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Cape Town · Mixed

From the Company's Vegetable Patch to the Painted Houses

A mixed route for getting to grips with Cape Town in two hours, with Table Mountain always in the background. It starts in the shade of the Company's Garden, heads down Long Street and Greenmarket Square and climbs into the Bo-Kaap, the country's oldest Muslim quarter, just in time for lunch. It is a relaxed daytime stroll; keep your phone put away when you are not using it, and respect the Bo-Kaap residents' privacy when taking photos.

  • 5 stops
  • 1.7 km
  • 1 h 40 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Colourful houses on Wale Street in the Bo-Kaap with Lion's Head behind

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Company's GardenThe vegetable garden the Dutch East India Company planted in 1652 to supply its ships is now the great green heart of the city, with Table Mountain as a backdrop.
  2. 2 Long Street and the Palm Tree MosqueWrought-iron balconies, bars and bookshops, and among them an 18th-century house that two former slaves turned into a mosque.
  3. 3 Greenmarket Square and the Old Town HouseThe city's oldest market square, its 18th-century town hall and the afternoon in 1989 when the police dyed it purple.
  4. 4 The Auwal MosqueSouth Africa's first mosque began in a warehouse on Dorp Street, and it was here that written Afrikaans was first taught… in Arabic script.
  5. 5 Bo-Kaap and Wale StreetThe most photographed painted houses in Africa, and the story of the families who lived in them long before the cameras arrived.

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Start with GPS

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Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From the Company's Vegetable Patch to the Painted Houses

The vegetable patch of 1652

The Company's Garden, created to feed ships on the route to Asia, is the oldest garden in South Africa.

The first mosque

The Auwal Mosque and the story of Tuan Guru, the exiled prince who founded the country's first Quranic school.

Colours with a story

Why the Bo-Kaap's houses are painted in bright colours, and how much truth lies in the most popular explanation.

Keep exploring

More routes in Cape Town

Back to Cape Town
HistoryFrom the Castle to Mandela's Balcony Mysteries & legendsCurses, Ghosts and Ships That Never Make Port

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Cape Town?

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.

1

Cape Town in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Cape Town in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Cape Town in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary