Cabo Verde
How to get to Cabo Verde starts with the geography: a ten-island volcanic archipelago roughly 385 miles off the coast of Senegal, a former Portuguese colony that became independent in 1975. It’s small — around half a million people — but its diaspora abroad outnumbers the population at home, with major communities in the US, Portugal and the Netherlands. The islands split into two groups, windward (Barlavento) and leeward (Sotavento), and each has its own character: Sal and Boa Vista are flat, dry and built around beach tourism; Santiago and Fogo are volcanic and mountainous; São Vicente holds the country’s cultural capital, Mindelo. Portuguese is the official language, but daily life runs in Cabo Verdean Creole — the language morna is sung in.
Tourism Board
Why Go
Cabo Verde doesn’t behave like one destination — it behaves like ten, each island with its own terrain and mood. Beach resorts, hiking volcanoes, colonial history and a music tradition recognized by UNESCO all sit within a short inter-island flight of each other.
Main Cities & Airports
| City / Island | Airport | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Praia, Santiago · capital | Nelson Mandela International | RAI |
| Espargos / Santa Maria, Sal · main international gateway | Amílcar Cabral International | SID |
| Mindelo, São Vicente · cultural capital | Cesária Évora International | VXE |
| Sal Rei, Boa Vista | Aristides Pereira International | BVC |
Inter-island flights connect all four gateways, so flying into one and continuing onward by air is routine.
Home Airlines
How to Get to Cabo Verde From North America
| Nonstop From | Code | Carrier(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Providence, RI | PVD | Cabo Verde Airlines (VR) |
| Direct From | Code | Carrier(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Providence, RI | PVD | Cabo Verde Airlines (VR) — same-plane stop in Sal (SID) |
Cabo Verde is a regular stop on transatlantic and West Africa cruise itineraries, with calls at Mindelo (São Vicente) and Praia (Santiago) — a slower but real way to arrive by water.
Where Else You Can Go From Cabo Verde
Most of Cabo Verde’s international connections run through Europe — Lisbon is the critical hub, with multiple daily flights on both TAP Air Portugal and Cabo Verde Airlines, and it’s the most practical European gateway for North American travelers who can’t access the Providence routing. Note that many German, Italian, British and Dutch services listed below are seasonal charter operations not typically available for non-rev travel.
Fogo / São Filipe SFL — from RAI, SID
Maio MMO — from RAI
São Nicolau SNE — from RAI, SID
Inter-island hops are short and inexpensive — essential for reaching any island beyond Sal or Praia.
Casablanca, Morocco CMN — Royal Air Maroc (AT) from SID, RAI
Dakar, Senegal DSS — ASKY Airlines (KP), Air Senegal (HC) from SID, RAI
Gran Canaria LPA — Binter Canarias (NT) from SID
Lomé, Togo LFW — ASKY Airlines (KP) via Dakar from RAI
Ponta Delgada, Azores PDL — SATA International (S4), TAP Air Portugal (TP) from RAI — connects onward to Boston
Recife, Brazil REC — Cabo Verde Airlines (VR) from RAI — direct transatlantic
Barcelona BCN — Vueling (VY) from SID
Bilbao BIO — Cabo Verde Airlines (VR) from SID
Brussels BRU — Jetairfly (TB) from SID, BVC (charter)
Frankfurt · Munich · Dusseldorf · Stuttgart · Hanover — TUI fly Deutschland (X3) from SID, BVC (charter)
Lisbon LIS — Cabo Verde Airlines (VR), TAP Air Portugal (TP), EasyJet (U2) from SID, RAI, VXE, BVC — primary hub for North American connections
London Gatwick · Manchester · Birmingham · Bristol · East Midlands · Glasgow · Newcastle — TOM/TUI from SID, BVC (charter)
Luxembourg City LUX — Luxair (LG) from SID, RAI, VXE, BVC
Lyon · Marseille · Nantes · Bordeaux — Transavia France (TO) from SID, RAI, VXE, BVC
Milan · Rome · Verona · Bergamo — Neos Air (NO) from SID, BVC (charter)
Paris CDG CDG — Cabo Verde Airlines (VR) from SID, RAI, VXE
Paris Orly ORY — Transavia France (TO) from SID, RAI, VXE, BVC
Porto OPO — Cabo Verde Airlines (VR), TAP Air Portugal (TP), EasyJet (U2) from SID, RAI, VXE, BVC
Zurich ZRH — Edelweiss Air (WK), Swiss Airlines (LX), Lufthansa (LH) from SID, VXE, BVC
Common Questions
How do I get to Cabo Verde from the US?
There’s exactly one North American gateway: Providence, Rhode Island. Cabo Verde Airlines flies nonstop from PVD to Sal (SID), with some flights continuing on as a direct, same-plane service to Praia (RAI) — a route that traces back to New England’s large Cape Verdean diaspora. Everywhere else in the country, the only way in is by connecting through Europe, most commonly Lisbon.
Which Cabo Verde island should I fly into?
Sal (SID) is the beach-resort gateway — flat, dry, and built around Santa Maria’s tourist strip, and the easiest island to reach from North America. Praia (RAI), on Santiago, is the capital and the historic and cultural heart of the country, with Cidade Velha a short drive away. Sun and convenience point to Sal; history and culture point to Praia.
Tourism source: Visit Cabo Verde — Cabo Verde Tourism Institute (visit-caboverde.com). Historical and cultural citations: UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Route data compiled from airline and airport schedules.