Mindelo
Cape Verde's second city, a port on the natural harbour of Porto Grande that once kept coal for British steamers, and the town where Cesária Évora was born.
- Arrival
- Cesária Évora International · VXE
- To the town
- About 10 km south-west of the centre
- Private jets
- Customs on site, open 6 am to 10 pm
- Best time
- All year
The city
Coal, cables and carnival.
The Portuguese founded Mindelo in 1793 on Porto Grande Bay, a natural harbour on São Vicente. From 1838 the British East India Company kept coal here for its ships, the Royal Mail steamers followed in 1850, and from 1884 a submarine cable through the town joined Europe, Africa, India and North America. When ships turned from coal to oil early in the twentieth century, the port lost that trade.
About 70,000 people live here, nearly everyone on the island. The town is known for its carnival, Portuguese in origin and Brazilian in later style, and for Cesária Évora, born here in 1941. Ferries cross from the harbour to Santo Antão.
- Torre de Belém A copy of Lisbon's Belém Tower on the waterfront, built between 1918 and 1937.
- Monte Verde The low mountain that rises to the east of the town.
- Laginha The town beach, about ten minutes on foot from the central square.
Arriving
Ten kilometres from the bay.
Cesária Évora International lies about ten kilometres south-west of the centre, by the village of São Pedro. Built in 1959 and 1960, it was enlarged for international flights between 2005 and 2009 and took the singer's name in 2012.
- Dakar 1 h 25
- Marrakech 3 h 25
- Casablanca 3 h 35
- London 6 h 00
- Munich 6 h 35 long-range jet
When to go
All year round.
Cooler than Sal or Santiago, with highs of 22 to 27 °C and rain that rarely passes ten millimetres in a month. September and October bring the only real showers. The sea stays between 22 and 26 °C.
- 22° J 10 23°
- 22° F 9 22°
- 23° M 1 22°
- 23° A 6 23°
- 24° M 10 23°
- 25° J 4 24°
- 26° J 4 25°
- 27° A 8 26°
- 27° S 35 26°
- 26° O 25 26°
- 25° N 10 26°
- 23° D 11 24°
Elsewhere in Cape Verde
More reasons to come.
- Sal Salt pans in an old crater, and the beach of Santa Maria.
- Boa Vista Dunes and empty beaches, with loggerhead turtles nesting in summer.
- Praia The capital on Santiago, near Cidade Velha, the first colonial town in the tropics.
- Santo Antão Green valleys and mountain trails, an hour by ferry from Mindelo.
- Fogo A volcano still active, with vines growing in its crater.
Flying to Mindelo?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.