In a nutshell

We will get to know the city of Praia, the most cosmopolitan of those in the Cape Verde archipelago: a concentration of culture and traditions of Cape Verde and in particular of the island of Santiago.

Main stops

Praia Ethnographic Museum, fruit and vegetable market, Praça Alexandre Albuquerque, town hall
Presidential Palace and statue of Diogo Gomes
Quartel Jaime Mota barracks, residence of the Prime Minister and Embassies
Cruz de Papa monument, Government Palace, stadium, National Library and statue of Amilcar Cabral
Sucupira Market

The programme

Praia is a lively city with a magnetic charm that has been affected, like the entire island of Santiago, by the influence of internal emigration from the other islands.
This excursion takes us to visit the city center and the Ethnographic Museum, inaugurated in 1997 to house a collection of objects representative of the habits and customs of the Cape Verdean people and which can be visited by tourists in the Plateau district, and then continue walking through the colorful and picturesque fruit and vegetable market and reach Praça Alexandre Albuquerque, one of the most emblematic places of Santiago, surrounded by characteristic colonial-era buildings, including the Town Hall, built in the 1920s.
The Presidential Palace and the statue of Diogo Gomes, dedicated to the Portuguese explorer of the same name, who founded the first settlement on the island of Santiago in 1460, are just around the corner and offer breathtaking views of the city's surroundings.
We pass by some of the oldest buildings in Praia such as the Quartel Jaime Mota barracks, in perfect colonial style, dating back to 1826, and then reach the residence of the Prime Minister and the various Embassies.
From the Cruz de Papa monument we admire Querb Canela beach, a delightful inlet of golden sand bathed by a crystalline, turquoise sea.
We will then visit the Government Palace, the stadium, the National Library and the statue of Amilcar Cabral, located just outside the city center in the Avenida Cidade de Lisboa area, the most modern street in Praia. Before returning to the port we have some free time to spend in the crowded Sucupira** market, very lively and colourful.

Good to know

The markets are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
The order of the itinerary may vary.