NEWS ALERT
Flights to the Islands are commencing direct from the UK in Jan 2006.
Air: The national airline is TACV Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde (VR), which has recently expanded its flight connections and now offers flights to several European cities, including Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid and Paris, as well as to Las Palmas (Canary Islands). Discounts are available for frequent flyers and their families. Other airlines serving Cape Verde include South African Airlines and TAP Air Portugal.
Approximate flight times: From London to Lisbon (Portugal) is 2 hours and from Lisbon to Sal is 4 hours; from Boston to Sal is 8 hours; from Paris to Sal is 6 hours. Note that the stopover in Lisbon will sometimes be overnight if flying by TAP Air Portugal. The most convenient routes from London are via Paris and Amsterdam, where there are direct connections with no stopover time.
International airports: Amílcar Cabral (SID) on Sal, 2km (1 mile) south of Espargos, is the only airport with a runway long enough to take jets; there are eight others throughout the islands. Airport facilities include a bank, duty-free shop, refreshments and tourist information. Taxis are available to the city centre and to resort areas.
A new airport, Francisco Mendes Airport, has been built in Praia, Santiago.
Departure tax: None.
Cape Verde flights
There are direct daily flights to the main airport on
Sal from Atlanta, Johannesburg and Lisbon. The
best and cheapest route from the UK is via Portugal - only six hours
flying time. Flights to the Cape Verdes leave late
evening and return to Portugal early the next
morning. Return flights from Portugal to Cape Verdes cost
from £325 return and deal from London to Lisbon from £27 return.
There are deals on TAP from £450, changing at
Lisbon. It is possible to reach Sal from most of Europe or the
US in a day, with one change. But
arrival is awkward for flights to other islands and you
may need a hotel for half a night.
As yet there are no flights from Europe to any other Cape
Verde island. So you must change at Sal . No direct flights
are planned to the Cape Verdes from the UK. There should be a
flight to the new airport at Praia on Santiago from Lisbon
soon which will provide better connections to the leeward Cape
Verdes.
Convenient outbound connecting flights to Cape Verdes
from UK
| Flight from |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
Lowest fare |
| Gatwick |
Monarch |
782 |
0630 +or - |
0815 +or- |
£35 |
| Gatwick |
TAP |
343 |
1350 |
1620 |
£94 |
| Heathrow |
BA |
0502 |
1410 |
1650 |
£42 |
| Heathrow |
TAP |
357 |
1810 |
2040 |
£74 |
| Manchester |
BA |
1606 |
1300 |
1530 |
£50 |
Convenient inbound connecting flights from Cape Verdes to
UK
| Flight to |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
Lowest fare |
| Gatwick |
Monarch |
783 |
1005 +or- |
1240 +or- |
£35 |
| Gatwick |
TAP |
342 |
1030 |
1300 |
£94 |
| Heathrow |
BA |
0499 |
0820 |
1100 |
£42 |
| Heathrow |
TAP |
352 |
1030 |
1300 |
£74 |
| Manchester |
BA |
1607 |
1610 |
1645 |
£50 |
Ireland
Aer Lingus flies from Dublin to Lisbon, but only thrice
weekly. The return connection on Sunday is excellent, but the
outbound flight is not . So you can board the
flight in Paris, with a bus trip between Charles de Gaulle and
Orly. G fron Dublin found this worked fine.
| "Thanks
again so very much for organising flights and
accommodation. The girl in Lisbon when we arrived was
great and everything was so very organised. The bus was
waiting outside at CDG and it only took 40
minutes" |
Convenient connecting flights from Ireland to Cape
Verdes
| Flight from |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Cork |
Aer Lingus |
822 |
1200 |
1435 |
Euro 80 |
| Dublin |
Aer Lingus |
524 |
1220 |
1440 |
Euro
80 |
Convenient connecting flights to Ireland from Cape
Verdes
|
Flight to |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Cork |
Aer Lingus |
823 |
1515 |
1555 |
Euro 80 |
| Dublin |
Aer Lingus |
1481 |
1050 |
1330 |
Euro
80 |
All airlines now sell the cheap flights seats to early bookers.
Weekend flights to Lisbon are usually the cheapest. A Saturday
flight out and a Sunday return will coincide with charters and with
accomodation bookings. Lisbon airport is close to the
city centre and one can pass the waiting time visiting the
city. You can take a day bus pass for the city centre for 5
Euros.
There are expensive direct flights to Sal once a week from
Amsterdam, Las Palmas, Madrid, Munich, Paris (CDG) and Rome
(Fiumcino). A better option is to connect at Lisbon.
Convenient outbound flights via Lisbon to Cape Verdes
from Northern Europe
| Flight from |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Amsterdam |
TAP |
653 |
1410 |
1705 |
Euro130 |
| Brussels |
Virgin |
TV506 |
1820 |
2005 |
Euro 80 |
| Copenhagen |
TAP |
513 |
1825 |
2100 |
£90 |
| Oslo |
TAP |
513 |
1635 |
2100 |
£150 |
| Stockholm |
TAP |
515 |
1510 |
1825 |
£90 |
Convenient inbound flights via Lisbon to Northern Europe
from Cape Verdes
| Flight to |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Amsterdam |
TAP |
668 |
0745 |
1135 |
Euro 130 |
| Brussels |
Virgin |
TV503 |
0950 |
1335 |
Euro 80 |
| Copenhagen |
TAP |
514 |
0925 |
1355 |
£90 |
| Oslo |
TAP |
514 |
0925 |
1540 |
£150 |
| Stockholm |
TAP |
500 |
0915 |
1420 |
£90 |
Convenient connecting flights from Scotland to Cape
Verdes
| Flight from |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Edinburgh |
BA |
7933 |
1210 |
1510 |
£50 |
| Glasgow |
BA |
1802 |
0645 |
1110 |
£50 |
Convenient connecting flights to Scotland from Cape
Verdes
|
Flight to |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Edinburgh |
BA |
7934 |
1545 |
1635 |
£50 |
| Glasgow |
BA |
1807 |
1620 |
1840 |
£50 |
Convenient connecting flights from France to Cape
Verdes
| Flight from |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Orly (Paris) |
|
|
1810 |
1930 |
Euro 67 |
| Geneva |
Easyjet |
949 |
1615 |
1750 |
Euro
30 |
Convenient conecting flights to France from Cape
Verdes
|
Flight to |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Orly (Paris) |
|
|
0900 |
1100 |
Euro 67 |
| Geneva |
Easyjet |
950 |
1930 |
2215 |
Euro
30 |
USA and Americas flights to Cape
Verdes
There is a direct flight every night from Atlanta on South
African Airways. It gets full in summer and can cost as much
as $4800 return. A cheaper option is to take the overnight TAP
flight from Newark connecting with the Portuguese charters in
Lisbon. Boston flights sometimes offer $400 deals.
Convenient flights from Americas via Portugal to Cape
Verdes
| Flight from |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Newark |
TAP |
106 |
2050 |
0835 |
$439 |
| Caracas |
TAP |
134 |
1900 |
1135 |
Euro
777 |
Convenient flights to Americas via Portugal from Cape
Verdes
|
Flight to |
Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
lowest fare |
| Newark |
TAP |
104 |
1815 |
0605 |
$439 |
| Caracas |
TAP |
131 |
2200 |
1530 |
Euro
777 |
Flights from Lisbon
Charters depart late on Saturdays from Paris Orly and Lisbon
and returning early on Sundays. They are
available for 7, 14 or 21 day trips with accommodation or as
flight only. We can advise on booking and availability. Prices
for the holiday including hotel, transfer and visa are from £360 per
person with hotel, for a week. They cost more at
Christmas and Easter.
Time and visas
Lisbon time is the same as the UK. Local time in Cape Verdes is
one hour behind GMT or two hours behind BST. A visa is needed
unless you are on a charter flight. This is really an airport
tax. Passengers departing from the UK can buy it on arrival at
Sal, by paying Euros 45 per person in cash. There is no need
for photographs. A passport must have six months validity. No
proof of innoculation is required.
Flight only
We can offer flight only with the first half-night in the Hotel
Atlantico for villa and appartment owners. Flights only prices are
from £303 plus connecting flight, except in August. Book
early as prices rise as availability falls on all airlines.
Flying to other islands
There should soon also be flights to Praia on Santiago,
at similar prices. Until then, Inter-island flights are a
monopoly and cost £120 return. There are daily
connections between Praia (Santiago) Mindelo (Sao Vicente)
and Boa Vista. These do not link with European flight
arrivals so you may need a hotel for half a
night. Flights are always overbooked and passengers may
be left on the tarmac so it is important to pre-book and arrive
early. The ATR42 island hopper used in the Cape Verdes
is often grounded by weather or mechanical conditions.
Ferries in the Cape Verdes
Two ferries link the islands in a circular route, departing on
Friday nights for a 6 day trip from Palmeira to Praia on to
Mindelo and back to Palmeira on Thursday. It costs £25 to
Praia but is uncomfortable and unreliable. The ships stop at
other islands en route, for half a day, when they happen to get
there. Boavista Island can be visited on a day trip from Santa
Maria pier, costing £60 for travel, lunch and a minbus tour.
The 30 mile voyage takes three hours each way and leaves at 0700
whenever the skipper Kees, a Dutchman has enough passengers.
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