Where to try free guided walking tours in Cape Town

October 06, 2023 Benn Ndzoyiya

Whether you have a few hours or a few days in Cape Town, this guided walking tour and itinerary will help you discover Cape Town's best sights and attractions. After all, Cape Town has a rich diverse past that can be seen and felt across the city.

The concept is run by Walk Cape Town, a team of local insiders that help you connect to the stories, people, history and cultures of Cape Town. No visitor to the Mother City should miss out on its beautiful historic buildings, museums and diverse history. Immerse yourself in fascinating stories about Cape Town with FREE Cape Town City Walking Tours. The best part? No bookings are required.

Here are the available tours to try:

Bo-Kaap Walking Tour

See the colourful houses, smell the spices and hear a call to prayers of the local mosque at one of Cape Town’s most diverse and oldest neighbourhoods. This part of Cape Town is a unique, a real gem and you will totally fall in love with it during a 90-minute walking tour. Wander through the colourful cobblestoned neighbourhood with an expert guide and learn about the culture, traditions and history of the colourful Bo-Kaap. Here you’ll find brightly coloured houses unfold in an array of pinks, greens, blues, reds and oranges. Discover some of its oldest historical buildings and learn about the culture and traditions of the local people. The name is an abbreviation of ‘boven Kaap’ or ‘above the cape’. So unsurprisingly, you’ll find the neighbourhood upward from the city centre, on the slopes of Signal Hill.

Details: Tours start at 10am and 2pm daily, and runs for 90 minutes
Where: Meet at City Sightseeing (Red Bus), Stop 5, 81 Long St., Cape Town (CBD)

Historical City Walking Tour

The City of Cape Town is rich with a diverse history, from its roots as a colony for the Dutch East India Company to its liberation from Apartheid rule after years of oppression and segregation.

Join us on our FREE Historical City Tour as we explore the heart of the city and embark on a cultural and historical journey that tells the fascinating stories of the place known as the Mother City.

The tour includes the historical City Hall, where Nelson Mandela made his first speech to the nation as a free man. On the same balcony where he gave his speech stands a statue which pays homage to this great moment in our history.

Across the road sits the oldest colonial building in South Africa, the Castle of Good Hope, a symbol of the early days of the Cape colony of the Dutch East India Company. This building like many others forms part of the Iziko museums and galleries across Cape Town. From the Slave Lodge in Adderley Street to the Natural History Museum and Planetarium.

Let the Walk Cape Town team introduce you to the different eras of Cape Town, their significance and some of the people who shaped it into what it is today.

They highly recommend completing the full tour and soak up the history and stories from the guide and thereafter return to visit the museums and attractions on the route.

Details: Tours start at 10am and 3pm daily, and runs for 90 minutes
Where: Meet at City Sightseeing (Red Bus), Stop 5, 81 Long St., Cape Town (CBD)