Attractions
Shopping at an open-air market is a must for souvenir-hunters in Cape Town, but it's equally as fun for people-watchers. Vendors at Greenmarket Square, in the heart of the city, hawk tapestries, jewelry, wooden figurines, and other goods to passersby. The less-touristy Green Point Market is located in the parking lot of the newly constructed Green Point Stadium, home of the 2010 World Cup. Visitors to this jumbled and expansive Sunday market will find everything from hand-painted wall hangings to piles of dodgy cell phone chargers. If you decide to buy something at either market, be prepared to bargain.
Head to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a posh wharf turned shopping area with upscale stores, cafés, restaurants, and bars. Stroll along the docks and past the Table Bay Hotel and stop at the enclosed handicrafts market. Don't miss a photo op at Nobel Square, where bronze statues of four of the country's Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, stand side-by-side next to the V&A hotel. After snapping a photo, keep your eyes peeled toward the water to see if you can spot one of the seals that live on Seal Landing or the tires lining the quays. Next, watch the sidewalks of the Waterfront for street performers who provide lively entertainment for tourists, especially on weekends and in the summer months. Check the site, under "Play," for a multitude of scheduled free events on the Waterfront.
As you drive or walk around the city center, keep an eye out for the "highway to nowhere," an incomplete overpass at the corners of Coen Steytler and Buitengracht Streets. Started in the 1960s and never finished, this four-lane highway overpass ends abruptly high above the ground, and has been featured in a number of films.
The Rhodes Memorial, at the base of Devil's Peak near the University of Cape Town campus, was erected to honor Cecil John Rhodes, who, after making a fortune in the Kimberley diamond rush, entertained grandiose plans of creating a unified British empire that spanned from the Cape to Cairo. Though he never succeeded, he did found Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe and Zambia), serve as prime minister of the then Cape Colony, and leave a lasting legacy in the form of the scholarship that bears his name. The granite behemoth dedicated to him is located within the Table Mountain National Park and is a good place to start a hike or admire the view of the city, Table Bay. If the weather is clear, you can see the Hottentots Holland mountains.
Cape Town is South Africa's legislative capital (the country has three official capitals—Pretoria is the center of the executive branch and Bloemfontein is the locus of the judiciary), and if you plan ahead, you can see lawmakers in action during your stay in the Mother City. The stately Parliament building, including the galleries where the legislature debates, is open to visitors, and tours can be arranged free of charge provided you make reservations a week or more in advance. Guides explain the workings of the parliamentary system and inform visitors of the important historical events that have unfolded in the building.
If you're in the area, visit Groote Kerk ("Great Church" in Afrikaans), the mother church of the Dutch Reformed Church, dating back to the early 18th century. As you walk through, and check out the exquisitely carved pulpit, the centerpiece of the building.
