Cape Town Attractions and Places of Interest

One of the many Cape Town attractions you’ll come to enjoy is the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. This Cape Town landmark is home to the Two Oceans Aquarium, numerous shops, superior hotels, a craft markets, museums, the BMW Pavilion and a myriad of restaurants and tourism facilities.

Another Cape Town attraction, if not South Africa’s biggest tourist attraction, is Robben Island, once the place of incarceration of former President, freedom fighter and Nobel Peace prize winner, Nelson Mandela.

Kirstenbosch Gardens: Dedicated to the preservation of indigenous plants of Southern Africa which is situated on the eastern slopes of the Table Mountain.

Cape Point: The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, at Cape Point, makes for a spectacular outing. The reserve is noted for it’s floral diversity.

Kommetjie: Only 45 minutes away from the city centre, Kommetjie is a small village with a rural feel on the way to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

Chapmans Peak Drive: Built between 1915 and 1922, connecting Hout Bay with Noordhoek, lies one of the most spectacular mountain drives in the World.

Constantia Wine Route: One of the first wine-producing areas of the Western Cape, with a host of estate restaurants and tasting venues.

Simon’s Town: Situated on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula, is about 35 minutes south of Cape Town. Also known as “The Historic Mile”, this area, steeped in history, boasts a great variety of interesting buildings including a nautical museum detailing the town’s history.

Hout Bay: This Cape Town village is enhanced by large fleets of fishing vessels and is a firm favourite with locals. Home to thousands of Cape fur seals, cormorants and sea gulls. Sunset cruises sail from Hout Bay to the Cape Town Waterfront.

Houses of Parliament: A master piece of architectural history.

City Hall: Built in 1905, this colonial architechtured building is the prime venue for performances by the Cape Town Symphony Ochestra.

Observatory: Named after the South African astronomical Observatory, this suburb offers a range of interesting restaurants and specialty shops.

Rhodes Memorial: Built in 1912 on the slopes of Devil’s Peak by Sir Herbert Baker, This memorial to Cecil John Rhodes, resembles a Grecian Temple.

Signal Hill: Spectacular views of the lights of the city are unforgettable from this vantage Point. Signal Hill can also be seen from the Cape Town Waterfront.

Silvermine Nature Reserve: Hiking trails offer views over False Bay, as well as being a nature reserve with some of the finest scenery in the Cape Peninsula.

Bo-Kaap: Also known as the Malay Quarter, this area is mainly inhabited by descendants of slaves who were brought to the settlement from India and the East Indies in the early days.

Castle of Good Hope: The Castle, a historical Cape Town attraction, was completed in 1679 with the aim of protecting the new settlement from the possibility of attack. This is the oldest building in South Africa and is a symbol of Western Civilisation on the subcontinent.

South African Museum: Famous for it’s displays of ethnic groups, including life-sized casts of San, Khoikhoi and other tribes of South Africa.

St George’s Anglican Cathedral: Designed by Sir Herbert Baker and built with Table Mountain sandstone, is the mother church of the Anglican community in South Africa.

South African National Gallery: A collection of local art is displayed in this gallery, including photographs of black township life.

Long Street: Long Street is one of the oldest streets in Cape Town with a length of 3.8 kilometres. Years before, it reached from the harbour up to Tamboerskloof. The street offers numerous Victorian buildings which have been restored over the years, antiquity shops, book & curio shops, galleries, clubs, pubs, cafés and cosy restaurants.

Gold Museum: The museum is home to a collection of 350 West African gold artefacts as well as objects from the ancient gold civilisations of southern Africa.

Table Mountain: The best views of Cape Town are seen from the top of Table Mountain. The Cableway reaches the summit in under 10 minutes and the cable car's rotating floor ensures that all passengers get a 360 degree aerial view of the city.