Mindelo is on the island of São Vicente. Mindelo is the cultural capital of Cape Verde. You'll hear traditional music commonly played in bars and restaurants around town.

Get in

From the airport at São Pedro taxis take you to Mindelo for $800 (Cape Verde escudos) during the day and $1000 in the evening.

You can also walk the 100 m from the airport up to the main road. From there it is probably possible to flag down an aluguer.

The port at Mindelo has regular ferries across to Porto Novo on Santo Antão. Make sure you have a driver's license or passport before buying the tickets. Their website does not work very well.

Get around

A lot of the town is walkable. Local buses travel some limited routes and taxis are common.

150 escudos gets you around town.

You can also take buses.

Do

Walking tour

Starting at Praça Nova (officially named Praça Amilcar Cabral) walk south past the historic CV Telecom building. Continue until you reach the Alliance Francaise. Diagonally opposite is Chava d'Ouro which is a good place for lunch and dinner or coffee and cake. Turn right into Rua Libertadores d'Africa to reach the eagle monument at the shore. Turn left to head south again past the Torre de Belem and the fish market where the road curves left to enter Praça Independencia and a general market. A narrow road bisects the square. Follow it north past the church, parliament and Mercado Municipal indoor market. Turn right after the market to reach Palácio do Povo. Turn left here and follow Avenida Baltazar Lopes da Silva north until Rua Patrice Lumumba. Turning left here returns you to Praça Nova.

From here you can head west past Hotel Mindel and its terraced bar restaurant and reach a small beach in the harbour. Head north along the road to reach the port. The boat for Santo Antão leaves from here. Looking back along the coast gives you the best view of the city.

If you still have time and energy a 20-min walk to the north will take you around the headland, through the port area to a pleasant and popular beach in the next bay. From here you can walk or take a bus back to town.

Eat

The most famous Capverdian dish is the catchupa, which you can get at any stand in the Quiosque Praça Nova, expect to pay around $200 (€2) for a catchupa or a feijoada with fish. There are also several cafés between Praça Nova and Rua Lisboa (Café Dalia, Café Confiança, etc.)

• Pica Pau. Excellent lobster 
• 1 Restaurante Chave Douro. Mains from 500-800$. 
• 2 Pizzeria O Cocktail, Avenida 5 de Julho. Nice pizzas. Live music (mornas) on Thursday to Sunday. from $400. 
• 3 Restaurant Anchote, Alto S. Nicolau - Rua Irmas do Amor de Deus, ☏ +238 232 39 16. Good atmosphere and a great seafood selection. Live music on Saturday nights (100$ surcharge). Mains from 500-2100$. 
• Gaudi, 5, Rua Sanador Vera Cruz (on the small street next to the Mercado Municipal), ☏ +238 951 26 34. French cuisine with an African touch. Probably the only place in Cape Verde with a kitchen close to fine dining 
• 4 La bodeguita de Mindelo, end of Travessa do Cadamostro. Caribbean food. It is common to see Capeverdians play the guitar. $600. 

Drink

• cheap grog (rum) and pontche in the local bars of rua Santo Antonio
• 1 Quiosque Praça Nova, Avenida 5 de Julho, ☏ +238 232 70 50. Outdoor cafe bar in Praça Nova 
• 2 La bodeguita de Mindelo, end of Travessa do Cadamostro. Play urim and listen (or sing!) with capverdians, write your name on the walls. 
• 3 Mindel Hotel Bar, Av 5 de Julho (Just off Praça Nova to the west). Has an outside terrace. 
• 4 Café Lisboa, Rua Lisboa. 1970s-80s rock music. 

Sleep

• 1 Chave Douro, avenida 5 de Julho. A basic hostel with rooms for 1-2. Located in the center. You can bargain the price if you stay more than a few days. 1000$. 
• 2 Residencial Maravilha. Check-out: 12:00. A charming place with friendly management. 4500$ double including breakfast. 
• Foya Branca, Sao Pedro, ☏ +238 230 74 00, reservas@foyabranca.com. 
• Residencial Beleza, Rua Oficinas Navais, ☏ +238 2324094, +238 29839183, all@resid-beleza.com. Bed and breakfast hotel with wireless internet in all the rooms. There is a cybercafé, a bar where you can try exotic drinks and a restaurant on the terrace of the hotel with a great panoramic view over Mindelo and the sea. 
• Casa Colonial, Rua 24 de Setembro (Centro Historico), ☏ +238 9238206. Check-in: 11:00, check-out: 12:00. Classically Mindelo - in style and value. Casa Colonial is a beautifully restored historic home in the heart of Mindelo, the cultural capital of Cape Verde, on the island of São Vicente. The house is one of the oldest homes in the City and is perfectly located in a quiet residential street within meters of the Presidential Palace and the cafés, restaurants, bars, and shops of Rua Lisboa. Mindelo bay, the Marina, the Historic Fort, and Ponta D’Agua resort are 2 min by foot. Laginha Beach is just 10 min by foot. Casa Colonial has four large double bedrooms, two reception rooms, a dining room, reading room, study, fully equipped kitchen, utility room, and 4 wet-rooms each with open plan shower and w/c. The accommodation is very flexible with three King-sized 4-poster beds and six large single beds. The house can sleep a maximum of 12 guests in 7 separate rooms and is ideal for couples, families, and groups. All the furniture is handmade from solid mahogany by local, skilled craftsmen. The floors and ceilings throughout the property are mahogany and the kitchen and wet-rooms are finished with local, handmade tiles. €40. 

Go next

Go to Santo Antão: a different island with magical landscapes. At least two boats a day leave from Mindelo to Porto Novo for $300 (tickets can be bought at the harbour)