City Bowl
The old city under the mountain, and the densest part of Cape Town for walking. Most of its museums, its oldest buildings and its squares sit within twenty minutes of each other on foot.
Guides to this part of the city
What to see
St Stephen’s Church
St Stephen’s Church on Riebeeck Square was built in 1800 as the African Theatre, the first purpose-built theatre in South Africa, at…
Tana Baru Cemetery
Tana Baru is a Muslim burial ground on the eastern slopes of Signal Hill, above the Bo-Kaap. Burials took place here from…
Koopmans-de Wet House
Koopmans-de Wet House at 35 Strand Street is a Cape Town townhouse whose site was first built on in 1699 and which…
Strand Street Lutheran Church
The Strand Street Lutheran Church began in 1774 as a hall in the form of a warehouse, put up by Martin Melck…
Martin Melck House
Martin Melck House at 96 Strand Street was built in the early 1780s as the parsonage of the Lutheran congregation next door,…
Church Square
Church Square is a small paved public square behind Groote Kerk, at the corner of Spin and Parliament Streets in central Cape…
Riebeeck Square
Riebeeck Square is an open block in central Cape Town that was one of the squares the town expanded around during the…
Auwal Mosque
Auwal Mosque on Dorp Street is the oldest mosque in South Africa and remains an active congregation rather than a historic interior…
Walking up from here
Lion’s Head Hike
The spiral walk up Lion’s Head, which SANParks gives as about two kilometres one way and one to one and a half…
Platteklip Gorge
Platteklip Gorge is the most direct and popular walking route to the summit of Table Mountain. A steep, stepped and strenuous climb…
Kloof Corner Hike
Kloof Corner is one of Cape Town's most rewarding short hikes — a steep but quick ascent from Tafelberg Road to a…
India Venster to Upper Cable Station
India Venster climbs the front face of Table Mountain from near the Lower Cable Station and finishes at the top. There are…
Things to do
Cape Malay Cooking Class
You cook, then you eat what you made. A class puts you inside a food tradition the Cape has been cooking for…
Sky-Hi Ride
Sky-Hi Ride is a 35-metre drop ride on the 28th floor of Hotel Sky in central Cape Town. Riders are lifted above…
Tandem Paragliding
Tandem paragliding from Signal Hill or Lion’s Head, chosen on the day for the wind. No experience is needed, the pilot does…
More about this area
Everything else in City Bowl
Bo-Kaap
Bo-Kaap is one of Cape Town’s oldest residential neighbourhoods, rising up the slopes of Signal Hill on the edge of the city centre. It is best known for its steep cobbled streets lined with brightly painted homes, but its real significance lies in its history as a heartland of Cape Muslim and Cape Malay culture. […]
Tandem Paragliding
You are clipped to a pilot and a wing, you run a few steps down a slope, and the ground stops being underneath you. That is the whole technique required. Launch is from Signal Hill or Lion’s Head, chosen on the day for the wind, and the flight runs down over the city towards the […]
Table Mountain
Rising more than 1,000 metres above Cape Town, Table Mountain is the city’s defining landmark and one of South Africa’s most visited natural attractions. Its distinctive flat summit forms part of the Table Mountain National Park and offers sweeping views across the city, the Atlantic Ocean, Robben Island, Lion’s Head and the Cape Peninsula. The […]
Cape Town City Bowl
The City Bowl is the natural amphitheatre at the heart of Cape Town, cradled by Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, Signal Hill and the Atlantic. It takes in the CBD, the historic Bo-Kaap, Gardens, Tamboerskloof and the buzzing Kloof Street and Bree Street precincts. This is where Cape Town’s café culture, museums, nightlife and mountain trailheads […]