Experience the best of Mindelo

Mindelo curves around Porto Grande, a deep natural bay that made it a coaling stop for steamships crossing the Atlantic in the 19th century. Pastel-coloured colonial buildings line the waterfront and the Praça Nova, and a small replica of Lisbon's Torre de Belém stands beside the harbour. The fish market near the quay is busy at dawn, while the peak of Monte Cara, shaped like a face in profile, watches over the bay.

Mindelo has long been the cultural centre of the islands. Cesária Évora, the barefoot singer of morna, was born here, and live music turns up in bars most evenings. Carnival, held in the weeks before Lent, fills the streets with floats and costumes. Laginha, the town beach, is a short walk from the centre, and a ferry crosses the channel to Santo Antão, an island of green valleys and steep mountain trails.

Cachupa, a slow stew of hominy corn, beans and fish or pork, is the national dish, often fried the next morning and served with an egg. Grogue, a strong spirit distilled from sugar cane, is drunk neat or mixed into punch. The sun shines nearly every day, rain is rare, and the wind blows hard enough to attract sailors and windsurfers.