Best Things to Do in Praia

Praia serves both as a breezy historic capital on its basalt cliff and as the launchpad for exploring the dramatic volcanic valleys and UNESCO heritage of Santiago Island. Here are the ten best experiences in and around the city.

1. Walk the historic Plateau from Praça Alexandre Albuquerque to the cliff viewpoint. Stroll beneath mahogany and hibiscus trees past the nineteenth-century City Hall, Pro-Cathedral and Presidential Palace to the bronze statue of explorer Diogo Gomes looking out over the bay.
2. Half-day trip to UNESCO-listed Cidade Velha. Travel 15 km west along the coast to the 1462 cradle of Cape Verdean Creole society: climb the ramparts of the Fortaleza Real de São Filipe, see the 1512 marble Pelourinho in the seaside square, and walk cobbled Rua Banana to the thatched-roof church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário (1495).
3. Explore the open-air maze of Sucupira Market (Mercado de Sucupira). Below the western cliff of the Plateau, browse hundreds of stalls stacked with West African fabrics, carved wood, island spices and grogue alongside the main aluguer minibus station.
4. Stroll Pedestrian Rua 5 de Julho and Mercado Municipal. Watch morning vendors sell mountain papayas, mangoes, goat cheese and fresh tuna inside the central market hall on the Plateau, then pause at a pavement kiosk café.
5. Visit Farol de Dona Maria Pia (Ponta Temerosa Lighthouse) and Prainha. Walk out to the octagonal white 1881 lighthouse standing on a wave-lashed basalt headland at the southern tip of the city, then cool off in the sheltered sandy cove of Prainha or Quebra Canela Beach.
6. Step inside the Ethnographic Museum of Praia (Museu Etnográfico). Housed in an 1894 nineteenth-century mansion on Rua 5 de Julho, displaying traditional weaving looms, musical instruments and maritime artefacts.
7. Hike the volcanic ridges of Serra Malagueta Natural Park. Follow cloud-draped mountain trails through endemic flora and steep green ribeiras (valleys) in the northern highlands of Santiago.
8. Swim under the coconut palms of Tarrafal Bay. Drive to the northern tip of the island for white sand, painted fishing boats and turquoise water framed by Monte Graciosa.
9. See the 500-year-old Kapok Tree at Boa Entrada and Assomada Market. Stop in the central highlands to admire Cape Verde's largest giant silk-cotton tree (Poilão) and the lively Wednesday and Saturday market of Assomada.
10. Listen to live morna and coladeira over a plate of cachupa. Spend an evening in Achada Santo António or on the Plateau where acoustic guitars and cavaquinho accompany dinner.