Praia

Understand

thumb|300px|View from the Diogo Gomez memorial Praia and its suburbs is by far the largest urban area in Cape Verde. The center of the city lies on a plateau (port. Platô) overlooking the bay to the southeast and the airport lies a few kilometers to the northeast. The port is important for the export of agricultural products and seafood, which besides tourism is the most important industry in the country.

Praia is located in the southern end of Santiago Island and has year round good weather. The city is divided into various small unofficial districts, the most important ones being, Platô (city center), Achada Santo Antonio, Palmarejo, Fazenda, Achada Grande, Varzea, Safende, Sucupira (bazaar area), Calbeciera, Terra Branca, Vila Nova, Achadinha, Bairro, Prainha, Monte Vermelho, Achada Mato, Achada Sao Felipe, and other smaller ones. Most part of the city are residential areas, so probably not worth visiting in itself, but worth a half-day exploration if you are passing through to another destination.

The Cape Verdean escudo is denoted "15px", the same sign that is used by dollars and pesos around the world. In this article, prices after the "$" signs are in escudos, unless otherwise stated.

Get in

thumb|Nelson Mandela International Airport

Get around

The city has countless bus stops, and taxis are everywhere waiting for customers.

See

thumb|Praia Catedral thumb|The presidential palace and the Diogo Gomes monument thumb|Fundação Amílcar Cabral A large part of the sights are located at the plateau. The old city wall complete with the old cannons protected it from attackers arriving by sea. The governmental district is in the southern part of town.

Buy

thumbnail|Market in Praia There are several markets in Praia. Even if you don't intend to buy anything, it's worth a visit if you want to experience an African market. A great souvenir is one of the patterned, colourful cloths made in the countryside.

Drink

You won't find an abundance of nightspots in Praia.

Sleep

thumb|Quartel Jaime Mota — old colonial barracks

Stay safe

thumb|Gamboa beach Being the capital and biggest city of the country, Praia has a higher crime rate than most parts of the country. Most crimes involve petty thievery and these are mostly focused on residents and not on tourists, although there have been a few cases which have involved tourists. So though Praia in general is still a very safe city, be careful not to flaunt any expensive jewelry or gadgets like iPhones and such. Cape Verde in the past few years has seen an increase of petty crimes which are done mostly by groups of young people, so avoid groups of young men especially at night.

Praia is also badly lit at night, so be careful in places that might not have street lights and are somewhat isolated, and always travel in pairs or larger groups for safety. However, if anything does occur there are police stations in various parts of the city and a general hospital in the city center.

Stay healthy

thumb|Hospital Agostinho Neto There's one hospital in the city: There are also five community health centers.

Connect

There are internet cafes in Praia: