THE VICTORIA AND ALFRED WATERFRONT

The V & A Waterfront is a wonderful place for shopping, eating, theatre and cinema – or just enjoying the hustle and bustle of the harbour activities, waterside buskers or watching the Cape Fur seals in the water.

In 1860 Queen Victoria’s second son, Prince Albert, officially opened the construction works that would create the breakwater for Cape Town’s harbour.  The Alfred Basin could not cope with the increasing amount of ships visiting the port.  Later another basin, the Victoria Basin, was built and the V & A Waterfront takes its name from these two original basins.

The Waterfront is designed to be completely accessible to disabled people, including specially allocated parking bays, access ramps and toilets.

Visitors to the Waterfront can indulge themselves by taking a cruise out into Table Bay, have a meal on a floating restaurant or merely take a short trip around the harbour basin.  There is a renovated Tug – possibly the only remaining steam powered boat left of the South African coast, as well as an old sailing vessel which also caters for the tourist trade.  Helicopter rides over the Peninsula can also be arranged from the Waterfront.

Shopping doesn’t get better than at the Waterfront! Every taste is catered for from designer clothes to souvenirs. There are close to 300 shops in this area, including over 40 restaurants and coffee shops.  At the Red Shed Craft market, visitors can watch the crafters at work while shopping.

The Waterfront also has an IMAX theatre, that opened in 1992, in the BMW pavillion.  The IMAX has the world’s largest cinema screen – over five stories high – and there are amazing movies shown there, all through the day, every day of the week.