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Cidade Velha lies on the south coast of Santiago, a short drive from Praia, and this is where the story of Cape Verde begins. This page starts in the main square with its pillory, follows Rua da Banana, passes the churches and the ruined cathedral and ends at the fort that looks out over the town and the sea.
Portuguese settlers founded the town in 1462 under the name Ribeira Grande, and it grew into the first colonial town that Europeans built in the tropics. It was also the first capital of the islands, until the seat of government moved to Praia. For a long time its harbour was a key stop in the Atlantic slave trade, a past the town keeps in view. Today Cidade Velha is a World Heritage Site, listed in 2009 as Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande.
The heart of the town is its main square, where the Pelourinho still stands. This stone pillory column recalls how enslaved people were sold and punished on this very spot, and many visitors pause here in silence. A few steps away, Rua da Banana is a narrow street lined with low stone houses, one of the places where the old layout of the settlement is easiest to read.
The church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário dates from the late fifteenth century and is the oldest building still standing in Cidade Velha. The Sé Catedral, once the great church of the town, now stands in ruins, and its broken walls give a sense of how ambitious the colony was. The convent of São Francisco completes the group of religious buildings that belong to the old town.
In the late sixteenth century the English privateer Francis Drake sacked the town, and pirates and privateers came back more than once. The answer was the Fort Real de São Filipe, raised on the hill that rises behind the old centre. From its walls the view takes in the rooftops, the valley of Ribeira Grande and the open Atlantic.
Cidade Velha is a small place: the 2021 census counted 1,156 inhabitants. It is the seat of the municipality of Ribeira Grande de Santiago, which borders Praia, so most visitors come over from the capital for a half day or as one stop on a longer trip around the island. The fort sits well above the streets, so the visit includes a climb, and comfortable shoes are a good idea.
Three small group tours from Praia include a guided visit to the town, each with pickup at your accommodation. A half day tour starts with a walk through the Plateau, the historic centre of Praia, and its markets, then takes the public bus to Cidade Velha for the fort, the cathedral ruins, the main square and Rua da Banana, and ends with a tasting of a traditional local spirit. Another half day begins inland with an easy hike through the green Calabaceira valley, where farmers grow sugar cane, mango and cassava and a giant baobab stands out, and then continues to Cidade Velha for the convent, Rua da Banana, the Pelourinho, the cathedral ruins and the fort. A full day around the island opens in Cidade Velha with the fort, the pillory square and the stone houses of Rua da Banana, then heads inland for a cooking workshop with a local family and a mountain drive through Picos, Assomada and Serra Malagueta Natural Park, before free time on the beach at Tarrafal.
All trips that stop here are also on the Cidade Velha destination page.
In 1462, when the Portuguese called it Ribeira Grande.
Yes, it was the first one. Praia only took over that role later.
Yes. The fort guards Cidade Velha from the hillside and belongs to the same historic site.
By road, as the two towns are close. All three tours above collect you in Praia, and one of them uses the public bus.
Sources: Wikidata (CC0).
