Rated Attractions & Things to Do in Cape Town

In 1966, 70,000 residents of multi-ethnic District Six were displaced when the South African government decided the community was to be a white one. This poignant museum honors the people of this now-vanished district. On the museum's floor is a large-scale map where former residents are encouraged to label their old homes and features of their neighborhood.

Iziko Museums of South Africa comprises 11 museums governed by a council appointed by the Minister of Arts and Culture. A top museum in this group is the Bo-Kaap Museum in the Bo-Kaap District, an old Malay quarter with brightly-painted two-story houses that are still occupied by the descendants of slaves who were brought to the Cape from the East Indies in the second half of the 17th century. This excellent museum illustrates aspects of 19th-century Muslim life in a rare early Cape-Dutch house circa 1763. A room on the premises houses a collection of carts and carriages.

In the Groote Schuur Hospital, The Heart of Cape Town Museum opened in 2007 to honor the 40th anniversary of the first heart transplant performed here by Christiaan Barnard. Knowledgeable docents take visitors on a fascinating two-hour tour to see recreations of the operating facilities in the actual rooms where the surgery took place.

South Africa's third largest shopping center, Canal Walk is located just off the N1 in Cape Town's Century City suburb. With around 400 shops selling everything from clothing to jewelry, homewares to music, and kids toys, there is no shortage of products on sale here.

History buffs can visit two notable historic buildings within five minutes' walk of each other in central Cape Town. Built in 1905, Cape Town City Hall is a striking mix of Italian Neo-Renaissance and British colonial style. The 60-meter-high bell-tower, with a carillon installed in 1923, was modeled on Big Ben in London.

In the chilly waters off Cape Town's coast, thrill seekers can come face-to-face with one of the ocean's most feared predators: great white sharks. Protected by the thick bars of an iron cage, divers score a hefty dose of adrenaline as these magnificent creatures swim within inches of the bars.

Located in the heart of Cape Town's trendy college neighborhood, Woodstock, the Old Biscuit Mill is open all week but is especially lively on weekends when the Neighbourgoods Market happens. Self described as a community for talented people to collaborate and share their passions, from food and art to clothing and homemade goods, the Old Biscuit Mill is where you'll find some of South Africa's most creative artists and designers.

Five minutes drive west of the city center, Signal Hill offers stunning views over Cape Town, Table Bay, and the glittering Atlantic Ocean from its 350-meter summit. The hill forms the body of the adjacent Lion's Head peak and was named for its historical use when signal flags were flown from here to send messages to approaching ships.

About 25 kilometers from the city center, Chapman's Peak Drive, affectionately called "Chappies" by the locals, is one of the most jaw-dropping driving routes in the world. Cut into the sheer face of Chapman's Peak, which plunges to the sea, this spectacular toll road snakes its way for about nine kilometers between Noordhoek and Hout Bay passing panoramic Chapman's Peak point along the way. With 114 curves carved into the rock face, some perched more than 500 meters above the sea, this is not a route for those prone to motion sickness.

For nearly 400 years, Robben Island in Table Bay, was a brutal prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in a tiny cell during the apartheid era. Today, the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must-see attraction for anyone interested in South African history. Tours to the island begin with multimedia exhibits in the museum at the Nelson Mandela Gateway on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront before travelers board vessels to the island. The boat trip takes about 30 minutes to an hour depending on weather conditions and can be rough during big swells.