The V&A (Victoria & Albert) Waterfront is in South Africa’s oldest working harbour, the property includes residential apartments, shopping centres, a cinema complex, an open-air theatre, restaurants, office buildings, museums, markets and hotels. The Waterfront is divided into precincts, placed in and around the working and historical harbour. The V&A Waterfront has spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, the City of Cape Town and Table Mountain.
- The V&A Waterfront is the premier destination for tourists visiting South Africa and hosts 24 million visitors a year.
- There are over one hundred of places to go and things to do for every type of tourist. It is easy to spend an afternoon or the whole day busy seeing the sights, taking tours, or lazing and eating delicious food at sidewalk cafes and restaurants.
- For those who enjoy a bit of live music and entertainment, dotted around the Waterfront are Marimba bands, mime and portrait artists and a variety of other buskers in the squares creating a great vibe for young and old alike.
- South Africa’s only dedicated comedy club is at the Pumphouse, see Posters for the line up or their website or +27 21 418 8880
- The Cape Town Stadium is close by
- Green Point Park is nearby
- Table Mountain Cableway and hiking trails
- Two Oceans Aquarium
- Radisson Blu Hotel (waterfront)
HRH Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria, began construction of the harbour in 1860. The first basin was named after him and the second after his mother. The V&A (as locals call the Waterfront) is home to 22 landmarks and is rich in varied history that can be traced back to 1654. Jan van Riebeeck built the first jetty as part of his mission to establish a refreshment station for the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The Alfred Basin was soon too small due to the discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa and the Victoria Basin was built. In 1938 the foreshore land was reclaimed from the sea to build the Duncan Dock and later the Ben Schoeman Dock with the Container Terminal. These two do not form part of the V&A Waterfront, which was redeveloped in 1988 as a mixed-use area with a focus on retail, tourism and residential development, with the continued operation of a working harbour.
