Iziko, comprising 15 museums and sites, each with its own history and character, reflects the cultural diversity of the oldest city in South Africa. Many of the museums are housed in buildings of historical interest and importance. The exhibitions communicate across boundaries of age, class and culture and represent a rich resource for learning, exploration and discovery.
South African Museum
The South African Museum, established in 1825, is the oldest museum in southern Africa. Its collections reflect the rich natural and cultural diversity of the subcontinent. Exhibition highlights include the Whale Well, Fossils for Africa and the Wonders of Nature. Among the treasures on view are the enigmatic Lydenburg Heads and a fine collection of San rock paintings and engravings.
Address: 25 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town
Opening hours: 10am-5pm daily except Xmas & Good Friday
Tel: 021 481 3800
Other: museum shop, museum cafe & reference library.
Entrance: R8, children, pensioners & Friends free
Planetarium
The Planetarium introduces visitors to the wonders of the universe and the science of astronomy. In this unique "theatre of stars" the night sky forms the background to a range of inspiring shows for children & adults.
Address: 25 Queen Victoria Str, Cape Town
Tel: 021 481 3800 – for information on times of shows, courses, etc.
Entrance: R10, children R5, pensioners & students R8, family R20
West Coast Fossil Park
Situated 110km from Cape Town, the West Coast Fossil Park is being developed together with bhpBilliton into a world class field museum. Declared a National Monument in 1996, the fossil site tells of ancient ecology and climatic changes that occurred in the Western Cape 5 million years ago. Guided tours at the Fossil Park include a visit to the ongoing excavation site where you will see the preserved remains of animals, such as the African bear, the sabre-toothed cat and the giant megatooth shark, that lived in the area.
Address:R45 (West Coast Rd)
Opening hours: daily tours at specific times
Tel: 022 766 1606 / 7
Entrance: R15, seniors & students R10, family R35, children under 5 yrs free
South African National Gallery
South Africa's premier art museum houses outstanding collections of South African, African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art. Selections from the Permanent Collection change regularly to enable the museum to have a full programme of temporary exhibitions of paintings, works on paper, photography, sculpture, beadwork, textiles and architecture. They provide insight into the extraordinary range of aesthetic production in this country, the African continent and further afield.
Address: Government Ave, Gardens
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, Closed Mondays & Workers Day
Tel: 021 467 4660
Other: museum cafe, gallery shop & reference library
Entrance: R5, children, pensioners, scholars & Friends free
Rust en Vreugd
Built in 1778 as a townhouse fr the VOC Fiscal, this museum is generally accepted to be the finest surviving example of the 18th Century urban architecture in the country. The delicately carved Rococo styled fanlight above the main door has been ascribed to the German-born sculptor, Anton Anreith. Rust en Vreugd houses the world renowned William Fehr Collection: pictorial Africana of he 16th-19th centuries. These watercolours, etchings and engravings depict an array of historical events, people and buildings as well as important maritime views of the early Cape. Declared a Heritage Site in 1940, it is set in a period-styled garden that was recreated in 1986 from the original layout.
Address: 78 Buitenkant St, Cape Town
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 8.30am-4.30pm
Entrance by donation, children & pre-booked groups free.
Koopmans-de-Wet Huis
Dating from the early 18th Century, this museum is furnished as a lived-in-house of the late 18th & early 19th centuries. It has a superb collection of Cape Furniture, Chinese & Japanese ceramics, Dutch Delft, paintings, glass & silverware. The facade is attributed to the architect Louis Thibault and sculptor Anton Anreith. The house has interior decorative wall paintings and one of the country's oldest vines grows in the small courtyard.
Address: 35 Strand St, Cape Town
Tel: 021 481 3935
Opening hours: 9.30am-4.30am Tue-Sat, Closed Xmas & Good Friday
Entrance: R5, children R2
Bertram House
The early 19th Century Georgian town house is situated in the historic Company Gardens. Highlights include a furnished dining room, drawing room and a study. Georgian furniture, Chinese and English porcelain as well as English silver and kitchenware are displayed.
Address: Cnr Govt Ave & Orange St, Cape Town
Tel: 021 481 3940
Opening hours: 9.30am-4.30am Tue-Sat
Entrance: R5 adaults, R2 children
Other: museum cafe, conference facilities.
Slave Lodge
Dating back to 1679, the Slave Lodge is the 2nd oldest colonial building in Cape Town and served initially as a lodge for the slaves of the Dutch East India Company and subsequently as the 1st post office, library and supreme court. The museum houses collections of ceramics, toys, silver & textiles as well as artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, the near East and the far East. The People's Collection and displays on Cape history, Khoisan herders, African money and slavery are on view.
Address: 49 Adderley St, Cape Town
Opening hours: daily 9.30am-4.30pm excl Sundays
Tel: 021 460 8240
Other: reference library.
South Africa Maritime Museum
Displays on maritime themes such as whaling, shipwrecks, Union Castle Liners, the history of Table Bay Harbour and cadet training can be seen. The largest ship model collection in Africa is on view. An impressive wooden-hulled yacht and the original Penny Ferry that operated in Table Bay Harbour are among the craft in the museum.
Address: Dock Rd, V&A Waterfront
Opening hours: daily 10am-5pm, Closed Xmas & Good Friday
Tel: 021-405-2880
Entrance: R10; children R3; family R20
Other: Museum Gift Shop
SAS Somerset
Included in the SA Maritime Museum's collection is a wartime vessel, the SAS Somerset, a boom defense vessel which is now permanently moored for public viewing. Visitors have access to all areas except storage.
Address: Dock Rd, V&A Waterfront
Opening hours: 10am-5pm, Closed Xmas & Good Friday
Tel: 021 405 2880
Groot Constantia
One of the oldest wine estates in South Africa. It was originally granted to Simon van der Stel in 1685. The gabled homestead is a magnificent example of Cape Dutch architecture and the wine museum pediment is one of the sculptor Anton Anreith's masterpieces.
Address: Groot Constantia Estate, Constantia
Opening hours: 10am-5pm, Closed Xmas, New Year & Good Friday
Tel: 021 795 5140
Entrance: R8; children @, Open daily 10.30am-5.30pm
Bo-Kaap Museum
This museum is situated in the historic Bo-Kaap, an area that became home to many Muslims after the abolition of slavery. Aspects of Muslim cultural heritage are displayed. The building is a rare example of early urban Cape Dutch architecture from the mid-18th century. A large room is used for temporary exhibitions.
Address: 71 Wale St, Cape Town
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm, Closed Eid Holidays.
Tel: 021 481 3939
Entrance: R5; children R2
William Fehr Collection
Housed within the stone walls of Cape Town's oldest building - the Castle of Good Hope - the William Fehr Collection comprises internationally acclaimed paintings, furniture & ceramics of the late 17th to mid-19th centuries. An intriguing variety of images of the people and the landscape of the Cape during the colonial period can be viewed. The range of artifacts highlights the interrelationship between this most southerly part of the African continent, Europe & the East.
Address: Castle of Good Hope, Buitenkant St, Cape Town.
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 9.30am-4pm, Closed Xmas & New Year's Day
Tel: 021 464 1260
Entrance: R15; children R6.50, Temp exhibitions R5
Other: Restaurant
Michaelis Collection
Situated in the hub of Cape Town on Greenmarket Square, this collection is housed in the former City Hall (the Old Town House) built in 1755 in Cape Rococo style. Donated by Sir Max Michaelis in 1914, it consists of a world-renowned selection of Nederlandish art from the 17th century Golden Age. There are works by Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Jacob Ruisdael, Anthony van Dyck & numerous others.
Address: Greenmarket Square, Cape Town
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Closed Xmas, New Year & Good Friday
Tel: 021-4246367
Entrance: R3; children, scholars, pensioners & Friends free
Other: Garden restaurant
Natale Labia Museum
When presenting the museum in 1985, Count Natale Labia donated the furniture & a collection of works for permanent display. The original character of the reception rooms has been retained, but the upper level was altered to house temporary exhibitions, lecture rooms & working spaces.
Address: 192 Main Rd, Muizenberg
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, Closed Workers' day
Tel: 021 788 4106
Entrance: R3; children, scholars, pensioners & Friends free
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