Cape Town’s Big Six: The V&A Waterfront (2/6)
As a city, Cape Town’s known for its “Big Six” attractions – meet them all through SA Logue’s Cape Town Big Six tag!
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
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This, it is said, is the most-visited place in Africa, attracting more people per year than Egypt’s pyramids. One’s not quite sure what to make of such a claim – I personally would rather see the pyramids – but it’s certainly the case that the Waterfront is usually thronging with people.
Named after Queen Victoria and her second son, Aflred, who visited the Cape Town harbor at its founding in the 19th century, the Waterfront was developed into a series of hotels and shopping centers starting in 1988.
Today, it comprises a large, main mall, three smaller malls, two craft markets, several four- and five-star hotels (including the Cape Grace and the Table Bay), a bevy of restaurants, the splendid Two Oceans Aquarium (ever seen a four-foot-tall crab?), the Robben Island Museum embarkation point, and, of course, the original Cape Town harbor, which remains a working one, complete with lazy seals.
The Waterfront can be quite a convenient place for last-minute shopping, because most of it stays open until 9 p.m. – and it’s probably the best option in the city for upmarket browsing.
V&A Waterfront Links: