Company Gardens, Cape Town

Cape Town & Western Cape Tourist Attractions

Company Gardens, Cape Town

Company Gardens is a large public park and botanical garden set in the heart of Cape Town, home to a rose garden, Japanese garden, fish pond and aviary.

Roaming Company Gardens, past the back of Parliament and Tuynhuys, the President’s official residence when in the mother city, is part of every visitor’s schedule to Cape Town, and well worth the visit. Lunch hour in Company Gardens is generally teeming with locals, who seek out the fresh air and beautiful views of Table Mountain. The tree-lined avenue, with its benches and resident squirrels, forms a pathway between the suburb of Gardens and the city centre, and there are a number of other important buildings within the garden - the South African Museum, the Planetarium and the South African Art Gallery included.

Company Gardens, Cape Town

Company Gardens is the oldest garden in the country. It has its origins in Jan van Riebeeck’s vegetable garden, which he grew to feed the original colony as early as 1652, but a little closer to the coast. In a bid to plant in more fertile soil, on ground sheltered from the wind, he moved his garden with its northern boundary on Wale Street, and this is where it stands today.

Company Gardens is intricately bound with the arts in South Africa. Not only is there an art gallery within the park, but it is also the venue of a number of festivals, including the Human Rights Concert and the Youth Festival. The likes of South Africa’s popular multiracial band “Freshlygound” has performed here, and there is a permanent craft market, which has invited some 20 crafters to market their products directly to the public from the gardens, stimulating job creation and attracting tourists to the city centre.

Additional Reading
For additional information and a first hand review of the Gardens see "Down the garden path - The Cape Town Company Gardens".

Company Gardens

Accommodation nearby

For accommodation nearby see:
• Cape Town Central Accommodation • Devils Peak Accommodation • Foreshore Accommodation
• Gardens Accommodation • Granger Bay Accommodation • Higgovale Accommodation
• Highlands Estate Accommodation • Kloof Nek Accommodation • Oranjezicht Accommodation
• V&A Waterfront Accommodation • Vredehoek Accommodation • Woodstock Accommodation

Or to see all accommodation in this region at once, visit Cape Town City Bowl Accommodation.

Attractions / Activities nearby

Houses of Parliament

The city of Cape Town, despite not being the capital of South Africa, is home to South Africa’s Parliament - Cape Town is the legislative capital, whilst the seat of government is in Pretoria, the administrative capital - which is one of the biggest draw cards to the city under the mountain. Lying in the ... more information

South African Museum

The oldest museum in sub-Saharan Africa, the South African Museum (SAM) has been adding to their collections for nearly 200 years and was established in 1825. Collections here range from fossils to insects and fish found as recently as a week ago; there are Stone Age tools, over 120 000 years old, side by ... more information

South African National Gallery

Lying in the Company Gardens, opposite the South African Museum on Government Avenue, the South African National Gallery houses some of the most beautiful collections of South African, African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art in South Africa. The South African National Gallery’s permanent ... more information

Visiting the Company Gardens?
Also see Things To Do in Cape Town City Bowl or check out Things To Do in Cape Town to view activities by category, including watersports, sightseeing activities, arts & crafts and many, many more.

destinations / attractions in the western cape

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