Bo-Kaap, Chiappini Street, Muslim Cape-Malay area.

Bo-Kaap

Top choice in Cape Town


Meaning ‘Upper Cape’, the Bo-Kaap, with its vividly painted low-roofed houses, many of them historic monuments, strung along narrow cobbled streets, is one of the most photographed sections of the city. Initially a garrison for soldiers in the mid-18th century, this area of town was where freed slaves started to settle after emancipation in the 1830s. The most picturesque streets are Chiappini, Rose and Wale.

Transportation

  • bus: Dorp|Leeuwen

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cape Town attractions

1. Bo-Kaap Museum

0.06 MILES

This small museum provides some insight into the lifestyle of a prosperous 19th-century Cape Muslim family, and a somewhat idealised view of Islamic…

2. Auwal Mosque

0.11 MILES

Built in 1789, this is the oldest place of Islamic worship in South Africa, established by Iman Abdullah Kadi Salaam, an Indonesian prince who served time…

3. Tana Baru Cemetery

0.16 MILES

This old burial ground on Signal Hill is where some of the earliest Muslim settlers to the area are buried, including three prominent holy men.

4. Heritage Square

0.22 MILES

This beautiful collection of Cape Georgian and Victorian buildings was saved from the wrecking ball in 1996. As well as a hotel and several cafes and…

5. Youngblood Africa

0.27 MILES

The artworks of young South Africans are displayed in this impressive multilevel gallery space and creative studio, where you'll also find the Food Lab…

6. Open House

0.29 MILES

Kimberley-born artist Jacques Coetzer was the winner of a World Design Capital competition in 2014 to create a piece of public art for the city. Rising up…

7. Museum of Gems & Jewellery

0.29 MILES

A chance to see inside the mid-18th century Huguenot House, mainly occupied by the diamond merchants and jewellers Prins & Prins. There's no pressure to…

8. Palm Tree Mosque

0.3 MILES

Dating from 1780, this is one of the oldest unaltered buildings along Long St.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "south-africa/cape-town/city-bowl-bo-kaap-and-de-waterkant/attractions/bo-kaap/a/poi-sig/1309407/1323002",
      "destination": "Cape-Town",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "South-Africa",
      "city": "Cape-Town",
      "position": "superzone"
    }