Praia da Laginha is Mindelo's town beach — a short crescent of imported white sand on the western edge of the bay, a fifteen-minute walk along the seafront from the centre. The water is sheltered, shallow, and warm; the location, looking back across the harbour at the city and out at the silhouette of Santo Antao, is unusually pleasant for an urban beach.
It is the standard local choice for an afternoon swim, and gets busy on Saturdays and Sundays. A simple beach bar at one end serves cold drinks and grilled fish. Bigger, wilder beaches (Praia Grande, Sao Pedro) are a short taxi ride south, but Laginha is the easiest and the most convivial.