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

Travel to Mindelo - Visa Requirements

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

You can also walk the 100m 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.

Tours and Getting around Mindelo

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

Mindelo tourist attractions and sightseeing

Mindelo city tours

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 Avendia 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 20min 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.

Mindelo souvenirs and shopping

Mindelo Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

  • Restaurante Chave Douro. Mains from 500-800$. (16.886694,-24.988360) 
  • Restaurant Anchote, Alto S. Nicolau - Rua Irmas do Amor de Deus, ☎ (+238) 232 39 16. Good atmosphere and a great seafood selection. Live music on Saturday nights (100$ surcharge).Mains from 500-2100$. (16.889883,-24.990396) 

Mindelo nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

  • Quiosque Praça Nova, Avenida 5 de Julho, ☎ (+238) 232 70 50. Outdoor cafe bar in Praça Nova(16.889532,-24.987811) 
  • Mindel Hotel Bar, Av 5 de Julho(Just off Praça Nova to the west). Has an outside terrace(16.889194,-24.988661) 

Mindelo cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

  • Residencial Maravilha. checkout: 12:00. A charming place with friendly management.4500$ double incl. breakfast. (16.889492,-24.989644) 
  • Residencial Beleza, Rua Oficinas Navais, Caixa Postal 93A, S. Vicente, ☎ (+238) 2324094 / 29839183(all@resid-beleza.com), [2]. 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.  

Get out

This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Jason Haines, Simone Bravo and Ricardo, Wikitravel user(s) Airin and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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