Sotavento Islands · Cape Verde
Where to stay in Praia
Praia is a city in Sotavento Islands, Cape Verde, home to about 159,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Praia.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Best months
- October to August
- Nearest airport
- RAI4 km · Nelson Mandela International Airport
- Currency
- CVECape Verdean escudo
- Time zone
- Atlantic/Cape Verde
- Language
- Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese
About
About Praia
Praia is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde. Located on the southern coast of Santiago island within the Sotavento Islands group, the city is the seat of the Praia Municipality.
Praia and its suburbs is by far the largest urban area in Cape Verde. The center of the city lies on a plateau (port. Platô) overlooking the bay to the southeast and the airport lies a few kilometers to the northeast. The port is important for the export of agricultural products and seafood, which besides tourism is the most important industry in the country. Praia is located in the southern end of Santiago Island and has year round good weather.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Praia
See
A large part of the sights are located at the plateau. The old city wall complete with the old cannons protected it from attackers arriving by sea. The governmental district is in the southern part of town.
- Praia town hall
- Praia Cathedral
- Supreme Court
- Presidential Palace
- Quartel Jaime Mota
- Igreja do Nazareno
- Palácio da Assembleia
- Praça Alexandre Albuquerque
- Museu Etnográfico
- Fundação Amílcar Cabral
- Estado da Varzea
- Praia de Gamboa
Do
Cape Verdeans like to party, and there are many events throughout the year. The largest of them is the carnival, taking place in the beginning of the year as elsewhere in the Catholic world. With its procession and dances it is not too dissimilar to the Brazilian version, but here the processions aren't strictly arranged by samba schools but rather a spontaneous and informal event where everyone can partake. Other religious festivals (for example honoring a saint) are also reminiscent of the carnival, starting with a mass and continuing as a street festival. Reportedly having some of the best waves in the world, Praia is a good destination for surfing and water skiing.
- Praia de Quebra Canela
- Praia de Prainha
- Praia da Gamboa
- Praia Negra
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Praia
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Barceló Praia Cape Verde hotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
More hotels in Praia
10 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Aparthotel Praiano | 2.3 km | |
| Casa Privada do Plateau | 0.2 km | |
| Hotel Cesaria | 1.1 km | |
| Hotel Santa Maria | 0.1 km | |
| Hotel VIP Praia | 1.9 km | |
| Oasis Praiamar | 1.7 km | |
| Pestana Tropico Ocean & City Hotel | 1.2 km | |
| Praia Confort | 0.1 km | |
| Sol Hotel | 1.3 km | |
| Vivenda Viviani | 2.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Praia
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Praia are October to August. September is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; September is the wettest, with about 68 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Praia: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI), about 3.7 km from the city centre in a straight line; Maio Airport (MMO, 41 km) is also within reach.
Getting around
The city has countless bus stops, and taxis are everywhere waiting for customers. There are two main bus companies that serve the city, Moura Company and Sol Atlantico. Each route has their own numbers. The main lines are from Safende to Achada Santo Antonio, Vila Nova to Achada Santo Antonio, Calbeceira to Palmarejo, Pensamento to Terra Branca, Achada Grande to Achada Santo Antonio, Sao Felipe to Plateau, Ponta D'Agua to Plateau,Achada Mato to Palmarejo. Most of these lines pass by Plateau (city center), Varzea and Terra Branca, the bus fare is $41 (as of February 2022).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
RAI · Nelson Mandela International Airport
MMO · Maio Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Praia
Stay safe
Being the capital and biggest city of the country, Praia has a higher crime rate than most parts of the country. Most crimes involve petty thievery and these are mostly focused on residents and not on tourists, although there have been a few cases which have involved tourists. So though Praia in general is still a very safe city, be careful not to flaunt any expensive jewelry or gadgets like iPhones and such. Cape Verde in the past few years has seen an increase of petty crimes which are done mostly by groups of young people, so avoid groups of young men especially at night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Praia: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Praia?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Praia are October to August. September is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; September is the wettest, with about 68 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Praia?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI), about 3.7 km from the city centre in a straight line; Maio Airport (MMO, 41 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Praia?
Cape Verdean escudo (CVE).
Nearby
Destinations near Praia
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.