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Sao Tome — travel, stays & events guide
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Sao Tome city overview
Sao Tome is a city in Sao Tome and Principe shaped by its region, population, local economy, landmarks, climate and civic history. This overview summarizes the city itself: where it sits, what defines it, which places anchor its identity and why it matters within the wider country.
City facts
Known forSao Tome, Capital city in Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome planning base 3, Sao Tome planning base 4
RegionSao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome and Principe
Time zoneAfrica/Sao_Tomelocal time
Founded1470historical origin
City history
The island was uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime around 1470.
Álvaro Caminha founded the colony of São Tomé in 1493.
In 1497, 2,000 Jewish children, eight years old and under, were kidnapped from the Iberian peninsula, and forcefully converted to receive catholic education, following the national policy of conversion to Catholicism.
Another early building is Fort São Sebastião, built in 1566 and now the São Tomé National Museum.
On 9 July 1595, a slave revolt led by Rei Amador took control of the capital; they were subjugated in 1596.
In 1599, the Dutch took the city as well as the islands for two days; they re-occupied it in 1641 for a year.
The island of São Tomé was the main center of sugar production in the sixteenth century; it was overtaken by Brazil by 1600.
The city served as the capital of the Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe and, from São Tomé and Príncipe's independence in 1975, as capital of the sovereign nation.
São Tomé is centred on a sixteenth-century cathedral, that was largely rebuilt in the 19th century.
The Portuguese came to São Tomé in search of land to grow sugarcane.
The nearby African Kingdom of Kongo eventually became a source of slave labor as well.
Worth seeing
Sao Tome
Sao Tome is a practical Sao Tome planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Capital city in Sao Tome and Principe
Capital city in Sao Tome and Principe is a practical Sao Tome planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Sao Tome planning base 3
Sao Tome planning base 3 is a practical Sao Tome planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Sao Tome planning base 4
Sao Tome planning base 4 is a practical Sao Tome planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Sao Tome planning base 5
Sao Tome planning base 5 is a practical Sao Tome planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Sao Tome planning base 6
Sao Tome planning base 6 is a practical Sao Tome planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Stay overview
Compare Sao Tome before booking Sao Tome hotels. Start with the places you will repeat most, then check airport timing, parking, nightly price and event demand before choosing the final base.
Hotels & areas
Compare accommodation options in and around Sao Tome by area, not only by nightly price. A cheaper room can become expensive when airport transfers, parking, attraction routes, late arrivals or event-week demand add time and cost.
Compare stays in Sao Tome, Sao Tome and PrincipeFlights & airports
Main airport TBC arrival plan
- Sao Tome airport accessMain gateway TBC.
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Rental cars
Sao Tome day-trip car use
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Compare rental carsTravel tips
Best time to visit
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Transport notes
Choose a base around the trips you will repeat most: airport, station, old town, waterfront, venue district or day-trip route.
Crowds
Prices can jump around festivals, conventions, school holidays, cruise days, ski weeks, race weekends and large sports events.
Booking detail
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Upcoming events
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