This busy commercial and nightlife thoroughfare once formed the border of the Muslim Bo-Kaap, so you’ll find several old mosques along the street, including the Palm Tree Mosque (185 Long St), dating from 1780 and one of the city’s oldest. By the 1960s, though, the street had fallen into disrepute – Pieter-Dirk Uys’s play Karnaval was inspired by the goings on in one of the many whorehouses that lined the strip – and it remained that way until the late 1990s, when savvy developers realised the street’s potential.

The most attractive section, lined with Victorian-era buildings featuring lovely wrought-iron balconies, runs from the junction with Buitensingle St north to around Strand St; below here the street remains seedy with strip clubs and louche bars. Whether you come to browse the antique shops, secondhand bookshops, or the street-wear boutiques, or party at the host of bars and clubs that crank up at night, a stroll along Long St is an essential element of a Cape Town visit.