Situated at the foot of Table Mountain, Devil's Peak and Lion's Head, Cape Town offers a rich cultural and industrial heritage, great splendor and guaranteed exciting activities at the V&A Waterfront. Featuring all the must-see sites on any Cape Town day trip, this option is a geographic and cultural festival, showing you Cape Town from its historic beginnings to the stunning modern waterfront shopping malls of Victoria and Alfred.
*Cape Town & Table Mountain Tour will not include Table Mountain during the period July 24 - August 6, due to Table Mountain being closed for maintenance annual.
The tour begins with a visit to Table Mountain (weather permitting; cable car ticket not included). In the city itself, visit the Company Gardens, the South African Museum, the Fort of Good Hope, and the vibrant, artisanal flea market, Greenmarket Square. Take a trip through the picturesque neighborhood of Bo-Kaap.
Table Mountain (funicular fare not included): In the late 1870s, several prominent Cape Town citizens suggested a railway line to the top of Table Mountain. Plans for the establishment of a railway project began, but the onset of the Boer War put an end to these efforts. In 1912, with a strong desire for easy access to the top of Table Mountain, the Cape Town City Council commissioned an engineer to study the various options for public transport to the summit. The new funicular was officially opened on October 4, 1997, the anniversary of the launch point, almost 70 years before.
The Company Gardens are described as "an oasis of calm in the hustle and bustle of the city", and with the trees, squirrels and lovers meeting at lunchtime, it's easy to forget you you are in the heart of one of the most important cities in Africa. Places of interest include a sundial dating from 1787, a Saffron pear tree (believed to be the oldest cultivated tree in South Africa), a statue of Cecil John Rhodes, a rose garden and ponds with colorful fish live.
The South African Museum was founded in 1825 and then moved to the current building in the historic Company Gardens in 1897. Since then millions of visitors have wandered its halls and corridors to be challenged and inspired by its collections and exhibitions. They left the museum with a better understanding of the earth and its biological and cultural diversity past and present.
Built between 1666 and 1679, the Fort of Good Hope is the oldest remaining building in South Africa. The fort was however not the first fort to be built in Cape Town. A quadrangular fort was built after the arrival of Jan Van Riebeeck in 1652, where the Grand Parade and the main post office are located today. In 1936, the fort was declared a national monument.
In the Bo-Kaap district, also called "Malay quarter", you will discover the culture, the way of life and the unique personality of the Muslim community of Cape Town and its contribution to the development of South Africa.
