The bustling working harbour turned upmarket destination — shops, restaurants, the aquarium, a big wheel and the ferries to Robben Island, all with a picture-perfect Table Mountain backdrop. Safe, polished and family-friendly (if touristy and pricey), with the best hotels; the easy, comfortable base, especially for a first visit.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€180–380
typical per night in South Africa
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Cape Town.
Where it sits
The circle is V&A Waterfront and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Bo-Kaap25 min walk2.1 km
- The Sea Point Promenade11 min taxi3.7 km
- Lion's Head hike14 min taxi4.6 km
- Camps Bay & Clifton beaches20 min taxi6.5 km
- Camps Bay & Clifton (beach)20 min taxi6.6 km
- Table Mountain20 min taxi6.7 km
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden29 min taxi9.5 km
- Boulders Beach penguins99 min taxi32.9 km
- Cape Point & the Cape of Good Hope153 min taxi51.0 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.



- 3.Robben Island — The island prison in the bay where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years — a ferry from the Waterfront and a tour led by a former political prisoner, ending at Mandela's tiny cell. Sobering, powerful and essential to understanding South Africa; book well ahead, as tickets sell out and ferries depend on the weather.
- 6.The V&A Waterfront — The bustling harbour-front destination — shops, restaurants, buskers, a big wheel and the excellent Zeitz MOCAA contemporary-art museum in a converted grain silo, all framed by Table Mountain across the water. Touristy but genuinely lovely, safe and lively into the evening; the departure point for Robben Island and harbour cruises.
- 15.The Two Oceans Aquarium — A superb aquarium at the Waterfront showcasing the marine life where the cold Atlantic meets the warm Indian Ocean — a huge predator tank with sharks and rays, a kelp forest, penguins and playful otters. A brilliant, all-weather option, especially with children or on one of Cape Town's rare rainy days.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to V&A Waterfront; flights via Google Flights.