Sights and landmarks in Cape Town

208 sights worth seeing in Cape Town: landmarks, galleries, monuments and viewpoints.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 208.

SeeCastle
Castle of Good Hope
Popularly called 'The Castle' by locals, it is the oldest surviving building in South Africa, having been built from 1666 to 1679. The castle displays a vast range of historical military equipment and tools, an art collection and the William Fehr Collection, which includes antique Cape Dutch furniture. Visitors can buy wine and eat at the café or restaurant within the Castle.
09:00-17:00 daily. Tours are offered Mon through Sat at 11:00, 12:00 and 14:00. Horse and carriage rides are offered daily at 10:30, 12:45 and 14:45. Booking is necessary · entrance fee for adults, for children and pensioners · Built 1666
See
Two Oceans Aquarium
A decent-sized aquarium showcasing the biodiversity within the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Displays include clownfish, seahorses, turtles, sharks and even the local penguins. Features a live kelp forest and microscope exhibit. There is an extensive series of events calendar for each month, and a daily event schedule including live feedings as well. Scuba diving with the sharks is also offered. A walk around the aquarium takes about an hour. There is also a viewing platform available to see the cape fur seals near the V&A Waterfront.
09:30-18:00 · Adults, children (14-17) and children (4-13) · Wheelchair accessible
SeeArt gallery
South African National Gallery
Located in the Gardens area of Cape Town off Government Ave (about a 20-minute walk from downtown). Contains extensive displays of South African art, and information on the history of censorship of art during apartheid.
Daily 10:00-17:00 · Adults; children, students and seniors
SeeMuseum
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art
MOCAA
Established in 2017 as the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world. Built out of an old grain silo that was decommissioned in 2001.
10.00-18.00 daily, last admission 17.30 · Adults; R 190, Children under 18; free
SeeViewpoint
Bo-Kaap
Malay Quarter
This neighbourhood, on a hilly area southwest of the city centre, is where historically Malay Muslim descendants of slaves had lived. It is a popular location to shoot films, since there are bright and colourful buildings, mosques, quaint streets, stunning views of Cape Town, and delicious street food sold along the side. It is worth exploring the quarter for about an hour, and then visiting the Bo-Kaap Museum, showing how a wealthy Malay family lived during the 19th century. Within the quarter is Atlas Trading, an old-fashioned spice shop. Ask the manager to mix the spices you need for making the meal you want. About 1 km from the Bo-Kaap is the Noon Gun which is a cannon used as a time signal. At 12:00 from Monday to Saturday the cannons are fired, never ceasing to amaze the crowd of people watching. Go and see the brief ceremony that occurs before and during the shooting.
SeeHistoric site
Rhodes Memorial
Built on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak, the memorial was designed in recognition of imperialist politician and business magnate Cecil Rhodes. The wooden bench that Rhodes used is placed under the memorial. This memorial is a wonderful spot to have a picnic. It is a starting point for the bike and hiking trails that head towards Devil's Peak, which have now become very popular. If you are eager to explore the nature and beauty in the area, make sure you are never alone and never carry valuables with you.
SeeAttraction
District Six Museum
District Six is an area near downtown Cape Town which remained multiracial well into the 1960s against all attempts by the government to declare it a "white only" area. Eventually the residents were all evicted and the buildings were bulldozed. The area remains uninhabited. The museum provides information about the area, the eviction, the Group Areas Act, and the people who used to live there. The director of the museum is a former resident. There is a small bookstore with an excellent selection of books on South Africa's history, District Six and apartheid.
Mon-Sat 09:00-16:00 · , with a guide
SeeMuseum
Slave Lodge
One of the oldest buildings in Cape Town which houses a social history museum.
Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00 · Adults; children, students and seniors
SeeMuseum
South African Jewish Museum
The museum about this small community that has made large contributions in South African society and bringing down Apartheid. The museum is about Jews but non-Jews will find it very interesting and informative.
Sun-Thu 10:00-17:00; Fri 10:00-14:00 · adults, students · Wheelchair accessible
SeeViewpoint
Bo-Kaap Museum
Located in a home dating from the 1760s, the museum offers an insight into the cultural life of the Muslim community of the Bo-Kaap area in Cape Town.
Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00 · entrance fee · Built 1763
SeeScience museum
Cape Town Science Centre
A world of discovery under one roof! Expect a wide variety of interactive displays and exciting activities for your enjoyment. Build a house in the exclusive 'kids only' Building Site, challenge your mind with Puzzling Things, experience weightlessness similar to that of space with a spin on the Human Gyroscope, play Mindball - the game where you control the ball with your brain waves and see and hear science in the Audio Kinetic Sculpture.
Mon-Sat 09:00-16:30, Sun 10:00-16:30 · for adults and children. Students, pensioners and group discounts
See
Labia Theatre
Has an African screen showing African-made and African-oriented films all year round.
SeeLibrary
National Library of South Africa (Cape Town Campus)
The National Library of South Africa (NLSA) is the agency of the government of South Africa which maintains a national library of all published materials relating to the country.
Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; We 10:00-17:00 · Wi-Fi
See
Galleria Gibello
Galleria Gibello is a photo gallery that is filled with visually captivating moments of life on the African continent.
by appointment
See
Groot Constantia
One of the oldest wine estates in South Africa and well worth the fee for the internal tour and wine tasting.
Daily 09:00-18:00. Tours depart hourly from 10:00 until 16:00 · wine tasting. for a wine tasting and a guided tour
See
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
See the beautiful and highly diverse flowers and plants of the Cape in one of the most stunning botanical gardens in the world. Plants from every South African bioregion are displayed. These include a huge baobab tree, rare succulents from the Richtersveld, as well as fascinating medicinal species. Several paths meander throughout the garden. There are also many restaurants, an indigenous nursery and a gift shop located here. At certain times of the year there are concerts and performances in the open air amphitheatre. There is art frequently on display, including large Shona stone sculptures from Zimbabwe. The gardens are also home to the National Biodiversity Institute. The garden is special because it changes dramatically every season. You will see different birds, new flowers, etc. In the summer, sunset concerts feature excellent international and local music acts in various genres. Enter early to find a good spot on the grass amphitheatre. Come along for a picnic and revel in the music of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, popular local artists and rock bands.
daily 08:00-18:00 (19:00 September to March). Guided tours depart from Gate 1 Mon-Fri at 10:00, 11:00 and 14:00 and Sat 10:00, and from Gate 2 at 11:00 Mon-Fri and Sat 10:00 · for adults, for children
See
Maritime Centre
The museum documents the lives of the early seafarers voyaging around the Cape of Good Hope. Small craft, locally made and various maritime artifacts are also showcased. The huge model ships are the highlight of the museum.
Daily 10:00-17:00 · Adults; children, students and seniors
See
South African Houses of Parliament
Cape Town is the legislative seat of South Africa (the presidential seat is in Pretoria while the judicial seat is in Bloemfontein). A tour of the Houses of Parliament will acquaint you with South Africa's modern history and political system. The tour includes visits to the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces and the old apartheid-era assembly now only used for caucus and committee meetings. Tours are offered a few times per day in various languages.
Tours are offered Mon-Fri, but must be booked in advance · Free entrance and tours
See
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront
A huge shopping and entertainment area in the harbour. It is very popular with tourists, because of the high density of shops, restaurants and amusement possibilities, like the Aquarium or the Marine Museum. Harbour tours and trips to Robben Island start from here, as well as helicopter flights to the Cape Peninsula. The V&A Waterfront has more or less full wheelchair access.
09:00-21:00 daily
SeeHistory museum
Iziko South African Museum
The Iziko South African Museum, formerly the South African Museum (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Museum), is a South African national museum located in Cape Town. The museum was founded in 1825, the first in the country. It has been on its present site in the Company's Garden since 1897.
Mo-Su 10:00-17:00 · Entry 60 ZAR
See
City Hall
This beautiful Edwardian building, completed in 1905, is where Nelson Mandela made his first speech after his release from prison in 1990. It no longer hosts municipal offices, but instead functions as a venue for exhibitions and performances, including those of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
See
Nobel Square
Along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Features sculptures of South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize winners including Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.
SeeAttraction
National Council of Provinces
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the post-apartheid constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate, but is very similar to that body, and to many other upper houses of legislatures throughout the world, in that its purpose is to represent the governments of the provinces, rather than directly representing the people. The NCOP consists of 90 Members of Parliament (MPs).
SeePublic art
Non-Violence
Non-Violence, also known as The Knotted Gun, is a bronze sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd of an oversized Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver with its barrel tied in a knot. It is located at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
SeeGarden
Company's Garden
The Company's Garden is a large public park situated in Cape Town CBD - the main commercial district of Cape Town. It is the oldest garden in South Africa, and a national heritage site. The garden was originally created in the 1650s by the region's first European settlers and provided fertile ground to grow fresh produce to replenish ships rounding the Cape.
Built 1652
SeeAttraction
Greenmarket Square
Greenmarket Square is a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town, South Africa. The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected. Many historic buildings surround the square, including the Old Town House, which now houses the Michaelis Collection of art.
Mo-Sa 09:00-16:00
SeeArt museum
Rust en Vreugd
Rust en Vreugd (meaning Rest and Joy), is a historic house and garden, located on Buitekant Street at the edge of the central business district of Cape Town, South Africa. It is one of the few remaining 18th-century buildings in the city. The Rust en Vreugd is home to the William Fehr Collection of pictorial Africana.
Th-Fr 09:00-16:00
SeeHistoric site
Noon Gun
The Noon Gun is a time signal in Cape Town, South Africa, since 1806. It consists of a pair of black powder Dutch naval guns, fired alternatingly with one serving as a backup. The guns are situated on Signal Hill, close to the centre of the city.
SeeMuseum
Cape Town Holocaust Centre
The Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre began as Africa's first Holocaust centre founded in 1999. It has sister Centres in Johannesburg (Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre) and Durban (Durban Holocaust Centre), and together they form part of the association, the South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation (SAHGF). The SAHGF determines the educational and philosophical direction of the centre.
SeeMuseum
Heart of Cape Town Museum
The Heart of Cape Town Museum is a museum complex in the Observatory suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is in the Groote Schuur Hospital on Main Road. The hospital was founded in 1938 and is famous for being the institution where the first human heart transplant took place, conducted by University of Cape Town-educated surgeon Christiaan Barnard on the patient Louis Washkansky.
Mo-Su 09:00-17:00
SeeMuseum
South African Sendinggestig Museum
The South African Sendinggestig Museum (also known as the South African Slave Church Museum) was established in 1977 and is currently situated in the centre of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, and housed in the oldest indigenous mission church in the country built by local Christians. It is a province-aided museum which receives financial support from the Government of the Western Cape Province.
See
Artscape Theatre
D F Malan Street, Foreshore
See
Baxter Theatre
Theatre performances, comedy, jazz and others.
SeeMuseum
Chavonnes Battery Museum
History of Cape Town Museum International Photo Exhibitions Guided Walking Tours of Waterfront Venue Hire and Cannon Firing
Mo-Su 09:00-18:00
SeeLibrary
Cape Town Central Library
Central Library Cape Town is a public library in Cape Town, South Africa. It is one of 102 libraries within the City of Cape Town Library and Information Services. Central Library includes lending and reference services as well as specialised art and music sections.
Mo-Th 09:00-18:00; Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-13:00 · Built 1884 · Heritage listed
SeeHistoric site
St. George's Cathedral
St George's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, and the seat of the Archbishop of Cape Town. St. George's Cathedral is both the metropolitical church of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and a congregation in the Diocese of Cape Town.
Built 1909 · Heritage listed
SeeMemorial
The Cenotaph
The Cenotaph is a war memorial on Heerengracht Street in Cape Town. The city's annual Remembrance Day ceremonies are held there. It is classified as a public memorial and as such is subject to protection in terms of heritage legislation administered by Heritage Western Cape, the provincial heritage resources authority of the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Built 1924
SeeMemorial
Statue of Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr
The statue of Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr in Church Square, Cape Town, is a sculpture of the South African journalist and politician Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, affectionately known as "Onze Jan" (Our Jan). The statue was sculptured by Anton van Wouw. In April 2015 it was wrongly reported that the statue had been vandalised as part of a wider campaign against statues of colonial-era figures in South Africa.
SeeMuseum
Koopmans-de Wet House
Koopmans-de Wet House (locally KOORP-munz də VET) is a former residence and current museum in Strand Street, Cape Town, South Africa. The house became part of the South African Museum in 1913 and was opened to the public on 10 March 1914. It was declared a National Monument under National Monuments Council legislation on 1 November 1940.
Built 1790
SeeMuseum
Cape Medical Museum
The Cape Medical Museum is situated in the Old City Hospital Complex in Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Its exhibitions center around the medical history of the Cape and includes exhibitions on dentistry, hospital care, traditional African medicine and pharmaceutical developments. It was founded by a group of volunteers in the 1980s led by Prof J C De Villiers.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Cape Town (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps. Some descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).