Praia
Praia is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.

Praia is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde. Located on the southern coast of Santiago island within the Sotavento Islands group, the city is the seat of the Praia Municipality. Praia is the political, economic and cultural center of Cape Verde.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Praia
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Estádio da Várzea
Estádio da Várzea is a multi-purpose stadium in Praia, Cape Verde, just west of Plateau, the city center, in the subdivision of Várzea and on Avenida Cidade de Lisboa on its east side. It is currently used mostly for football matches.
400 m · stadium · Wikipedia - 02National Library of Cape Verde
The National Library of Cape Verde is located in Praia, Cape Verde. The library was established in 1999.
400 m · national library · Wikipedia - 03University of Cape Verde
The University of Cape Verde is the only public university of Cape Verde. It was established in November 2006.
4.3 km · public university in Cape Verde (IAU-018544) · Wikipedia - 04Universidade Jean Piaget de Cabo Verde
The Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde is a private university in Cape Verde. It was established on 7 May 2001, and now has about 2,000 students and 380 academic staff.
3.2 km · university in Cape Verde (IAU-018687) · Wikipedia - 05Farol de D. Maria Pia
Farol de Dona Maria Pia is a lighthouse at the southernmost point of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. It stands on the headland Ponta Temerosa, at the entrance of Praia Harbour, 2 km south of the city centre of Praia.
2 km · lighthouse in Cape Verde · Wikipedia - 06Museu Etnográfico da Praia
Museu Etnográfico da Praia is an ethnographic museum in the Cape Verdean capital of Praia on the island of Santiago. It is located at 45 Rua 5 de Julho, in the historic part of the city, the Plateau.
400 m · ethnographic Museum in Santiago, Cape Verde · Wikipedia - 07Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace, Praia
The Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace is a catholic church on the east side of Praça Alexandre Albuquerque, in the city centre of Praia, on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. The church was built between 1894 and 1902.
100 m · church building in Cape Verde · Wikipedia - 08Palácio Presidencial
The Palácio da Presidência da República is a public building in the city centre of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. It is situated on Rua Serpa Pinto, at the south end of Plateau, the historic district of Praia.
200 m · building in Africa · Wikipedia - 09Quartel Jaime Mota
Quartel Jaime Mota is a historical building in the historic city centre of Praia, Cape Verde. It is situated at the southern end of Avenida Andrade Corvo, near the Presidential Palace of Cape Verde.
300 m · building in Cape Verde · Wikipedia - 10Complexo Desportivo Adega
Complexo Desportivo Adega is a multi-purpose stadium in the Achada Grande Trás section of Praia, Cape Verde. It is currently used mostly for football matches and athletics competitions, much of the football training are used for practices.
2.4 km · building in Africa · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
A large part of the sights are located at the plateau. The old city wall complete with the old cannons protected it from attackers arriving by sea. The governmental district is in the southern part of town.
- 01Praia
Built in neoclassicist style with a square central tower, the town hall is one of the finest examples of colonial architecture around.
- 02Praia Cathedral
The city's cathedral was constructed in 1902 in classicist style.
- 03Supreme Court
The supreme court is a pretty building at the Praça Alexandre Albuquerque.
- 04Presidential Palace
Built in the late 19th century as the residence of the Portuguese governor, nowadays it is the presidential palace.
- 05Quartel Jaime Mota
Old barracks next to the presidential palace, have seen better days.
- 06Igreja do Nazareno
A Protestant church.
From Wikivoyage: Praia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Cape Verdeans like to party, and there are many events throughout the year. The largest of them is the carnival, taking place in the beginning of the year as elsewhere in the Catholic world. With its procession and dances it is not too dissimilar to the Brazilian version, but here the processions aren't strictly arranged by samba schools but rather a spontaneous and informal event where everyone can partake.
- 01Praia de Prainha
- 02Praia Negra
From Wikivoyage: Praia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
- 01Sovaco de Cobra
Down-to-earth restaurant popular among locals.
- 02Café Sofia
- 03Restaurante Punto D'Incontro
Avenida Cidade de Lisboa, oceandrive@cvtelecom.cv.
- 04Restaurante Panorama
Rua Serpa Pinto, fax: +238 2 613076, panorama@cvtelecom.cv.
- 05Restaurante Flor de Liz
Cap Verdean cuisine, wide menu and large servings.
From Wikivoyage: Praia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Praia
- Airports
- Nelson Mandela (RAI), 4 km · Aristides Pereira (BVC), 151 km · Amílcar Cabral (SID), 211 km
- Stations
- Praia International Airport, 3.7 km · Francisco Mendes International Airport, 1.8 km · Porto da Praia, 900 m
- Rabil → PraiaTrain, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
- Espargos → Praia212 km · quickest by road, 60h 6m · $20–27
- São Pedro → PraiaTrain, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Praia
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Praia. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThere are ferry boats that have irregular service to and from the islands of Maio, Boavista, Sal and Sao Nicolau, and more regular and scheduled service to and from Sao Vicente and Fogo.
- Get inAs of 2014, there were regular ferries from Fogo (4 hours) and Brava (just 40 min from Fogo).
- Go nextCidade Velha, the historic capital, is an easy half-day or day trip and something not to be missed if you're interested in history.
From Wikivoyage: Praia, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-02.
- 01298 km
- 022,678 km
- 032,896 km
- 043,574 km
- 053,605 km
If you know how people move in Praia – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Praia
- Prainhaneighbourhood in Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde1.4 km
- Gamboaneighbourhood in Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde500 m
- Quebra Canelaneighbourhood in Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde1.8 km
- Achadinha de Baixoneighborhood in Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde1.2 km
- Achada Grande Trasneighborhood in Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde2.4 km
- Achada Grande Frenteneighborhood of Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde1 km