Cape Town Museums

So many great exhibitions - You are spoilt for choice!

For the rare rainy days there are many opportunities to learn about Cape Towns rich cultural and natural history when you visit one of the numerous excellent museums in the Mother City.

Believe me, the museums in Cape Town are great places to visit whatever the weather!

The Best Cape Town Museums

South African Museum

Parking: Street Parking around Company Gardens or at the small public parking at the museum.

Opening Times: 10.00-17.00h except Christmas Day and Workers Day public holiday;

Rates: R15, children under 16 free. Website.

In the South African museum there are natural history collections and social history collections exhibited. Especially the Dinosaur and the Whale Well, where there are life-size casts of whales to see, and other Ocean Life exhibitions are worth a visit. One of the recent social history exhibitions should also be a must see for every visitor to Cape Town. /QE – The Power of Rock Art shows original rock art from Eastern and Western Cape.

Cape Town Planetarium

Parking: Street Parking around Company Gardens or at the small public parking at the museum.

Shows: Kids shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 12.00hShows for teenagers and adults: Saturdays and Sundays at 13.00h and 14.30h. Mondays to Fridays at 14.00 and Tuesdays also at 20.00 with sky talk;

Rates: R20/R6. Website.

In the auditorium with a big dome the night sky is explained to you in an easy to understand way. This is a unique audio-visual experience for kids and adults alike. The children's shows for the 5-10 year old are renowned for their superb introduction to astronomy and are great fun not only for the little ones. Then there are also excellent shows for teenagers and “experts”.

Gold of Africa Museum

Parking: Picbel Parcade Strand Street or Street Parking

Opening Times: 9.30-17.00h except Sundays and some public holidays

Rates: R25/15, Pangolin Night Tours at 18.00h: R50/30. www.goldofafrica.com

This museum which is located in one of Cape Town’s best restored historic buildings from 1783, the Martin Melck House, is my personal favourite. The Gold of Africa Museum shows more than 350 of the finest golden artefacts from Western African cultures. The richness of the goldsmithing collections with its delicate craftsmanship and intricate detailing is just amazing.There are always temporary collections on, like the amazing Threads of Africa exhibition.

BoKaap Museum

Parking: Street Parking in Wale Street or in the nearby streets

Opening Times: .10.00 – 17.00h, closed on Sundays

Rates: R10, children under 16 are free. Website. This museum is a treat regarding all the authentic info material on display. There is currently an excellent exhibition on the Cape Town New Year Carnival which gives great insights into the Cape Malay community.

District Six Museum

Parking: Street Parking or Parkades in Harrington or Canterbury Streets

Opening Times: 9.00h – 14.00h on Mondays, 9.00h- 16.00h Tues – Sat., Sundays only by appointment

Rates: Donations. Website.

The museum is a living memorial giving real insights into the life of the people in the District Six. The District Six, an innercity Cape Town suburb, was demolished during Apartheid. The museum itself is located in Buitenkant Street, one block down from the Cape Town City Hall. There are various interesting exhibitions with resources and memories witnessing the times in the former District Six. So you will see the reconstruction of a typical barber shop, see numerous photographs and old street signs as well as benches from the apartheid times. There is lots of info on many foreigners’ communities of the District Six as well. Take your teenagers as well and show them what was going during these times of forced removal in Cape Town.

South African Maritime Museum

Parking: V&A Waterfront Parking Garages or Clocktower Parking

Opening Times: 10-17.00h

Rates: free entrance. Donations welcome. Website.

The Maritime Center is one of the Iziko Cape Town museums and has been moved into the Union Castle Building in the heart of the V&A Waterfront. The museum houses on of the worlds biggest ship model collections and also showcases memorabilia of the early shipping days in Cape Town. Here you can see the earliest existing model of the Cape Town harbour, built in 1885. There is also the Marsh collection of more than 19,000 photographs on maritime history.

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