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, a life-size statue was unveiled in 2018 on that very same balcony. His right hand is aloft in a wave while his left hand is clutching both his speech and his wife's glasses (on the momentous day he misplaced his specs and had to borrow Winnie's).
Nelson Mandela Statue
Cape Town
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
4.34 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
29.91 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
2.55 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
8.81 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
29.69 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
18.79 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
0.17 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…
Groot Constantia
7.22 MILES
Simon van der Stel’s manor house, a superb example of Cape Dutch architecture, is maintained as a museum at Groot Constantia. Set in beautiful grounds,…
Nearby Cape Town attractions
1. Cape Town City Hall
0.01 MILES
Cape Town's old city hall is a grand Edwardian building dating to 1905. Nelson Mandela made his first public speech from the front balcony here after…
2. We Are Still Here
0.05 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…
3. Central Library
0.05 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…
4. Grand Parade
0.06 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…
5. Mutual Heights
0.12 MILES
Clad in rose- and gold-veined black marble, Mutual Heights is the most impressive of the City Bowl’s collection of art deco structures. The facade is…
6. Homecoming Centre
0.13 MILES
This centre houses an annexe of the District Six Museum which is usually open for temporary exhibitions and events. Currently there's a wonderful…
7. Mullers Opticians
0.13 MILES
One of the the most beautifully preserved art deco shopfronts in the City Bowl, a landmark since 1920, this is South Africa's oldest optician, founded in…
8. Castle Entrance Gate
0.13 MILES
The main entrance to the Castle of Good Hope, crowned by a bell tower, replaced the original sea-facing entrance to the fortress.