table mountain cape town

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This historic working harbour has a spectacular setting and many tourist-oriented attractions, including masses of shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and cruises. The Alfred and Victoria Basins date from 1860 and are named after Queen Victoria and her son Alfred. Too small for modern container vessels and tankers, the Victoria Basin is still used by tugs, fishing boats and various other vessels. In the Alfred Basin you’ll see ships under repair.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Jetty 1

0.06 MILES

Preserved as a small museum is the Waterfront’s Jetty 1, from where boats sailed to Robben Island when it was a prison. You can view the tiny holding…

2. Old Port Captain's Office

0.09 MILES

This beautiful gabled building, dating from 1904, was built for the Port Captain, whose office was previously located in the Clock Tower across the 'cut'…

3. Nelson Mandela Gateway

0.1 MILES

Tours of Robben Island depart from this complex. Even if you don’t plan a visit to the island, it’s worth dropping by the museum here, with its focus on…

4. Clock Tower

0.11 MILES

This red-and-grey Victorian Gothic–style building, dating from 1882, is from where the harbour master used to control the comings and goings in the docks.

5. Maritime Centre

0.12 MILES

This small museum, stocked with model ships, houses the John H Marsh Maritime Research Centre (www.rapidttp.co.za/museum), a resource for those interested…

6. Cape Wheel

0.12 MILES

What was supposed to be a temporary attraction at the Waterfront has proved so popular that it's been made a permanent fixture. Your ticket gives you four…

7. Diamond Museum

0.14 MILES

Really an extended sales pitch for the bling on sale in the attached Shimansky Jewellers, the displays at this museum have nonetheless been put together…

8. Chavonnes Battery Museum

0.15 MILES

This museum houses the remains of an early-18th-century cannon battery, one of several fortifications the Dutch built around Table Bay. It was partly…