The town of Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente is maaybe not much to see. The city center has a number of preserved colonial-style buildings, some nicely renovated, some in varying degrees of disrepair. The city is Cape Verde’s second largest and the 70,000 inhabitants make up 93% of the small island’s population.
But Sao Vicente has an international airport and is the gateway to scenic Santo Antao, the morna music, and not least, a famous carnival which is the largest in Cape Verde.
Read about the carnival here: Sao Vicente Carnival. Mindelo, Cape Verde
Mindelo
On a normal day, there is not that much to do in Mindelo. There are a few museums and the fort is a ruin. But you can stroll around to feel the atmosphere, go to the beach or go to a restaurant that doesn’t serve overly exciting food, and listen to music.
The music is the really special thing about the city. Mindelo is known as Cape Verde’s cultural capital and has many performers of “morna” music that is unique to the islands. The music is atmospheric and influenced by African, Caribbean, Portuguese and Brazilian music. Cesária Évora, who has made the music known outside of Cape Verde was born in Mindelo, and the city’s airport is named after her.
In Rua Guerra Mendes is a tiny museum in her house with pictures and some artifacts. If you are interested in world music, it might be worth a look.
Many tourist restaurants have live music in the evening, but if you want to hear the real Cape Verdean music, you have to stay awake. The music bars don’t open until 8-9 in the evening, and there isn’t much life until after midnight. In return, they don’t close until 5 in the morning. The music bars come and go, and there is not always music. The easiest way to find them is by walking around and following the sound.
If you want to go to a restaurant and get good food and listen to music, Casa Tcicau is recommended. The restaurant is located on the slopes towards Alto Santo Antonio, a rather labyrinthine residential area where it is difficult to find your way around. But the area has a lot of atmosphere. You must book a table. Here are several casas where you can stay. For example Casa Bom Dia, a very pleasant place with a large roof terrace and a view of the city. The host is Belgian, very helpful and speaks fluent English and German.
Museo De Arte Tradicional be worth a visit. It shows traditional and modern Cape Verdean art. Especially woven carpets that have a long tradition on the islands.
Most restaurants can be found on the parallel street to the harbor promenade and its side streets. On Nautilus you meet other tourists and can eat good fish. At the end of the park to the north, you can have a pint and watch football at Simpatico Sports Bar, or eat spaghetti in the Italian restaurant next door. If you want to get away from the tourists, you can walk up the street from the park (marked with a star on the map, without a number). At the end of a passage from the road is a secluded little restaurant with good food. The roof terrace vis-à-vis Nautilus looks inviting, but avoid if you don’t want pizza.
If you move just outside the city core, bland concrete buildings dominate, and the well-known half-built ruins from the south testify to hubris and poor funding. The ruins are mostly intended hotels. One can wonder whether there is a need for so many hotel places. But there is probably a desire to get a share of the income that the islands of Sal and Boa Vista get from tourism.
If you go north from the center you will reach Praia da Laghina, a large beach with white sand. Previously, the beach was flanked by restaurants and music bars, now they have been demolished in favor of a mammoth hotel that completely dominates the seafront. It may seem that the urban developers do not fully understand what the tourists want. The hotel is still under construction in 2023. In any case, one can hope that they manage to finish it, so that it will not be another empty concrete shell.
At the end of the beach is a popular restaurant, Caravela Mindelo. A perfect place for lunch or just a pint, or dinner and music in the evening. One of the few outdoor restaurants in the city. If you sit with your back to the concrete monster behind you, you get a lovely view of the beach and sea, with Santo Antao’s mountains in the distance.
All about Cape Verde here: cape-verde
