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Cidade Velha Tour: Explore World Heritage Site and Birthplace of Cape Verdean Culture

4.7

6 Ratings

Praia

Discover the rich history of Cidade Velha, a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Cape Verdean culture. Explore the city's highlights and learn about colonization and slavery in Cape Verde.

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Praia - Get picked up from your accommodation and travel towards Cidade Velha.
Cidade Velha - Explore the highlights of Cidade Velha, a World Heritage Site that represents the cradle of Cape Verdean nation and culture.
Convento de Sao Francisco - The Convent of São Francisco was built in the 17th century, and it has served as housing for the Franciscan order and a training center for priests.
Nossa Senhora do Rosário church - The first historical monument to be built in Cape Verde. It is an important church visited by columbus and Vasco da Gama before sailing on to remote lands.
Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande - At lunch, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the city and taste local delights in a typical restaurant right on the seafront.
Rue Banana - Visit the famous Banana Street with its traditional houses. It was the first street to be urbanized by the Portuguese in the tropics.
Pelourinho - Meet local fishermen and learn the history of slavery at the former slave market in Pillory.
Se Catedral - Explore the ruins of the first Cathedral built by Europeans in Sub-Saharan Africa, followed by a panoramic view of the city center’s colonial buildings from the top of Calhau fishing bay.
Fortaleza Real de San Felipe - Take a guided walking tour of the São Felipe Fortress and discover the ancient system of defense against pirate attacks.
Please not that the
Praia - The tour finishes with drop-off back to your hotel in Praia.

What's Included

Liability insurance included
Expert tour guide provided
Convenient pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in Praia or Cidade Velha
Transportation arranged for the entire tour

What's Not Included

Lunch
Entrance fee (€5 for São Filipe Fortress)

Additional Information

Discover Cidade Velha, the first city established by Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa and a designated World Heritage Site. Known as the birthplace of Cape Verde’s society and heritage, a visit to the city offers an opportunity to broaden your understanding of the nation’s colonization and slavery history. Also, don’t miss out on the key points of interest within the city.

Children must be accompanied by an adult
Please bring comfortable clothes and shoes, a hat and sunscreen
A moderate walking is involved

Location

Praia

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.7

(6 Ratings)

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1 star

Owen_h

Mar 31, 2024

A must see, excellently guided! - Dana was a delight and great fun to be with and was very considerate of my questions and interests. I learned a lot about Cidade Velha and it's various waves of pirate attacks, but also about the geopolitical significance of being the first European settlement in the tropics. Dana also told me some of the deeply emptional stories of how people were bought and sold in the town square, with local (captive)women singing to give those about to be taken to the new world hope of one day returning to Africa. To boost moral at its lowest ebb. Its a beautiful and deeply historic spot and well worth the trip.

Review provided by Viator

Faraway684487

Nov 6, 2021

Nice Town - Very nice town. One of the few places in Cape Verde where you can see culturally sights. The guide was very nice and was telling a lot about the history of this place and Cape Verde.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Docdynamite

Sep 20, 2021

Interesting trip to the old capital - Interesting trip to the old capital of Santiago island, learning a lot about the history of Cape Verde. Fantastic tour guides. We did several tours and were very happy that we found this company.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Reinout

Jul 4, 2019

Excellent tour - We took a tour of cidade velha, which was excellent. Our guide Zenildo took a lot of time to show interesting sights and explain the goings-on of the island. Communication was quick and clear, the driver was fine. Would definitely recommend.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Carneezy90

Nov 13, 2018

Better than I'd ever imagined! - Exceeding expectations is an understatement. I’ve been on several tours around the globe, but I’ve never experienced anything like this! A full immersion experience of culture, food, people, art, and humanity. From end-to-end the trip was packed with fun and excitement, blended with history lessons in between. Admilson’s mastery of not only the Cape Verde landscape, but the several languages he spoke and the attention to detail that was specific to the goals my wife and I looked to gain from the tour, was look nothing I’d ever seen before. I highly recommend him and his company to anyone that’s looking to get the most out of their time in CV and or their vacation. Wish we had more time, would have loved to do and see more.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Basanth

Oct 6, 2019

Not a private tour despite advertising it as such - The tour was listed as a private tour and I was under the impression it would be such. However, it wasn’t one which greatly limited the positive impact I was hoping it would have

Review provided by Viator

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up to 10 guests

1 Adult