6 Interesting Cape Town Museums

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

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

Robben Island

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

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

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

Visit the Most Interesting Cape Town Museums