Praia: the Plateau and the first colonial town in the tropics

The Plateau, the historic heart of Praia built on a rocky plateau above the port, gives its name to the city itself: 'praia' simply means beach in Portuguese.

Moving along the coast you reach Cidade Velha, founded in 1462 as the first European colonial settlement in the tropics, a UNESCO World Heritage site and once the central hub of the Atlantic slave trade.

Among its ruins, the Royal Fort of São Filipe, built at the end of the sixteenth century to defend the port, and the stone pillory in Pelourinho Square tell that colonial past even today.

Returning toward Praia, the beach of Quebra Canela, sheltered and close to the center, offers a peaceful swim to close the day.

The Pelourinho of Cidade Velha, the pillar where enslaved people were once publicly punished, still stands today in the village's main square, a direct memorial rather than a mere historical artifact.

Despite its name, the beach most frequented by Praia residents is not in the city center but right at Quebra Canela, a few kilometers further south.