Santiago Travel Guide

 ValbyDK Says:  Tarrafal is much more than the old prison camp just outside town… OK - I only visited the town on a daytrip from Praia, but found the place to be nice and relaxing. I had dinner at restaurant “Baia Verde”. Good food and a great view of the sea and beach from the terrace. I... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Museu da Resistencia, an old prison camp, is located just outside Tarrafal. The prison camp was built by the Portuguese in 1936. At that time, Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony and the prison was used to house opponents of dictator Salazar’s regime in Portugal. The camp was... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Every Wednesday and Sunday there is a local market in the small town of Assomada, about 35 kilometres north of Praia. Vegetables, meat, clothes, household goods, and anything else you can think about...We went for a long walk around the market place. It was very crowded, but... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Sao Jorge Dos Orgaos - about 25 kilometres north of Praia - is a small picturesque village located between the mountains on the island of Santiago. The main attraction is the national botanical garden (Jardim Botanico Nacional). Well kept and a very nice place for a walk,... 

 ValbyDK Says:  If you are going from Praia (in the south) to Tarrafal (in the north) you should make a stop in Sao Domingos and visit the local handicraft workshop. Besides the workshop there is a small shop selling various local crafts and souvenirs. The shop seemed less expensive than... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Rua Banana (Banana Street) is a small cosy alley in the centre of Cidade Velha. Actually it was the first ‘European’ street in Africa. Some of the houses date back to the 15th century and have recently been rebuilt with their original stone.Nice place for a short walk. 

 ValbyDK Says:  Convento de Sao Francisco was built around 1640, and for nearly 75 years it functioned as a church, a residence of a few Franciscan friars, and a educational training centre. However, it all came to an end in 1712 when French pirate Jacques Cassard almost destroyed the whole... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Igreja de Nossa Senhor do Rosario was built in the end of the 15th century. It was before the cathedral was built and at that time it served as the main church for Cidade Velha. Today, it is again the main church and is always full on Sundays. The church has a simple... 

 ValbyDK Says:  The cathedral of Cidade Velha was begun by the third Bishop of Cape Verde, Francisco da Cruz, in 1556, but changes in building plans – and changes of bishops – meant that the cathedral wasn’t completed until 1693.Unfortunately, the life of the cathedral was not very long! It... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Cidade Velha was once an important port for trading slaves from Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone to Brazil and the Caribbean.Today, you can still find a reminder of the inhumanity of slavery! The pelourinho, a 16th century pillory which was used for the punishment of slaves,... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Gold coins, bronze items, cannons, guns, a bottle of French cognac, and much more retrieved from shipwrecks around Cape Verde. I spotted a few objects from the Danish vessel, ‘Ernest Schimmelmann’, which was reported lost in 1781 - but there are also objects from ships from... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Fort Real do Sao Filipe is located on a hilltop just outside Cidade Velha, and from the top there is a nice view of the town and the canyon of Ribeira Grande. A great place to get a overview of some of the attractions around Cidade Velha.Fort Real do Sao Filipe itself… In... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Museu Etnografico da Praia is located on the main street at the Plateau, not far from Praca Alexandre de Albuquerque.The museum displays exhibitions of Cape Verde’s historical, social and cultural past. Most of the artefacts are objects and tools used in daily work, for... 

 ValbyDK Says:  Praca Alexandre de Albuquerque is a good place to start a sightseeing-tour of the old part of Praia. The square is surrounded by some interesting buildings; Igreja Nossa Senhora da Graca (the cathedral) from 1900, the old city hall built in the 1920s, the Presidential Palace... 

 sachara Says:  Early in the morning at sunrise you can see the boats sailing out from the bay for fishing at sea.It's nice to go at the port at the moment the fishermen come back and look at all the activities. 

 sachara Says:  Everywhere at Cape Verde you can eat fresh sea-food every day.Our favourite restaurant at Tarrafal was the restaurant of Baia Verde, high upon the rock with a good panorama of the beach and the bay.