6 Interesting Cape Town Museums

South africa museum

Cape Town is known for its astonishing beauty. Visitors to the Mother City are welcomed to the picturesque beaches, majestic mountains, and colonial Winelands areas. Cape Town is home to a variety of interesting museums that will keep budding history fanatics captivated. Here are a few of my favorite interesting Cape Town museums.

Please check the museum websites for open times before visiting.

The Iziko South African Museum

South africa museum
Source: Josephou

Located within lush company gardens, the Iziko South African Museum features a variety of collections ranging from fossils and ancient artifacts to traditional clothes. This museum gives visitors an insight into the culture and natural heritage of South Africa.

 
 

South African National Gallery

 cape town museums
Source: PhilippN
 
Located near the Iziko South African Museum, is another of the top Cape Town museums, the National Gallery houses a vast collection of art from across the globe. The temporary exhibitions at this museum change regularly and feature amazing works of art from local masters. Check open times on the South Africa National Gallery website.

Robben Island

Robben island prison museum
Photo by Grant Durr on Unsplash

Robben Island is located just off the Cape Town shoreline and was a place of banishment and imprisonment during Apartheid times. It is here where visitors can gain insight into this part of South Africa’s history and they can see the cell in which Nelson Mandela spent a large portion of his life.

 

District Six Museum

district 6 cape town
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).
 

The District Six Museum showcases the memories of the people of the Sixth Municipal District who were forcefully removed during apartheid times. This community originally housed a cultural mixture of freed slaves, merchants, artists, laborers, and immigrants. This vibrant center was known for its bright colors, singing, dancing, and sense of community.

The Castle of Good Hope

 
 
castle of good hope SA+Tourist+Co.+guestblogpost
 

The Castle was originally built as a replenishment station for the maritime ships and a navy look-out. Today the military still operates out of the Castle which is the oldest colonial building in the country. The castle offers guided tours of the grounds. It aims to protect the country’s military and cultural history. This is the most visited of all the Cape Town museums on this list.

South African Navy Museum

 
sa navy museum cape town
Source: Discott
 
The South African Navy Museum is housed in the actual Navy grounds in Simon’s Town. The collection at the museum houses model ships, a life-size ship’s bridge and submarine control room, naval guns, torpedoes, mines and mine-sweeping equipment, diving equipment, and naval uniforms. On public navy days, visitors can also step aboard the navy training ships in the Simon’s Town harbor.
 
 

Visit the Most Interesting Cape Town Museums

Along with the above main museums, a number of other historical places can be found in and around Cape Town. These places include the Cape Town Diamond Museum, the Bo-Kaap Museum, Groot Constantia Manor, Josephine Mill, Rhodes Memorial, the Slave Lodge, the Planetarium, and St Georges Cathedral.

Do you want to discover more unique attractions in Cape Town?

Author Bio: Janine Mare is a regular contributor for a number of travel-related blogs and websites. She is currently developing hotel write-ups and travel articles for a South African Tourism Company.
 
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I'm a travel writer and travel agent hoping to help you plan your next adventure.

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(2) Comments

  1. Man Cosgrave

    Good article. I absolutely appreciate this site. Thanks!

  2. rachel games

    Excellent blog explains what I was looking for, thank you Rachel

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