Santiago Island: Best of Praia & Cidade Velha Tour, a World Heritage Site
Description
Explore Praia on a guided tour of the Municipal Market and the city major historical sites. Visit Cidade Velha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and learn about the history of slavery in the first city built by Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start with pick up from your accommodation.
Depart towards the historical center of Plateau and start the walking tour through the Jaime Mota Military Barracks, Presidential Palace, Alexandre Albuquerque Square, until the Municipal Market (closed on Sundays).
Here meet locals and find a diversity of local fruits and vegetables. Afterwards, explore Cape Verde's largest souvenir market, the Sucupira Market, and experience the daily life of the Cape Verdean family.
Move on to Cidade Velha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first city built by Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa. Upon arrival, take a guided walking tour of the São Filipe Fortress, explore the ruins of the first Cathedral built by Europeans in Sub-Saharan Africa, the former slave market and the famous Banana Street with its thatched houses.
Visit the Fortress Real the São Filipe that was built in 1587, to defend the city by the pirates attacks. Please note that the €5 per person for Fortress entrance is not included.
Discover the ruins of the first sub-Saharan African Cathedral the only one cathedral of the country,
Visit the former slave market in Pilourinho, was a symbol of municipal power, on the pass.
Visit the famous Banana Street with its traditional houses, and meet local fishermen.
After a memorable day, your tour ends with a drop-off at your accommodation.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
If your accommodation is not listed, please send us an email with your pick-up address in Praia. Airport pick-up is not included. An additional fee will apply for travelers who require this service. A different drop-off location can be arranged if requested beforehand.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A small amount of walking is involved
- Please bring comfortable clothes, a hat and sunscreen
- Note that the Municipal Market is closed on Sundays and the Fortress closed on holidays
- No serious Medical conditions
Reviews(19)
Very nice experience with a group and a super nice guide. The explanations about the beginnings of the Cape Verde , slavery ... are very interesting Thank you!
A nice tour! Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and explained everything clearly. He took us to all the key spots and made the experience enjoyable from start to finish. Highly recommended!
Nice visit with Lisandro. He was great as a guide and the tour was great. Explanations to his help, everything was impeccable!
This excursion was really good. My guide, Bamba, gave me a lot of information about the history of the city and the fortress and answered all my questions. The vegetation around Cidade Velha is very beautiful. I highly recommend this tour!
Superb excursion!! Cathia with another guide showed us Praia. They allowed us to learn more about the history of Cape Verde. We visited some beautiful places. If you want to learn the history of Cape Verde I recommend this authentic and very well organized excursion
Elton is very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. He gave us lots of time to take photos and even allowed us to purchase souvenirs at the market with no complains. Even gave us a quick break and had bbq chicken at the park. Also, got a chance to interact with the kids at the plaza. Advise for future Viator bookers: Bring water and do not leave it in the car, you’ll definitely need it. Don’t make the same mistake like us haha! Much respect to Ahérton as well for providing the transportation. He was an angel at the right place at the right time. He helped us out when we landed at the airport to get to our hotel because our driver didn’t show up and we do not know how to communicate Portuguese. Coincidentally, he was our driver on our tour guide. People in Praia Cape Verde are very welcoming, accommodating and friendly. Permitted to have more time to spend on the island, we would’ve. Thank you again for these hardworking folks!
Though I was picked up a bit later than my scheduled time but my Guide Ivana was wonderful and made up for it. She was knowledgable, friendly and accomodating. It was a tour to see some major attractions of Praia. I recommend going on this tour. Thank you Ivana for a good tour.
We spent 12 days in Cape Verde, specifically on Santiago and Maio, and it was one of our best trips thanks to the Bu country team 😊🙏🏻 their guides are great, always smiling, patient and dedicated and people at the office do not count their working hours to satisfy your desires and needs, as well as to alleviate last minute situations 😌😌 big thanks to the whole team, Djibril, Afi, Damaris, Elizandro, Admilson, Luisa,... as well as all the people we met through this trip and with whom we shared magical moments ❤️❤️
Merci infiniment pour ce retour chaleureux! 💖 Nous sommes ravis de savoir que vos 12 jours au Cap-Vert ont été si mémorables et que notre équipe a pu rendre ce voyage encore plus spécial pour vous. Djibril, Afi, Damaris, Elizandro, Admilson, Luisa, et le reste de l’équipe se dédient entièrement pour offrir des expériences uniques et authentiques, et c’est un plaisir de savoir que leurs sourires, patience, et dévouement ont fait la différence pour vous. Nous espérons avoir le plaisir de vous accueillir à nouveau pour de nouvelles aventures magiques au Cap-Vert! 😊🙏🏻❤️
Everything was perfect, two experienced guides, Very well prepared in the history of Cabo Verde, very pleased with everything
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that everything was perfect and that you enjoyed the tour with our experienced guides. It's wonderful to know that their knowledge of Cabo Verde’s history made the experience even better for you. We look forward to welcoming you back for more adventures in the future!
I really enjoyed this tour and learning about the history and culture of Praia and Cidade Velha. Our guide was prompt, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable. My only critique would be to include more about African history, contributions, and culture during the tour. It was heavily focused on Europe.
Thank you for your feedback! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour and appreciated the knowledge and friendliness of our guide. Your suggestion to include more emphasis on African history and contributions is invaluable, and we will certainly take it into consideration to enhance the cultural depth of our tours. We hope to welcome you back for another enriching experience in the future!
