Cape Town is South Africa's oldest and most pleasant city center, featuring a combination of Cape Dutch, Georgian, Victorian, and 20th-century architecture, all framed by the backdrop of Table Mountain. Hardly surprising, then, that Cape Town is also the only South African city that, with the efforts of the Cape Town Partnership, is slowly transforming itself into a residential enclave, with many of the city's period buildings (like the Art Deco Mutual Heights and new Mandela Rhodes Place, incorporating an entire block) being redeveloped into apartments and hotels, and retail and restaurant outlets planned to service these new city dwellers.
The prettiest axis, Adderley Street, runs past the railway station, cutting the city in half. East of Adderley is the Castle of Good Hope, Grand Parade, and City Hall. West are the more charming shopping areas, the best of which, Long Street and, to a lesser extent, St George's Mall (a pedestrian street), run parallel to Adderley. Greenmarket Square, a lively flea market surrounded by coffee shops, lies between these two streets and Longmarket and Shortmarket streets. South of Adderley Street (where it takes a right turn at The Slave Lodge and melds with Wale St.) is the Company Gardens, Cape Town's very own central park, and the green lung where most of the museums are situated.
The city is small, so the best way to get to know it is on foot (or by carriage); you can either take a 3-hour guided walking tour, which departs from the tourism office at 10:30am (offered by knowledgeable guides, these are highly recommended) or enjoy your own pace: Start at the Castle, then head down Darling Street to Adderley Street. Either turn right to look at the brilliant blooms trading at Trafalgar flower market before continuing up Darling to browse the markets and shops at Greenmarket Square, Church Street, and Long Street, or turn left onto Adderley to complete a loop that takes in The Slave Lodge, the Company Gardens, the National Gallery, and/or the South African Museum before returning down Queen Victoria Street or Long Street to Greenmarket Square.
All that Glitters . . . -- The Gold of Africa Museum is the most recent addition to Cape Town's attractions, housing an African collection of gold artifacts purchased from the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva for R11 million ($1.5 million/£785,000). Created in Mali, Senegal, Ghana, and Cote d'Ivoire during the 19th and 20th centuries, the collection is a refreshing change from the mostly Eurocentric designs available commercially, and the intention is to foster an appreciation for and pride in African design. The museum is housed in the historic Martin Melck House, Strand Street (tel. 021/405-1540; R20/$3/£1 per person), constructed in 1781 as the parsonage for the pretty Lutheran Church, located next to the house.
