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Praia
Capital of Cape Verde

Praia

Praia is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.

Plan a trip to Praia→From Rabil

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.

Get in

Getting to Praia

Praia is served by

  1. 01
    Nelson Mandela International Airport

    Cabo Verde Airlines and some European and African airlines fly to various destinations in Europe, Africa, South America and United States.

  2. 02
    Porto de Praia

    As of 2014, there were regular ferries from Fogo (4 hours) and Brava (just 40 min from Fogo).

See

Worth seeing

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.

  1. 01
    Praia

    Built in neoclassicist style with a square central tower, the town hall is one of the finest examples of colonial architecture around.

  2. 02
    Praia Cathedral

    The city's cathedral was constructed in 1902 in classicist style.

  3. 03
    Supreme Court

    The supreme court is a pretty building at the Praça Alexandre Albuquerque.

  4. 04
    Presidential Palace

    Built in the late 19th century as the residence of the Portuguese governor, nowadays it is the presidential palace.

  5. 05
    Quartel Jaime Mota

    Old barracks next to the presidential palace, have seen better days.

  6. 06
    Igreja do Nazareno

    A Protestant church.

Do

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.

  1. 01
    Praia de Prainha
  2. 02
    Praia Negra
Eat

Where to eat

  1. 01
    Sovaco de Cobra

    Down-to-earth restaurant popular among locals.

  2. 02
    Café Sofia
  3. 03
    Restaurante Punto D'Incontro

    Avenida Cidade de Lisboa, oceandrive@cvtelecom.cv.

  4. 04
    Restaurante Panorama

    Rua Serpa Pinto, fax: +238 2 613076, panorama@cvtelecom.cv.

  5. 05
    Restaurante Flor de Liz

    Cap Verdean cuisine, wide menu and large servings.

How locals move

Getting around Praia the local way

  • 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. Last edited 2026-02.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.