One of the city's most attractive public plazas is surrounded by handsome old buildings including the Herbert Baker-designed National Mutual Building, parts of which date to 1905; it now houses the Iziko Social History Centre. A property developer has been restoring commercial spaces in buildings around the square and there are plans to launch a free sound-and-light show here at night as well as provide hi-tech historical information to visitors via an interactive app.
Church Square
Cape Town
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
4.38 MILES
Location and unique flora combine to make these 5.28-sq-km botanical gardens among the most beautiful in the world. Gate 1, the main entrance at the…
29.94 MILES
This 77.5-sq-km section of Table Mountain National Park includes awesome scenery, fantastic walks, great birdwatching and often-deserted beaches. The…
2.51 MILES
Around 600 million years old, and a canvas painted with the rich diversity of the Cape floral kingdom, Table Mountain is truly iconic. You can admire the…
8.75 MILES
Used as a prison from the early days of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) right up until 1996, this Unesco World Heritage site is preserved as a memorial…
29.82 MILES
This 2.5-sq-km wine and fruit farm is on the north slope of the Simonsberg mountain between Klapmuts and Paarl. Its highlight is an 800-sq-metre, formally…
18.82 MILES
This picturesque area, with enormous boulders dividing small, sandy coves, is home to a colony of some 3000 delightful African penguins. A boardwalk runs…
0.23 MILES
It's impossible not to be emotionally moved by this museum, which celebrates the once lively multiracial area that was destroyed during apartheid in the…
7.23 MILES
Simon van der Stel’s manor house, a superb example of Cape Dutch architecture, is maintained as a museum at Groot Constantia. Set in beautiful grounds,…
Nearby Cape Town attractions
In Church Sq stands a statue of Jan Hendrik, one-time editor of the Zuid Afrikaan newspaper and a key figure behind the drafting of the 1909 South African…
0.01 MILES
On Church Sq, this public art project comprises 11 low, black granite blocks engraved with the names of slaves or words relating to slavery, resistance…
0.03 MILES
A small circular plaque in the traffic island on Spin St marks the location of the Slave Tree under which slaves are believed to have been sold until…
0.04 MILES
The highlights of the mother church of the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk) are its mammoth organ and ornate Burmese-teak pulpit,…
0.06 MILES
One of the the most beautifully preserved art deco shopfronts in the City Bowl, a landmark since 1920, this is South Africa's oldest optician, founded in…
0.06 MILES
Dating back to 1660, the Slave Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in South Africa. Once home to as many as 1000 slaves, the lodge has a fascinating…
0.07 MILES
One of two statues of Jan Smuts located in the city centre, this is the more traditional interpretation of the former general and prime minister (1870…
0.08 MILES
Clad in rose- and gold-veined black marble, Mutual Heights is the most impressive of the City Bowl’s collection of art deco structures. The facade is…