Cape Town
V&A Waterfront & Green Point
Delano Ramdas / Unsplash
Cape Town's tourist hub — working harbour, Table Mountain views, and the Robben Island ferry.
The V&A Waterfront is Cape Town's most visited destination: a working harbour surrounded by restaurants, hotels, a world-class aquarium, and the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island. Green Point extends inland with the Cape Town Stadium and a string of mid-range hotels and guesthouses. The location is central without being in the city centre — walkable to the Bo-Kaap and De Waterkant, 15 minutes by Uber to the Atlantic beaches.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Robben Island ferry departs from here: the most important historical experience in Cape Town, bookable on arrival
- ↑Table Mountain visible from the harbour at all hours — the best easy photography location in the city
- ↑Cape Town's best family infrastructure: Two Oceans Aquarium, open-air markets, and harbour-side restaurants
What you sacrifice
- ↓Very touristy: the Waterfront operates primarily for international visitors, not for local life
- ↓Expensive relative to other Cape Town areas: the waterfront premium applies to food and accommodation
- ↓Not a neighbourhood in the residential sense — quiet at night outside the restaurant zone
Best for
Avoid if
Other Cape Town neighbourhoods
The local Atlantic seaboard — the promenade, the tidal pool, and Cape Town's most liveable neighbourhood.
The historic heart — Cape Malay culture, Company's Garden, and the cable car to Table Mountain.
The fishing village valley — Chapman's Peak, seal island, and Cape Town's most dramatic coastal drive.
Know where to stay — now find when to go.
Best time to visit Cape Town →