| 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, 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. |
