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Cape Town is a multi-faceted city, with something to offer everyone. Those with an interest in history are no exception. The city was home to the Khoi and San people thousands of years ago, and later became the centre of European colonisation. It has endured colonisation, slavery, naval battles around its shores, survived Apartheid and eventually, became a massive part in the birth of South Africa’s young democracy. Here’s a comprehensive guide to Cape Town for history buffs.
Visit the Bo-Kaap
In the 18th century, the Dutch brought slaves to the Cape from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Indonesian Archipelago. These individuals and their descendants largely built the city, and once they were freed many settled in the Bo-Kaap. Here, you’ll find the oldest mosque in the country—the Auwal Mosque in Dorp Street—and the oldest Muslim cemetery, the Tana Baru Cemetery. There is also the Bo Kaap Museum, housed in a building that dates back to 1768 and dedicated to showcasing local Islamic culture and heritage.
Read more about the Bo-Kaap

Go wine-tasting
Cape Town is rightly famous for its wine production, with a viticultural history dating back to the 1650s. Cape Town’s Mediterranean climate, with its rainy winters and long, dry summers, provides the perfect growing conditions for grapes. Visit Groot Constantia to explore the history of Cape Town’s wine, including the old Manor House and Cloete Cellar. You can also taste one of the first wines produced in the Cape—sweet Grande Constance.
Read more about the history of wine in Cape Town

Visit the Iziko Museums
There are many fantastic museums in Cape Town. If you want to understand the cultural landscape of Cape Town, don’t skip the Iziko Museums. Iziko Museums of Cape Town is the official name given to the group of national museums located near the city centre, otherwise referred to as the city’s ‘Museum Mile.’ Highlights include the Iziko South African National Gallery, Iziko Michaelis Collection at the Old Town Hous..

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Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs are vast, starting from Observatory just outside of the city, skirting Devil’s Peak through Newlands, Claremont, and Wynberg, and round the side of Table Mountain to Constantia. The neighbourhoods are leafy and suburban, with many little eateries, bars, parks, and other hallmarks of suburban life. For those looking for a quieter Cape Town day, the Southern Suburbs are a great place to spend a day exploring.
Morning: Take a hike or stroll
There are some lovely walks, hikes, and parks in the Southern Suburbs where you can work up your appetite for a good breakfast. Newlands Forest has some beautiful shady trails, which can range from light forest walks to big half-day hikes, depending on the route you choose. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, also near Newlands, is the starting point for the popular Skeleton Gorge Hike. For those who prefer a quiet stroll, try Arderne Gardens in Claremont. It’s a Heritage Site filled with beautiful and exotic trees, and a lovely place to relax and wander among the shady glades. Tokai Forest has wonderful running and mountain bike trails.

Breakfast time
One thing the Southern Suburbs has no shortage of is amazing breakfast spots. Whether you’re after an extravagant brunch or a healthy, light brekkie, there are plenty of places worth trying. Starlings Café is one of the area’s most popular breakfast spots. It’s unsignposted and tucked behind a tall hedge on one of the main roads in Claremont, and locals love it. Get there early if you’re around on a weekend, because it fills up fast. The Larder, in the Claremont CBD, does wonderful healthy brunches, and Four & Twenty in Chelsea Village does a great eggs Benny. Constantia also has many great eateries. The Alphen Hotel’s La Belle Bistro & Bakery is the perfect spot for a croissant and coffee in the shady courtyard. Green Vine on Silvermist Estate is fantastic for brunch, as is Open Door on the Constantia Uitsig Estate. Bistro Sixteen82 on the Steenberg ..

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The vast majority of Cape Town’s residents live in townships around the city. Some of the larger townships include Khayelitsha, Langa, Gugulethu, and Imizamo Yethu. These places are an important part of Cape Town’s history, and they’re a huge part of what makes Cape Town what it is today too. Here are five great tour operators that can show you around Cape Town’s townships.
ABCD Concepts
ABCD is a locally-run tour operator based in Khayelitsha. They offer running tours, cycling tours, and even a nightlife tour where you can go make new friends over a few beers. There are also The co-owners, Buntu and Ayanda, are from Khayelitsha, so you can be sure you’re supporting local entrepreneurs. They can also customise tours to your interests. Highlights usually include Lookout Hill and number of local businesses like The Spinach King for breakfast, Siki’s Koffee Kafe, Makkhanye Art Room (South Africa’s first shack theatre), the 18 Gangster Museum, or a service at one of the vibrant local churches. A tour with them is a sure way to make new friends, laugh a lot, and experience Khayelithsa through a truly local lens.
Website: abcd-concepts.co.za

City Sightseeing LaGugu Township Tour
The City Sightseeing LaGuGu Township Tour takes in Langa (Cape Town’s oldest township) and Gugulethu. There are marked pick-up and drop-off areas along the route, so you can take your time exploring each stop. The tour includes a walk and a bicycle ride. A local residents will be your guide, and you’ll visit an arts and crafts market, meet a traditional healer, and visit a shebeen.
Get this tour free with a Cape Town City Pass
Website: citysightseeing.co.za
The Township Winery Tours
The Township Winery is based in Guglethu, where local farmers grow the grapes to make this unique wine. The tours invlove meeting the growers, followed by a wine tasting over lunch at The Village House in Khayelitsha. The Village House is an ecclectic wonderland designed by Thusile Celesi, who is also the chef. He coo..

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Score big brownie points on your Cape Town trip by surprising your loved ones with a beautiful and distinctively Cape Town gift! Here are our top eight places to get great local gifts.
Vannie Kaap, Salt River
Vannie Kaap is a locally run gift and apparel store in Cape Town, with a great and user-friendly online store too. It was started by a mystery founder from Mannenburg in the Cape Flats, and the items are a homage to coloured culture in Cape Town. The brand is all about humour, and many of the shirst, mugs, and other items are emblazoned with quirky, proudly Capetonian sayings.
Website: shop.vanniekaap.com
Streetwires, Bo-Kaap
Streetwires has a shop and working artists’ studio in the colourful Bo-Kaap. You can take a tour of the studio space, and browse the custom-made artworks and South African mementos at the shop. Streetwires is a fair trade organisation with over 60 permanently employed bead and wire artists, and by shopping here you’re helping to support these local artists and crafters.
Website: streetwires.co.za

Original T-Bag Designs, Hout Bay
Original T-Bag Designs employs people from Imizamo Yethu Township in Hout Bay, who create greeting cards, artwork and a variety of other products from recycled tea bags. Enjoy a cup of tea in the store and see how the used tea bags are dried, emptied, ironed and then painted in the individual style of the artist. These tea bags are then applied to stationery, wooden boxes, trays, coasters and other décor items, making for the perfect gift or souvenir to take home.
Website: tbagdesigns.co.za
Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines, Khayelitsha
Take a really unique gift back for your wine-loving friends! Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines currently offers a petit verdot rosé, a chenin blanc, and a mourvedre. The delicious small batch wines are available from some Khayelitsha venues, including Rands Cape Town and King Steak. They are also available to order directly through Facebook or Instagram, and make for amazing local gifts.
Website..

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