São Vicente, Cape Verde:
the island guide

The historic centre

Start at the Pont d'Água, by the sculpture of an eagle perched on a rock, which commemorates the first Lisbon–Rio crossing, made in 1922 by the aviators Cabral and Coutinho. Then walk up the Rua Lisboa, a shopping street dotted with bars, where you can soak up the bustle of the market.

At the end stands the former governor's palace, a pink building put up in 1858, raised by a storey in the 1930s and renamed Palácio do Povo at independence. To reach Praça Nova, follow Avenida Baltazar Lopes da Silva: you'll pass the Casa Miranda, the finest colonial building in town.

Praça Nova, Mindelo's agora

Laid out by the English in the late 19^th century, this esplanade was one of the strongholds of colonial power. The buildings around it bear witness, now mixed in with contemporary blocks. With its flowerbeds and bandstand, it serves as a forum and a promenade, and it's where Mindelo's young people meet in the evening.

Centro Cultural do Mindelo

Built in 1858, this former customs building is now one of the busiest places in town, and signs of its earlier use are still visible on the walls and ceilings. Look up to admire the engravings of colonial Mindelo.

The redevelopment is a success: a two-hundred-seat theatre, exhibition halls, a café, a bookshop, a patio that hosts various artistic performances and a souvenir shop.

Centro Nacional de Arte, Artesanato e Design

Built in the 1890s, this handsome building was originally the home of Augusto Vera Cruz, Cape Verde's representative in the Portuguese Parliament. In the 1920s it became the seat of a club reserved for local notables, housed the Portuguese general staff during the Second World War, then a radio station in the 1950s.

Fully renovated, it now showcases Cape Verdean craftsmanship: ceramics, tapestry, coconut objects, pottery. In the left wing, go and see the radio station room: Cesária Évora made her first recordings there in the early 1960s.

Torre de Belém — Museu do Mar

This replica of the famous Lisbon tower was built between 1918 and 1921 and housed the Porto Grande harbour master's office until 1967. If you don't suffer from vertigo (you have to climb a fairly steep ladder), go up to the third level: the view over the port and the town is superb.

There isn't much to see in the museum, but it's worth the detour: a few objects from underwater explorations, a short history of the port, and a section devoted to the singers who made the sea sublime: Cesária Évora, B. Leza, Eugenio Tavarès.

Núcleo Museológico Cesária Évora

"The Barefoot Diva". On the ground floor, a collection of photos greets visitors: shots from her tours around the world, rarely seen images of her early days, and a copy of her first vinyl record, released in 1963.

The collection also includes a few dresses, her diplomatic passport, musical instruments and press cuttings. Don't hesitate to question the person at reception: that's often where the best of the museum lies.

Ribeira Bote, the graffiti artists' district

One of Mindelo's oldest neighbourhoods, named after the river that runs through it and carries a heavy flow when it rains. Take your time wandering the cobbled streets and admiring the walls covered in murals and graffiti.

Eras collide here: the district has become the lair of Mindelo's artists, and above all its graffiti artists. There are works in every style and for every taste.

Monte Verde

It takes about two and a half hours on foot to climb this volcanic mountain, 744 m high and the island's highest point; the route can also be done by car. All the way up, you follow a partly paved, fairly slippery path lined with sisal, aloe vera and agave, dotted with a few maize fields.

The site is a protected nature park covering 311 hectares: a relatively green environment broken up by basalt reefs. From the summit you get a superb panorama of the islands: Santa Luzia, a nature reserve lying about ten kilometres away, and, if the weather is clear, São Nicolau to the west.

Baía das Gatas

The village owes part of its fame to the international music festival held there every summer. But it hides another gem: its beach, unquestionably the most beautiful on São Vicente, re-sanded to receive the fifteen thousand or so festival-goers better. The setting is idyllic, despite some haphazard building.

Its particular feature is a natural barrier of rocks that protects it from currents and waves, forming a natural pool of crystal-clear, deliciously warm water.

Salamansa

Houses with flowery fronts, quiet streets lined with coconut palms, children who greet you with a smile: Salamansa breathes tranquillity. The island's second most populous village, it lives mostly from fishing.

Head for the superb golden-sand beach below the village, a wild paradise with few tourists, if any, and no hotels, much loved by surfers. The side shore wind delights kitesurfers and windsurfers, and the best season runs from October to June.

Calhau, Praia Grande and Topím

A small fishing village opening onto the magnificent white beach of Praia Grande, known for its surf. The road here passes two extinct volcanic craters and overlooks the fields of the Ribeira de Calhau. The village is rather quiet during the week and comes alive at weekends when people arrive from Mindelo.

When leaving Calhau towards Mindelo, take the left fork: this track leads in six kilometres to the village of Topím, whose lovely deserted white-sand beach is ideal for camping out. Caves offer shelter from the wind and sun.

Lameirão, the country stop

On the road through the Julião valley, on the western flank of Monte Verde, this small village made up of Mato Inglés and Pe de Verde deserves a stop: it's one of the greenest areas of São Vicente. Here every household tends a vegetable garden, which gives the village a special charm.

São Pedro

This is the main settlement in the south-west. Climb up to the fishing village overlooking the shore, where you'll have some lovely encounters with the locals. Sadly, hotel projects are multiplying. Will São Pedro be able to hold on to its authenticity for long?

At the foot of the mountains, a splendid white-sand beach stretches for about a kilometre. The water is crystal clear but not great for swimming: battered by very strong winds, the site is ideal for board sports.

Faról Dona Amélia

Allow forty-five minutes of climbing to reach this lighthouse dating from the late 19^th century. The path, cut into cliffs that plunge into the sea, is narrow: avoid it in high winds or if you're prone to vertigo.

Dona Amélia is one of São Vicente's two lighthouses, the other being on the Ilhéu dos Pássaros, in the bay of Mindelo. Built in 1894, it now looks like a small chapel. From its foot, the view over the whole bay of São Pedro is sensational.

Praia Fateja, the secret beach

This is a beach you have to earn. Hidden behind Monte Cara (490 m), it can only be reached on foot, along a nasty dirt track that you pass before reaching São Pedro.

The effort is amply rewarded: the site is magnificent and deserves to be classed as an ecological reserve. A stretch of sea in the hollow of the mountains, like a natural pool. Few people come, especially in the week, so you may be lucky enough to have this enchanting setting to yourself.

Praia Flamengos

A track starts at the wind turbines along the road towards the airport. Follow it: at the end awaits a lovely white-sand beach, away from the busiest tourist routes.

You'll watch windsurfers playing in the waves with astonishing agility, a real show. The rollers can be impressive: if you swim, stay close to the shore.