateau's main square. Order the Santiago breakfast speciality, couscous, a sweet steamed corn-flour cake with cinnamon, served warm with butter, honey, or local goat cheese, or cachupa refogada, the national stew fried and topped with an egg. Either one, with a strong local coffee, sets you up for the day.

9:30 AM: Rua Pedonal & the Historic Centre. Stroll the pedestrian street through the Plateau, lined with colonial buildings, shops, and street vendors. Take in the Presidential Palace and the town hall, and find one of the viewpoints at the edge of the plateau for a look out over the bay and the port.

10:30 AM: Sucupira Market. Head down from the Plateau to Sucupira, Praia's sprawling market, a lively maze of stalls selling fruit, clothing, household goods, street snacks, and crafts. Look out for pano de terra, the traditional hand-woven textile of the islands. Keep your phone and valuables out of sight here, since crowded markets are where petty theft happens.

Section 2: Travelling to Cidade Velha

The journey is short and gives you your first taste of the island's shared minivans.

11:30 AM: Aluguer to Cidade Velha. Alugueres to Cidade Velha leave from the area around Sucupira market. The ride follows the southwest coast for around 15 to 20 minutes and costs roughly 150–200 CVE. A taxi is quicker to arrange but considerably more expensive.

12:00 PM: Arriving in the Cradle of Cape Verde. Cidade Velha, originally named Ribeira Grande, was founded in 1462 and is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital, as well as the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. It's worth arriving with its history in mind: as early as 1466, the town was granted a royal charter entitling its inhabitants to trade in enslaved people, and it grew rich as a hub of the transatlantic slave trade. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, and it remains the most important historic site in the country.

Section 3: Afternoon in Cidade Velha

The old town is small enough to explore on foot in an afternoon.

12:15 PM: Fort Real de São Filipe. Start by climbing to the fortress on the plateau above the town, 120 metres above sea level. Construction began in 1587, after Sir Francis Drake raided the town in 1585 and 1586. Walk the stone ramparts, see the cannons, and take in the view over the ocean and the town below. Entry costs around 500 CVE. The climb is steep and exposed, so bring water and a hat, or take a taxi up and walk down.

1:15 PM: Seafood Lunch by the Sea. Eat at one of the seafront restaurants in the town, where grilled local fish such as grouper is typically served with cassava, sweet potato, and vegetables. Expect to pay around 1,200 CVE.

2:30 PM: The Historic Town. With lunch done, explore the heart of the old town.

Rua Banana is one of the oldest surviving paved streets of any European colonial town in the tropics, lined with traditional stone houses.

The Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário was built in 1495 and is widely described as the oldest colonial church in the world.

The Pelourinho, the marble pillory in the main square, dates from 1512 or 1520. It's here that rebellious enslaved people were publicly punished, and it's the site where the town's history is felt most directly. Pause here.

The Cathedral Ruins are what remains of the town's cathedral, destroyed during an attack by the French privateer Jacques Cassard in 1712.

4:00 PM: Optional Valley Walk & Grogue. If you have energy left, walk inland into the green valley behind the town, where sugarcane, coconuts, and mangoes are grown. Some small distilleries in the area produce grogue, the island's sugarcane spirit, and a tasting makes a fitting end to the afternoon if one is open.

Section 4: Evening Back in Praia

End the day where Praia's locals do: by the sea.

5:30 PM: Return to Praia. Catch an aluguer or taxi back to the capital. Alugueres thin out later in the day, so don't leave it too late, or plan on a taxi.

6:30 PM: Sunset at Quebra Canela. Head to Quebra Canela beach or Prainha for sunset. Order a cold Strela or a passion fruit caipirinha made with grogue, and watch the city come out to exercise, swim, and socialise along the waterfront.

8:00 PM: Dinner & Live Music. Finish with dinner in the Plateau or near Quebra Canela, with fresh seafood and, if you're lucky, live Funaná, Morna, or Batuque. Take a taxi back to your accommodation after dark rather than walking.

Section 5: Budget for the Day

Roughly what the day costs per person, travelling by aluguer.

Breakfast, coffee, and market snacks in the morning come to around 500–1,000 CVE. The aluguer to Cidade Velha costs roughly 150–200 CVE each way. Fort entry is around 500 CVE, and a seafood lunch around 1,200 CVE. Sunset drinks and dinner in Praia typically run 1,500–2,500 CVE. That puts the whole day at very roughly 4,000–5,500 CVE, around €36–€50, depending on how you eat and whether you take taxis.

Continue Planning Your Trip

For more on the old town's history and sights, read our Cidade Velha Guide. For everything else in the capital, see our Praia City Guide. And if you have longer, Three Days in Santiago adds the mountains and the north coast.