A flat-topped mountain, a spice-route harbour and the memory of a people who won their freedom.
Cape Town began in 1652 as a vegetable garden and stopover for the Dutch East India Company's ships, and its centre holds every layer of its history: the colonial fortress, the slavery that sustained the colony, the mosques of the Bo-Kaap, the forced removals of apartheid and the balcony where Mandela spoke in 1990. Three free routes to explore it on foot, by day and at your own pace, with Table Mountain always in sight.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
A fortress built with enslaved labour, a neighbourhood erased by apartheid and the balcony where Mandela spoke on the day he walked out of prison.
A governor cursed from the gallows, a phantom ship doomed never to round the Cape, a church disguised as a warehouse and a circle of shrines that, tradition says, protects the city.
The highlights of the city centre in one morning: the garden where Cape Town began, the street of iron balconies, the old market square and the Bo-Kaap of mosques and brightly painted facades.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Spiced minced meat with mild curry, turmeric and dried fruit, baked under a golden layer of egg and milk and served with yellow rice and chutney. It is the Cape dish par excellence, inherited from Malay kitchens. In the Bo-Kaap, Biesmiellah has been serving it for decades in a family-run, halaal dining room.
Where to try it
A mild, fragrant curry of lamb, chicken or fish, with cinnamon, cardamom and a touch of sweetness, mopped up with freshly made roti. This is the home cooking of Bo-Kaap families. For dinner, Bo-Kaap Kombuis, high up in the quarter and very close to the end of the mysteries route, serves it with views of Table Mountain.
Where to try it
A huge loaf stuffed with chips, sauces and whatever takes your fancy: polony, masala steak, chicken or calamari, cut into chunks to share. It was born in the 1970s at Super Fisheries in Athlone and is the city's best-loved working-class meal. In the centre, Mariam's Kitchen, by the Heerengracht, makes one of the most popular.
Where to try it
The braai, South Africa's barbecue, is almost a religion, and boerewors, the coiled sausage spiced with coriander, is its king. Mama Africa, on Long Street since 1995, grills it alongside game such as kudu and springbok, with live music in the evenings.
Where to try it
The Cape Malay take on the koeksister: a doughnut spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, dipped in syrup and rolled in coconut. In the Bo-Kaap it is the traditional Sunday breakfast and a perfect afternoon treat. Rose Corner Café, on the corner of Wale Street and Rose Street, is a classic place to try one.
Where to try it
