Free Walking Historic City Tour of Cape Town

One of our favorite things to do to get the lay of the land in a new city are free city walking tours, and Cape Town has three: the History City Tour, the Bo-Kaap Tour, and the Apartheid to Freedom Tour. You can check all of them out here on the Free Walking Tours website.  

We did two of the three free walking tours: the Historic City Tour and the Bo-Kaap Tour. This article focuses on the Historic City Tour. 

General Tour Information

Aside from being free, another great thing about Cape Town’s free walking tours is that no booking is required, unless you have a group of 10 or more. All you have to do is show up! 

Tours are provided every day, 365 days a year, rain or sunshine, at: 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:20 PM. 

Each tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours and is provided in English. No other languages are currently offered.  

All you have to do is show up at Church Square on Parliament Street at your desired time and look for a tour guide with a green umbrella.

Tour Times

11:00 AM – Historic City Tour and the Apartheid to Freedom Tour

2:00 PM – Bo Kaap Tour and the Apartheid to Freedom Tour 

4:20 PM – Bo-Kaap Tour and the Historic City Tour

Private Tours may also be requested for larger groups (10+ people), as well as customized tours, such as the Diamond Mining History, Taste of Cape Town, and Art & Music Tours. Customized tours are currently on hold, but may be available at the time of your trip. Just double check their website or reach out to the company to confirm. 

We had a great tour guide named Marina, a former journalist and traveler who has lived in Cape Town for 20 years. You could tell she was very knowledgeable and had a real passion for the city and her work.  

On this tour you’ll learn about the city’s history and see some important historical sites and buildings.  

A bit of history on the city: 

The first inhabitants of South Africa are the Khoisan, the indigenous people from the region. Contrary to what many may think, the first Europeans to explore South Africa were not the Dutch, but rather the Portuguese, who arrived during the 15th century as they sought a maritime route to China.   

It wasn’t until 1652 when the Dutch established a trading post and colonized Cape Town. They were originally interested in crops and spices from Indonesia and made a post in Cape Town to resupply ships on their route back and forth from Indonesia. After they realized they didn’t have enough manpower to provide for their ships, the Dutch East India Company began enslaving people along their route to use as a labor force, which included people from West and East Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia. 

The Cape was invaded by the British in 1795, who passed the Slave Trade Act in 1807, which ended the external slave trade, but continued to allow slave trade within the colony. During this time, they also enacted laws to provide better living conditions for slaves. These laws limited work hours and punishments and allowed slaves to marry, purchase their freedom, live with their families, and receive a basic education.

In 1833, they passed the Slavery Abolition Act and slavery was officially abolished in 1834. However, former slaves remained as indentured apprentices under their former owners until 1840.

While slavery was abolished in the 1830s to 1840s, it’s important to note that discriminatory practice are still very much a reality and work continues to be done to promote awareness, activism, and change.   

Here’s what you’ll see on the Historic City Tour:

Castle of Good Hope

Thiis the oldest building in South Africa, built during the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company as a fort and resupply station for trade ships. The fort was originally located along Table Bay, but moved inland after reclamation. It originally housed a bakery, church, living quarters, shops, workshops, and the governor’s residence, and later served as a prison and the headquarters for the South African Army. The bell tower that stands above the entrance was used to alert citizens to danger and summon them for announcements. You can tour the former living quarters, bakery, and prison cells, as well as the Castle Military Museum, the William Fehr Collection comprising historical paintings, ceramics, and antique furniture, and an African pottery exhibit. 

The castle is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is 50 ZAR ($3 USD). We recommend a visit if you can fit it in. For more information, check out the Castle of Good Hope website.

View of Table Mountain

From the Castle of Good Hope, you can get a view of Table Mountain named for its flat-top. The mountain stands at an elevation of 3,558 ft and is home to a variety of flora and fauna. Table Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in South Africa, with over 4 million people visiting per year. You can hike up to the top, which takes approximately 1.5 – 2 hours, or ride a cable car up. The cable car runs from 8:30 am – 7:00 pm, with the last ride up being at 6:00 pm. Round trip tickets cost 395 ZAR ($23 USA) from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm and 340 ZAR ($20 USA) after 1:00 pm. 

City Hall

This beautiful honey-colored limestone building was built in 1905, with a tall turret clock in the center modeled after Big Ben. Contrary to what you might think, the City Hall has not been used as a government building for several years, until recently when someone tried to burn down the Parliament building. It now houses Cape Town’s Visitor Information Centre offices and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra.  

Waving from the center balcony is a statue of Nelson Mandela, where he made his first public speech in 1990 after being released from prison as a free man. 

The figure of Nelson Mandela appears to be waving at another statue across from City Hall of Edward VII, King of England, which remains controversial due to the King representing colonization.  

The parking lot across from City Hall also has a small market, but be careful. Our guide mentioned there are a lot of pickpockets there. 

Dutch Reformed Church (Groote Kerk)

The oldest Dutch Church in South Africa was established in 1652. The church reflects the countries long slavery and apartheid history. While slavery was abolished in 1834, the apartheid didn’t end until 1994, and the church didn’t publicly condemn apartheid until 1989. The church is also home to the largest organ in South Africa, with 5,917 pipes. 

Church Square

Once a slave market associated with the Slave Lodge, now Church Square houses a couple monuments and the Social History Centre. In the middle of the square is a controversial statue of Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, a journalist and politician who fought to make Dutch an official language. You’ll also see the Memorial to the Enslaved, 11 black granite blocks inscribed with the names of slaves and words from the slavery period. You’ll notice some of the names are months of the year. This is because when slaves were brought to the area, they were often named after the month when they arrived. Behind the monuments is the Social History Centre, which includes exhibits on  

indigenous South African culture, artifacts from the colonial period, maritime and archaeology exhibits, and international exhibits. You can check out more about the Social History Centre here. 

Iziko Slave Lodge

The lodge is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town dating back to 1679. From 1679 to 1811, it housed between 7,000 and 9,000 slaves from the Dutch East India Company before becoming government offices for the British. It became a museum in 1966. However, at the time it primarily focused on the culture of the Dutch and British colonists. And it wasn’t until the 1990s that it began focusing on slavery. Today, the exhibits focus on the history of slavery in South Africa and human rights awareness. The museum is open Monday – Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is 30 ZAR ($1.75 USD). For more information on the Iziko Slave Lodge, click here.  

Government Avenue

This is the main pedestrian street passing through The Company’s Garden. As you turn onto Government Ave from Wale St you’ll pass through the Arch for Arch, a modern architectural structure created to commemorate Desmond Tutu for his anti-apartheid and human rights work. In addition to beautiful greenery, the path is also lined with several local merchants. It’s a great spot to pick up some souvenirs and support local artists. We bought a few handmade beaded animal decorations and keychains from one friendly artist. And prices were very reasonable. 

The Parliament Building – lays in The Company’s Garden between Parliament St and Government Ave. The original building was completed in 1884, with additional buildings built in the 1920s and 1980s. It’s a beautiful red and white building with Corinthian porticos. 

Unfortunately, the Parliament building is currently closed to the public, and it’s hard to get a good view due to the fences and barbed wire surrounding the perimeter following an attack on January 2, 2022, when an arsonist severely burnt the rear building in protest of current government issues. 

The Company’s Gardens

This os the oldest garden in South Africa. It was originally established by the Dutch East India Company in the 1650s as a vegetable garden and later turned into a botanical garden by the British. It’s home to a lot of squirrels and several species of birds, as well as the city’s ‘oldest citizen,’ a 370 year old saffron pear tree.  

The Garden also contains several important buildings, including the Houses of Parliament, De Tuynhuys Building (the presidential office), National Library, Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre, South African Jewish Museum, South African National Gallery, De Goede Hoop Temple, St. George’s Cathedral, and Cape Town Hebrew Congregation. 

You can also grab a bite to eat at The Company’s Garden Restaurant, a nice modern restaurant surrounded by the garden’s lush greenery, and enjoy breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, or cocktails.  

Tipping the Tour Guide

While it is a free walking tour, tipping is recommended. This is the guide’s only source of income from the tour and enables them to continue providing this service. We recommend tipping about 100-200 ZAR/person ($5-10 USD).  

Other Free Tours in Cape Town 

For more information on free walking tours in Cape Town click here. 

Or check out our article on the Free Bo-Kaap Walking Tour.