Cape Verde public transport
Ten islands, two real city bus networks, a shared-minibus culture with no timetable anywhere, and a ferry system that decides the shape of your trip. Cape Verde Bus puts the official sources for all three in one place.
Guide checked 6 August 2026
Mindelo–Porto Novo is the shortest crossing, and the operator’s schedule showed sailings both ways on the day we read it. Every line can be disrupted by sea conditions — the UK government warns that crossings to Brava and Fogo in particular are often disrupted — and CV InterIlhas publishes its schedule only weeks ahead. Never book a same-day onward flight against a ferry arrival.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development OfficeCape Verde travel advice: safety and security
The shared minibuses that carry most of the country outside Praia and Mindelo are not timetabled. We checked the national government transport portal and the licensed operators: none publishes aluguer departure times or route fares. The airport company gives only an approximate minimum fare per trip, and the tourism board warns that in some areas these vans run only at certain times of the day. Agree the fare before you get in.
Source: Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalCabo Verde AirportsPublic transportation at the airportsTurismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
Sol Atlântico posted a provisional suspension of line 15 (Campus UniCV – Sucupira – Plateau) on 6 August 2024 and has published no written restoration notice since. Its real-time map still listed line 15 when we checked on 14 October 2026, so ask the operator before you plan around it.
Source: Sol AtlânticoProvisional suspension of line 15Real-time bus map and line list
Island hopping
One company, CV InterIlhas, runs the inter-island ferries. Buy your ticket at least 1 h 30 before departure, online or through its agents, and check in at least an hour before with a photo ID. Mindelo–Porto Novo is the 40-minute crossing; most other legs take hours and do not sail every day.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesTicket purchase rulesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Before you go
Short, sourced answers for the questions that come after the bus.
The whole archipelago
Cape Verde has no national transport network. Each island works differently, and what is published about it differs even more. Every card below states which of those two things is true.
The capital island, and the only one with a documented urban bus network: Sol Atlântico’s numbered lines around Praia. Across the whole island the tourism board counts more than 80 buses on 15 routes, but no operator publishes them, and aluguers run without a timetable.
Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsTariffs, cards and passesTurismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
Open Sol AtlânticoMindelo has city buses — the tourism board says the island’s buses run 9 daytime routes and two night routes — but no line list or fare could be verified online: on 4 November 2026, transcor.cv did not open securely; its certificate expired on 30 June 2025. Ask at the stop.
Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
No airport, so every arrival is the Porto Novo ferry. Beyond the port, aluguers (shared vans) run between towns without a published timetable; ask locally where they leave from.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesENAPORPorts of Cabo VerdeTurismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
Check the Barlavento crossingThe main international gateway. There is no verified public bus network between Espargos, the airport and Santa Maria; the airport company lists taxis and informal hiace vans, and most package visitors never touch either.
Cabo Verde AirportsPublic transportation at the airports
Open the airport company’s transport pageSal Rei and the resort strip, linked to Sal by the Redonda ferry line in just over three hours. Inland, nothing is published for road transport; taxis and shared vans are arranged locally.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
São Filipe is the ferry and airport town; no source we checked publishes transport up to the volcano village of Chã das Caldeiras. The Praia–Fogo crossing takes just over five hours by the operator’s own table.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
The quietest of the inhabited islands and the shortest crossing from the capital — one hour forty-five from Santiago. Getting round the island itself means an aluguer or a negotiated ride.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
No commercial airport, and the shortest crossing in the south — fifty minutes from Fogo; only Mindelo–Porto Novo, at forty, is shorter. That single boat is also the island’s weak point: when it is out of service, Brava is genuinely isolated.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
Served by the Redonda line: four hours from Santo Antão, three hours forty from São Vicente. On the island, aluguers (shared vans) run between towns without a published timetable.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesTurismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
A routine that survives Cape Verde
Nothing here connects to anything else automatically. Buses do not wait for ferries, ferries do not wait for flights, and aluguers do not wait for anybody.
Ferry days are the constraint everything else bends around. Open the operator’s rolling schedule, pick your crossings, and only then decide where you sleep.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Tickets must be bought at least an hour and a half before departure, online or through the operator’s agents. Port offices open shortly before sailings, not all day.
CV InterIlhasTicket purchase rulesENAPORPorts of Cabo Verde
No source publishes when aluguers run. The tourism board warns that in some areas the vans run only at certain times of the day, and no source publishes evening or Sunday service: ask locally where they leave from and when before you count on one.
Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
When a crossing is cancelled, the domestic airline is the fallback. CVsky, the brand of the state carrier LACV, sells Santiago, São Vicente, Sal, Boa Vista and Fogo online.
CVsky (LACV)Domestic airline routes and bookingCabo Verde AirportsAbout the airport company
Worth the ride
Each guide pairs one place with what the official sources actually publish about reaching it — no invented stops, times, or connections.
Capital island Santiago Praia, Cidade Velha and Tarrafal — the only island in the country with a published city bus network. Plan the ride 
Music island São Vicente Mindelo: the country’s cultural capital, its liveliest port, and its least documented bus network. Plan the ride 
Hiking island Santo Antão No airport, no bus network — a ferry, a mountain road, and the best walking in the Atlantic. Plan the ride 
Gateway island Sal The main international arrival point, with the flattest landscape and the thinnest public transport in the country. Plan the ride 
Dune island Boa Vista Sahara dunes, nesting turtles and sand roads — three hours from Sal by sea and nothing scheduled on land. Plan the ride 
Volcano island Fogo A live volcano with a village inside its crater, five hours from Praia by sea. Plan the ride Optional experiences
These curated options help with dispersed sights, guided context or awkward meeting points. Official bus information remains separate.
Booking through these links supports this free guide at no extra cost to you.
A full-day guided loop out of Praia taking in the UNESCO-listed Cidade Velha, the Serra Malagueta uplands and Tarrafal beach.
Getting there: Covers Praia to Tarrafal, a journey with no published public-transport timetable.
Check availabilityA guided circuit of Sal covering Espargos, the salt pans at Pedra de Lume and the fishing village of Palmeira.
Getting there: Sal has no verified public bus network, so a guided circuit is the practical way to see the island without hiring a car.
Check availabilityTimetable and fare details are checked against the operators’ own publications. Open the original before travel if plans depend on it.
Cape Verde Bus is an independent information guide. It is not an operator, a ticket seller, or part of the Government of Cabo Verde. Operators and public authorities remain the final source for service information.
Praia bus lines and stops
Praia urban bus lines 2–18 and their stopsTariffs, cards and passes
Praia urban bus fares, cards and monthly passesProvisional suspension of line 15
Praia line 15 service noticeReal-time bus map and line list
The lines Praia’s operator lists on its live mapRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Inter-island ferry routes and published crossing durationsPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Government-set ferry passenger fares, Despacho 01/2024Ticket purchase rules
Ferry ticket cut-off and accepted payment methodsPassenger frequently asked questions
Ferry fleet, agents, baggage limits and boarding rulesDomestic airline routes and booking
Domestic inter-island flights as a ferry fallbackAbout the airport company
Who runs the four international airports and three aerodromesPublic transportation at the airports
Taxis and informal hiace vans at the airports, with an approximate minimum farePublic transport (Portuguese page)
The Portuguese version of the same page, which gives a different minimum farePorts of Cabo Verde
Commercial ports serving the ferry networkMaritime and port regulator
Maritime regulation, notices and safety oversightNational transport services portal
National transport services; publishes no bus or aluguer timetableGetting around each island by land
Taxis, shared vans, island buses and taxi apps, island by islandCape Verde travel advice: safety and security
Sea travel, beaches and swimming, authorised taxisExchange-rate statistics
Escudo–euro peg used for currency contextGood to know
Short, scoped answers drawn from the source ledger above.
Three ways, and you will use all of them. City buses in Praia, shared aluguer minibuses everywhere else on land, and CV InterIlhas ferries between islands. Only the Praia buses and the ferries publish anything; aluguers are asked about locally.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsCV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesTurismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
A shared van. The tourism board describes 10- and 12-seat vans that work as informal public transport on every island, cheaper than taxis and buses, and warns that in some areas they run only at certain times of the day. No source publishes their routes, times or fares; ask locally where they leave from.
Source: Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by landCabo Verde AirportsPublic transportation at the airports
Yes. CV InterIlhas publishes a rolling schedule of sailings and a full island-to-island crossing-duration table on its routes and schedules page. It is normally visible only a few weeks ahead, so it is a booking tool rather than a planning tool for trips months out.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Forty minutes by the operator’s own published duration table, Mindelo to Porto Novo. On the day we read the schedule (14 October 2026) it showed two sailings each way; check the dates you need. Santo Antão has no airport, so it is the only way in.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
The government-set tariff is 950 CVE for nationals and 1,500 CVE for non-nationals, one way. Non-nationals pay a higher column on every route in the network, not just this one.
Source: CV InterIlhasPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Yes, on the Redonda line: 3 hours 5 minutes, at 1,700 CVE for nationals and 2,500 CVE for non-nationals. But the operator publishes sailings date by date and showed none between Sal and Boa Vista on 14 October 2026, so confirm your date before booking accommodation around it.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
The operator lists the pair, but you almost certainly should not take it: its crossing table gives 9 hours 40 minutes at sea, and no Sal–Santiago sailing appeared on the day we read the schedule. For Sal to Santiago, and equally for Sal to São Vicente, flying with CVsky is the practical option.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesCVsky (LACV)Domestic airline routes and booking
There is no scheduled coach, and no published time or fare. The tourism board says more than 80 buses cover 15 routes across Santiago, but no operator publishes them; aluguers (shared vans) also run between towns without a timetable. Ask locally where they leave from.
Source: Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
Sol Atlântico operates numbered lines 2 to 16 and 18 to 20, as its real-time map lists them, nearly all of them running through Plateau, with Sucupira and Palmarejo as the other main interchange areas. Line 15 has a suspension notice dated 6 August 2024 but still appears on the map.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsReal-time bus map and line listProvisional suspension of line 15
Not one that any source describes. On Sol Atlântico’s real-time map, city lines 3 and 4 run to Sucupira, but no source we checked describes a terminal or an aluguer stand there. Ask locally where vehicles for other towns leave from.
Source: Sol AtlânticoReal-time bus map and line list
No source we checked publishes any transport up into Fogo’s crater, and nobody publishes times, Sundays included. Aluguers (shared vans) run between towns on every island without a timetable; ask locally in São Filipe the day before whether one goes up.
Source: Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
No source publishes Santo Antão’s aluguer routes or times. The island is reached by the ferry to Porto Novo; beyond the port, aluguers (shared vans) run between towns without a published timetable, so ask locally where they leave from and agree the fare first.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesENAPORPorts of Cabo VerdeTurismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
No. The tourism board says there are no services like Uber, Bolt or Lyft on the islands, and names local taxi apps, Nha Taxi and Zoomly, in cities such as Mindelo and Praia. Otherwise it is aluguers, taxis and the Praia city buses.
Source: Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
Some do. The tourism board says São Vicente’s public buses run 9 daytime routes and two night routes. We could not verify the routes or their hours online, so confirm them at the stop.
Source: Turismo de Cabo VerdeGetting around each island by land
Because no Cape Verdean operator publishes a machine-readable timetable feed, and no journey planner covers the islands. That gap is exactly why this guide exists and why we are building the app.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsReal-time bus map and line list
Before you leave
In development, with no store listing yet: an app planned to bring city buses, aluguer minibuses and inter-island ferries together, every fare and crossing traced back to who published it.
Cape Verde Bus — app coming soon