Noon Gun

Cape Town

LoginSave

At noon, Monday to Saturday, a cannon is fired from the lower slopes of 350m-high Signal Hill, which separates Sea Point from the City Bowl; you can hear it all over town. Traditionally, this allowed the burghers in the town below to check their watches. It’s a stiff walk up here through the Bo-Kaap – take Longmarket St and keep going until it ends, just beneath the gun emplacement (which is off limits) – the view is phenomenal.

You can also drive or take a taxi up Signal Hill along Military Rd, accessed off Kloof Nek Rd.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Flowers in the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens below Table Mountain.

    Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

    5.16 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…

  • Table Mountain Aerial Cableway in Cape Town

    Table Mountain

    2.99 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…

  • Prison Barrack on Robben Island

    Robben Island

    7.92 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…

  • African penguins on the stone in evening twilight. African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus) also known as the jackass penguin and black-footed penguin. Boulders colony. South Africa 628098086 Endangered Species, Wilderness Area, Stone - Object, Sea Life, Colony, Two Animals, Water Bird, Bird Watching, Arrival, Coastline, Dusk, Dawn, Twilight, Cute, Jackass Penguin, Animal Foot, Animal Wing, Fun, Wildlife, Nature, South Africa, Uncultivated, Animals In The Wild, Penguin, Sea Bird, Freshwater Bird, Bird, Animal, Sunset, Boulder - Rock, Sand, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Sea, Surf, flightless, Footed, south-africa, blackfooted, black-footed, Life, Aquatic

    Boulders Penguin Colony

    19.55 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

    District Six Museum

    1.12 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 manor house in Cape Town, South Africa.

    Groot Constantia

    7.91 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,…

  • Silvermine Reservoir.

    Silvermine Nature Reserve

    12.13 MILES

    The Silvermine Reservoir, a beautiful spot for a picnic or a leisurely walk on the wheelchair-accessible boardwalk, is the focal point of this section of…

  • Landscape of Meerendal Wine Estate.

    Meerendal

    14.81 MILES

    Although it was established in 1702 and has some of South Africa's oldest pinotage and shiraz vineyards, as well as a handsome Cape Dutch homestead,…

View more attractions

Nearby Cape Town attractions

1. Tana Baru Cemetery

0.32 MILES

This old burial ground on Signal Hill is where some of the earliest Muslim settlers to the area are buried, including three prominent holy men.

2. Bo-Kaap

0.42 MILES

Meaning ‘Upper Cape’, the Bo-Kaap, with its vividly painted low-roofed houses, many of them historic monuments, strung along narrow cobbled streets, is…

3. Bo-Kaap Museum

0.48 MILES

This small museum provides some insight into the lifestyle of a prosperous 19th-century Cape Muslim family, and a somewhat idealised view of Islamic…

4. Prestwich Memorial Garden

0.5 MILES

Along the Walk of Remembrance (formerly known as the 2010 World Cup's Fan Walk) is this attractive public space dotted with a collection of quirky…

5. Prestwich Memorial

0.52 MILES

Construction in 2003 along nearby Prestwich St unearthed many skeletons. These were the unmarked graves of slaves and others executed by the Dutch in the…

6. Signal Hill

0.52 MILES

The early settlement’s lookout point is so named because it was from here that flags were hoisted when a ship was spotted, giving the people below time to…

7. Auwal Mosque

0.53 MILES

Built in 1789, this is the oldest place of Islamic worship in South Africa, established by Iman Abdullah Kadi Salaam, an Indonesian prince who served time…

8. Heritage Square

0.54 MILES

This beautiful collection of Cape Georgian and Victorian buildings was saved from the wrecking ball in 1996. As well as a hotel and several cafes and…