The main entrance to the Castle of Good Hope, crowned by a bell tower, replaced the original sea-facing entrance to the fortress.
Castle Entrance Gate
Cape Town
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
4.32 MILES
Location and unique flora combine to make these 5.28-sq-km botanical gardens among the most beautiful in the world. Gate 1, the main entrance at the…
Cape of Good Hope
29.9 MILES
This 77.5-sq-km section of Table Mountain National Park includes awesome scenery, fantastic walks, great birdwatching and often-deserted beaches. The…
Table Mountain
2.62 MILES
Around 600 million years old, and a canvas painted with the rich diversity of the Cape floral kingdom, Table Mountain is truly iconic. You can admire the…
Robben Island
8.86 MILES
Used as a prison from the early days of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) right up until 1996, this Unesco World Heritage site is preserved as a memorial…
Babylonstoren
29.56 MILES
This 2.5-sq-km wine and fruit farm is on the north slope of the Simonsberg mountain between Klapmuts and Paarl. Its highlight is an 800-sq-metre, formally…
Boulders Penguin Colony
18.78 MILES
This picturesque area, with enormous boulders dividing small, sandy coves, is home to a colony of some 3000 delightful African penguins. A boardwalk runs…
District Six Museum
0.23 MILES
It's impossible not to be emotionally moved by this museum, which celebrates the once lively multiracial area that was destroyed during apartheid in the…
Bloubergstrand
8.67 MILES
The beaches beside this pleasant coastal suburb are where the British won their 1806 battle for the Cape. The panoramic view they provide of Table…
Nearby Cape Town attractions
1. Castle of Good Hope
0.06 MILES
Built by the Dutch between 1666 and 1679 to defend Cape Town, this stone-walled pentagonal castle remains the headquarters for the Western Cape military…
2. Grand Parade
0.08 MILES
A prime location for Cape Town’s history, the Grand Parade is where the Dutch built their first fort in 1652; where slaves were sold and punished; and…
3. William Fehr Collection
0.09 MILES
Housed within the former Governor's Quarters at the Castle of Good Hope is the bulk of the William Fehr Collection, including some fabulous bits of Cape…
4. Castle Military Museum
0.09 MILES
This interesting museum occupies the castle’s original bayside entrance. Inside you can see examples and vivid paintings of different military uniforms…
5. Secunde's House
0.11 MILES
Inside the Castle of Good Hope, the Secunde's House was built in 1695 and housed the second in command at the Cape.
6. Central Library
0.11 MILES
The Drill Hall, dating from 1889 and where Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 21st birthday, has been sensitively restored and turned into the city’s…
7. We Are Still Here
0.13 MILES
Mosaic artists Lovell Friedman and Leora Lewis are the creators of this powerful artwork just outside the Central Library. A mosaic of ceramic tiles forms…
8. Nelson Mandela Statue
0.13 MILES
On 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela gave his first speech as a free man from the balcony at Cape Town City Hall. To celebrate the centenary of his birth,…