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Historic Plateau Tour: Explore Cape Verde's First City
5.0
20 Ratings
Praia
Experience the local lifestyle on this four-hour tour, exploring the historic center of Plateau and all the highlights of the first city established by Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa, Cidade Velha. Discover the birthplace of Cape Verdean history and culture, and visit iconic locations rich with remarkable stories.
Experience the local lifestyle on this four-hour tour, exploring the historic center of Plateau and all the highlights of the first city established by Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa, Cidade Velha. Discover the birthplace of Cape Verdean history and culture, and visit iconic locations rich with remarkable stories.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Praia - Guests will be collected from their accommodation.
- Praca Alexandre Albuquerque - After collection, guests will be guided to the historical center of the plateau for a brief walking tour through the Jaime Mota Military Barracks, passing by the Presidential Palace and Alexandre Albuquerque Square. At the Municipal Market (closed on…
- Praia - Guests will be collected from their accommodation.
- Praca Alexandre Albuquerque - After collection, guests will be guided to the historical center of the plateau for a brief walking tour through the Jaime Mota Military Barracks, passing by the Presidential Palace and Alexandre Albuquerque Square. At the Municipal Market (closed on Sundays), guests can meet locals and discover a variety of local fruits and vegetables.
- Mercado de Sucupira - Guests will explore the largest souvenir market in Cape Verde. Following this, there will be a short drive to Cidade Velha with a professional guide.
- Fortaleza Real de San Felipe - The next stop is Cidade Velha, where guests will enjoy an easy walk to the Real Fortress of São Felipe. Originally built to protect the city from pirate attacks, the fort offers an excellent viewpoint from 120 meters above sea level.
- Se Catedral - Guests will proceed to the Ruins of Sé Cathedral, the first sub-Saharan African Cathedral built by Europeans, and observe anglers returning from the sea with traditional boats filled with fresh fish.
- Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande - Guests will visit the former slave market in Pelourinho, the renowned Banana Street with its traditional houses, the Nossa Senhora do Rosário Church, and finally, the Convent of São Francisco.
- Praia - After this enlightening and historical tour, guests will return to Praia and be dropped off at their accommodation.
What's Included
- Pick up and drop off
- Guiding service
- Pontxi tasting
- Public transportation
- Pick up and drop off
- Guiding service
- Pontxi tasting
- Public transportation
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Personal expenses
- Entrance fees
- Lunch
- Personal expenses
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
- The transfer from Praia to Cidade Velha and vice versa will be done in a mini public van, with capacity for up to 15 passengers, being necessary to wait for the capacity to depart.
- The transfer from Praia to Cidade Velha and vice versa will be done in a mini public van, with capacity for up to 15 passengers, being necessary to wait for the capacity to depart.
Location
Praia
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(20 Ratings)
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1 star
Simon_t
Sep 5, 2025
Fabulous tour of Praia and Cidade Velha - Excellent tour of Praia and Cidade Velha with a look at the history of the islands, the colonial Portuguese architecture and the warm and friendly people. Ivana was a great guide
Review provided by Viator
Ezwriter
Mar 21, 2025
Nice time with a good guide - We had a really nice tour with Allesandro. He was a very good driver, had a pleasant personality, and provided a lot of information about the various sights on the tour. The communication with the tour company was helpful and accurate. I would not hesitate to use this tour company and Allesandro again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Egresele
Mar 3, 2025
Very good tour - Ricardo is a very good and funny guide, with a lot of interesting details and stories to tell.
Very good tour to know the city and its history!
The company is very flexible and helpful.
Review provided by Viator
Trailblazer783978
Feb 20, 2025
Great half day tour - Our driver and guide were great. The guide was very patient and answered all our questions. He was very familiar with other islands so that helped with understanding the history of Cabo Verde and the different island cultures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lemonnierf
Dec 30, 2024
Great day, great guide - Very nice half day spent with our guide Cynthia, really top. Many explanations and information, listening to our requests and wishes, the visits are very interesting and the beautiful places we highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deebsahara
Oct 27, 2024
Intersting tour of praia historical cultural - very nice friendly & instructive tour, getting counted story of discovery of cabo verde in 14ies century , by visiting this forteres , and green valley surrounding it, then visit of the old city president palace , & market, cultural & historical tour nicely accompagnied guided by ivana & driver who were realy friendly & profesionnal at the same time, i recommend a must do in Praia & for knowing the history of the country
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lolis907
Aug 23, 2024
They are very attentive to customers - I really like it is very familiar and the people who wear it are great and I have been repeating for 3 years and so I will continue doing fantastic
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Saharianoss_d
Jul 15, 2024
Friendly & professional cultural & historical tour - very nice friendly & instructive tour, getting counted story of discovery of cabo verde in 14ies century , by visiting this forteres , and green valley surrounding it, then visit of the old city president palace , & market, cultural & historical tour nicely accompagnied guided by ivana & driver who were realy friendly & profesionnal at the same time, i recommend a must do in Praia & for knowing the history of the country
Review provided by Viator
Elisa_k
Jun 19, 2023
The tour was very well... - The tour was very well organised and thorough, and the team from Bu Country Tours was super accommodating and easy to communicate with. I was lucky enough to do this tour on my own with Alex, who taught me a lot about the culture and history of Cabo Verde. He was super informative and willing to answer all my questions, and he was generally a joy to spend the day with. Would absolutely recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Kach
Oct 27, 2022
Explore like a LOCAL! - After doing a full day Santiago Island Tour plus a workshop with Bu Country Tours, I had a second day well spent! This time, I explored Praia and the highlights of Cidade Velha, the country’s former capital. Maria, my guide and my photographer that day was such a fun lady to be with!
Praia is such a wonderful city, full of colorful artworks on the houses and streets as well as full of sweet welcoming locals. It was indeed a great experience to dance and talk with them.
Since Cidade Velha is the former capital of Cape Verde, there are a lot of places that can be explored here. We visited Fortaleza Real de Sao Filipe, Se Catedral, Pelourinho, Rua Banana, Nossa Senhora do Rosario Church, and Convento de Sao Francisco.
This day tour is full of learnings! If you’re interested to learn more about Cape Verde’s history and culture, this tour is the perfect one for you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
