Praia, Cabo Verde — a short stop in the capital
Most visitors to Cabo Verde fly past Santiago and go straight to Sal or Boa Vista for the beaches. I went to Praia instead.
It is a small-feeling capital. There is not a long list of things to see. I walked into the old downtown — the Plateau — and that was the main walk of the trip. Colonial streets, a square, everyday city life. Dinner at a good café; a few Germans at the next table. Otherwise the tourist crowd is clearly elsewhere.
Food, language, and culture are Portuguese — the islands still carry that clearly — mixed with a slower Atlantic-African pace. You eat well, you hear Portuguese, you get the atmosphere in an afternoon.
The island’s highlights do not take long. Praia is not the postcard version of Cabo Verde. It is the working capital: compact, walkable, and done when you have seen the centre. If you want resort beaches and kite schools, Sal and Boa Vista are the usual choice. If you want a short, honest look at the capital before moving on, this is enough.
