Santiago Island: Best of Praia & Cidade Velha Tour, a World Heritage Site
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Explore Praia on a guided tour of the Municipal Market and the city major historical sites. Visit Cidade Velha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and learn about the history of slavery in the first city built by Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa.
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
A small amount of walking is involved
Please bring comfortable clothes, a hat and sunscreen
Note that the Municipal Market is closed on Sundays and the Fortress closed on holidays
No serious Medical conditions
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Praia
Start with pick up from your accommodation.
Praia City Hall
Depart towards the historical center of Plateau and start the walking tour through the Jaime Mota Military Barracks, Presidential Palace, Alexandre Albuquerque Square, until the Municipal Market (closed on Sundays).
What‘s Included
Liability insurance
Tour Guide
Transportation
Pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in Praia
Entrance fee (€5 for São Filipe Fortress)
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Shared Group Tour
Shared
Duration: 5 hours
Pickup included
Private Tour
Private
Duration: 5 hours
Pickup included
Reviews
19 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Amazing tour to understand the beginning!
benardmoro,,Nov 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very nice experience with a group and a super nice guide. The explanations about the beginnings of the Cape Verde , slavery ... are very interesting Thank you!
Nice tour!
Margarita N,,Nov 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A nice tour! Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and explained everything clearly. He took us to all the key spots and made the experience enjoyable from start to finish. Highly recommended!
Very nice idea
Codissou,,Nov 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nice visit with Lisandro. He was great as a guide and the tour was great. Explanations to his help, everything was impeccable!
A very good time
Morgane M,,Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This excursion was really good. My guide, Bamba, gave me a lot of information about the history of the city and the fortress and answered all my questions. The vegetation around Cidade Velha is very beautiful. I highly recommend this tour!
Authentic Santiago Tour
N908DXpatricias,,Mar 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Superb excursion!! Cathia with another guide showed us Praia. They allowed us to learn more about the history of Cape Verde. We visited some beautiful places. If you want to learn the history of Cape Verde I recommend this authentic and very well organized excursion
Hidden gem of the Atlantic.
Joyce U,,Feb 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Elton is very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. He gave us lots of time to take photos and even allowed us to purchase souvenirs at the market with no complains. Even gave us a quick break and had bbq chicken at the park. Also, got a chance to interact with the kids at the plaza. Advise for future Viator bookers: Bring water and do not leave it in the car, you’ll definitely need it. Don’t make the same mistake like us haha! Much respect to Ahérton as well for providing the transportation. He was an angel at the right place at the right time. He helped us out when we landed at the airport to get to our hotel because our driver didn’t show up and we do not know how to communicate Portuguese. Coincidentally, he was our driver on our tour guide. People in Praia Cape Verde are very welcoming, accommodating and friendly. Permitted to have more time to spend on the island, we would’ve. Thank you again for these hardworking folks!
Very nice guide
Arvind J,,Nov 22, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Though I was picked up a bit later than my scheduled time but my Guide Ivana was wonderful and made up for it. She was knowledgable, friendly and accomodating. It was a tour to see some major attractions of Praia. I recommend going on this tour. Thank you Ivana for a good tour.
A great team!
MarjorieDreyer,,Nov 10, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent 12 days in Cape Verde, specifically on Santiago and Maio, and it was one of our best trips thanks to the Bu country team 😊🙏🏻 their guides are great, always smiling, patient and dedicated and people at the office do not count their working hours to satisfy your desires and needs, as well as to alleviate last minute situations 😌😌 big thanks to the whole team, Djibril, Afi, Damaris, Elizandro, Admilson, Luisa,... as well as all the people we met through this trip and with whom we shared magical moments ❤️❤️
Perfect
ionel B,,Oct 22, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Everything was perfect, two experienced guides, Very well prepared in the history of Cabo Verde, very pleased with everything
Excellent tour, but a bit lacking in some regards
Alyson K,,Oct 19, 2024
- Review from Viator
4.00I really enjoyed this tour and learning about the history and culture of Praia and Cidade Velha. Our guide was prompt, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable. My only critique would be to include more about African history, contributions, and culture during the tour. It was heavily focused on Europe.
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Operated by Bu Country Tours