Benguela

Benguela was founded by the Portuguese in 1617 and grew as a port, and it has kept more of its old fabric than most Angolan cities: broad avenues lined with mango and acacia, pastel buildings with deep verandas, a cathedral of 1748, and the terminus of the Benguela railway that runs inland to the Congolese border. The city sits back from a run of beaches, and the pace is noticeably slower than Luanda, which is the reason most visitors like it.

What you actually see

• The colonial avenues - wide tree-lined streets of pastel buildings with verandas.
• The cathedral - the church of Nossa Senhora do Populo, dating from 1748.
• The railway terminus - the coastal end of the Benguela line running inland.
• The city beaches - sand at the edge of town, busy at weekends.

When to go

May to September is the dry season and the most comfortable; it is cooler on this coast than the interior. The rains run from October to April with heat and humidity. Weekends fill the beaches.

Honest expectations

Many colonial buildings are in poor repair and restoration is patchy. Prices in Angola are high for what is provided, and this applies to hotels here. English is little spoken; Portuguese is essential or a guide.

Nearby

Baia Azul is south along the coast, and Lobito is just north.