The Torre de Belém
A replica on the waterfront.
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Mindelo is a port city on Porto Grande Bay on São Vicente, Cape Verde's second city and its cultural capital. It is famous for its colourful carnival and music and is the home of the singer Cesária Évora, and its painted fronts and boats give it a mood unlike the other islands. The Portuguese founded it in 1793, and it took its present name in 1838. It became a coal depot for British ships that year and a city in 1879. In 1884 a submarine cable linked it with Europe, Africa, India and North America. The port declined as ships moved from coal to oil. It was the cultural capital of the Portuguese-speaking world from 2002 to 2003. You walk the waterfront among the boats, past the Torre de Belém, a replica of the tower in Lisbon, and a blue tile panel of the old bay. The squares have craft stalls and shops, with a municipal market of 1878 and the People's Palace of 1874. From the shore you see Monte Cara, a 490-metre mountain like a face looking at the sky, above the moored boats. The city lies in the north of São Vicente, with its airport 9 km away and Monte Cara 6.9 km in a straight line to the west. Ferries to Santo Antão leave from the port. Carnival is the best-known time, so book early. Avoid isolated places at night and watch your belongings. Dress modestly in the neighbourhoods, and night music is often in places serving alcohol, so choose what suits you.
A replica on the waterfront.
A mountain like a face.
A building of 1878.
Porto Grande Bay, São Vicente island
Usually before Lent, so book early and check the dates.
By ferry from Mindelo's port, so check the schedule.