Museum sights in Cape Town
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
District Six Museum
If you visit only one museum in Cape Town make it this one. As much for the people of the now-vanished District Six as it is about them, this is a hugely moving and informative exhibition, and most township tours stop here to explain the history of the pass laws. Reconstructions of home interiors, photographs, recordings and testimonials build up an evocative picture of a shattered but not entirely broken community. The staff each have a heartbreaking story to tell. There’s also an excellent new annexe in the Sacks Futeran Building a couple of blocks away. Speak to staff about arranging a walking tour of the old District Six, for a minimum of 10 people.
reviewed
-
B
Iziko Slave Lodge
This museum, mainly devoted to the history and experience of slaves and their descendants in the Cape, also has artefacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Far East on the 1st floor.
One of the oldest buildings in South Africa, dating back to 1660, the Slave Lodge has a fascinating history in itself. Until 1811 the building was home, if you could call it that, to as many as 1000 slaves, who lived in damp, insanitary, crowded conditions. Up to 20% died each year. The slaves were bought and sold just around the corner on Spin St.
From the late 18th century the lodge was used as a brothel, a jail for petty criminals and political exiles from Indonesia, and then a ment…
reviewed
-
C
Irma Stern Museum
The pioneering 20th-century artist Irma Stern (1894–1966) lived in this house for almost 40 years and her studio has been left virtually intact, as if she’d just stepped out into the verdant garden for a breath of fresh air. Her ethnographic art-and-craft collection from around the world is as fascinating as her own expressionist art, which has been compared favourably to Gauguin’s. To reach the museum from Rosebank station, walk a few minutes west to Main Rd, cross over and walk up Chapel St.
reviewed
-
D
South African Jewish Museum
The fascinating history of Jews in South Africa is recorded in this imaginatively designed museum, incorporating the beautifully restored Old Synagogue (1863). Downstairs you’ll find a partial re-creation of a Lithuanian shtetl (village); many of South Africa’s Jews fled this part of Eastern Europe during the pogroms and persecution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There’s also a computerised system where you can trace Jewish relations in South Africa, and excellent temporary exhibitions. Across the courtyard from the museum’s exit is a good gift shop and the kosher Café Riteve. Within the complex it’s also possible to visit the beautifully decorated Great Syn…
reviewed
-
E
Transplant Museum
Capetonians are very proud that their city was the first place in the world where a successful heart transplant operation was carried out (never mind that the recipient died a few days later). This museum allows you to see the very theatre in Groote Schuur Hospital where history was made in 1967. The displays have a fascinating Dr Kildare quality to them, especially given the heart-throb status of Dr Christiaan Barnard at the time.
To reach the hospital from Observatory Train Station, walk west along Station Rd for about 10 minutes. If you're driving from the city, take the Eastern Blvd (N2) turn-off at Browning Rd, and then turn right on Main Rd.
reviewed
-
F
Heart of Cape Town Museum
Capetonians are very proud that their city was the first place in the world where a successful heart transplant operation was carried out (never mind that the recipient died a few days later). This museum allows you to see the very theatre in Groote Schuur Hospital where history was made in 1967. The displays have a fascinating Dr Kildare quality to them, especially given the heartthrob status of Dr Christiaan Barnard at the time. To reach the hospital from Observatory Train Station, walk west along Station Rd for about 10 minutes. If you’re driving from the city, take the Eastern Blvd (N2) turn-off at Browning Rd, and then turn right on Main Rd.
reviewed
-
G
Chavonnes Battery Museum
This excellent interpretative museum houses the remains of Cape Town’s oldest cannon battery outside of the Castle of Good Hope, dating from 1726. Although they had been partly demolished and built over during the construction of the docks in 1860, an excavation of the site in 1999 revealed the remains. You can walk around the entire site and get a good feel for what it would have originally been like. It’s also staffed by costumed enthusiasts who sometimes like to shoot off a real cannon in front of the museum on Sunday at noon.
reviewed
-
H
Gold of Africa Museum
A third of the world’s gold is produced in South Africa. In this glitzy museum, based in historic Martin Melck House (dating from 1783) and established by Anglogold, the biggest gold-mining company in the world, gorgeous gold jewellery from across the continent is displayed. There are some stunning pieces, mostly from West Africa, with lots of background information. The shop is worth a browse for interesting gold souvenirs, including copies of some of the pieces in the museum, and you can sign up for jewellery design courses (from R770) at the onsite workshop. It’s worth returning in the evening for the good Gold restaurant.
reviewed
-
I
Heritage Museum
Simon’s Town’s community of Cape Muslims was 7000 strong before apartheid forcibly removed most of them, mainly to the suburb of Ocean’s View across on the Atlantic side of the peninsula. This interesting small museum, dedicated to the evictees and based in Almay House (dating from 1858), is enthusiastically curated by Zainab Davidson, whose family was kicked out in 1975. Nearby Alfred Lane leads to the handsome mosque, built in 1926.
reviewed
-
J
Simon’s Town Museum
Housed in the old governor’s residence (1777), the exhibits in this rambling museum trace Simon’s Town’s history. Included is a display on Just Nuisance, the Great Dane that was adopted as a navy mascot in WWII, and whose grave, off Red Hill Rd above the town, makes for a long walk from the harbour. There’s also a statue of Just Nuisance in Jubilee Sq, by the harbour.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Nelson Mandela Gateway
Tours of Robben Island depart from the Nelson Mandela Gateway beside the Clock Tower at the Waterfront. Even if you don’t plan a visit to the island, it’s worth dropping by the museum here, with its focus on the struggle for equality. Also preserved as a small museum is the Waterfront’s Jetty 1, the departure point for Robben Island when it was a prison.
reviewed
-
L
Iziko Maritime Centre
This small museum, stocked with model ships, houses the John H Marsh Maritime Research Centre, a resource for those interested in South Africa’s maritime history. The main exhibition is about the ill-fated voyage of the Mendi, which sank in the English Channel in 1917 taking 607 black troops to a watery grave.
reviewed
-
M
Sacks Futeran Building
For many generations the Futeran family traded soft goods and textiles from these premises and before that part of the building was the Buitenkant Congregational Church. It now houses an annexe of the District Six Museum displaying the excellent Fields of Play exhibition on the history and development of soccer on the Cape. This temporary exhibition should be on display until and after the World Cup in 2010.
reviewed
-
N
Robben Island
Despite recent problems, Robben Island justly remains one of Cape Town’s most popular attractions. Used as a prison from the early days of the VOC right up until 1996, this UN World Heritage Site is preserved as a memorial to those such as Nelson Mandela who spent many years incarcerated here.
While we heartily recommend going to Robben Island, a visit here is not without its drawbacks. The first hurdle is getting a ticket – in peak times these often sell out days in advance. Reserve well in advance via the web, and if you’re stuck, try booking a ticket in conjunction with a township tour – many tour operators have access to blocks of tickets not available to the publ…
reviewed
-
O
Cape Town Holocaust Centre
This small museum, in the same complex of buildings as the South African Jewish Museum, packs a lot in with a considerable emotional punch. The history of anti-Semitism is set in a South African context with parallels drawn to the local struggle for freedom.
reviewed
-
P
Cape Medical Museum
The Disease and History exhibit at this quirky museum details in length (with some gruesome photographs) the history of major diseases in the Cape, from scurvy to HIV/AIDS. Less horrific are a re-created Victorian doctor’s room and pharmacy.
reviewed
-
Q
Hout Bay Museum
There’s little to detain you at this one-room museum next to the tourist office, with minor-league displays on local history. Contact the museum about the guided walks (R10 donation) that are sometimes run on the weekends.
reviewed
-
R
South African Naval Museum
Definitely one for naval enthusiasts, this museum nonetheless has plenty of interesting exhibits, including a mock submarine, which let you play out adventure fantasies.
reviewed
-
S
VOC Kruithuis
The VOC Kruithuis was built in 1777 to store the town’s weapons and gunpowder and now houses a small military museum.
reviewed
-
T
Village Museum
Stellenbosch offers many worthwhile museums and art galleries, but if you don’t have a lot time, the Village Museum is a priority. A group of exquisitely restored and period-furnished houses dating from 1709 to 1850, this museum occupies the entire city block bounded by Ryneveld, Plein, Drostdy and Church Sts. Also included are charming gardens and, on the other side of Drostdy St, stately Grosvenor House.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
U
Toy & Miniature Museum
This delightful museum is well worth a visit. Ask curator Philip Kleynhans to point out some of the best pieces in the remarkable collection of amazingly detailed toys, ranging from railway sets to doll’s houses.
reviewed
-
V
Sasol Art Museum
Art lovers should head for this museum, which contains one of the country’s best selections of local art, both famous and emerging, as well as a superb collection of African anthropological treasures. The exhibition displays the different ecological, social and cultural contexts of the human experience in Africa, and is not to be missed.
reviewed
-
W
IZiko South African Museum
Although there has been some reorganisation in recent years, and a few new exhibits, in general South Africa’s oldest museum is showing its age. Despite not being a must-see, it does contain a wide and often intriguing series of exhibitions, many on the country’s natural history. The best galleries are the newest, showcasing the art and culture of the area’s first peoples, the Khoekhoen (Khoikhoi) and San, and including the famous Linton Panel, an amazing example of San rock art. There’s an extraordinary delicacy to the paintings, particularly the ones of graceful elands. Also worth looking out for are the startlingly lifelike displays in the African Cultures Gallery of A…
reviewed
-
X
Bo-Kaap Museum
This small museum provides some insight into the lifestyle of a prosperous 19th-century Cape Muslim family, and a somewhat idealised view of Islamic practice in Cape Town. The most interesting exhibit, although it lacks decent captions, is the selection of black-and-white photos of local life displayed in the upstairs room, across the courtyard. The house itself, which was built between 1763 and 1768, is the oldest in the area.
reviewed
