Grand Parade

Cape Town


A prime location for Cape Town’s history, the Grand Parade is where the Dutch built their first fort in 1652; where slaves were sold and punished; and where crowds gathered to watch Nelson Mandela’s first address to the nation as a free man after 27 years in jail, made from the balcony of the Old Town Hall. A market is held on part of the square, which is also used for parking.

Facing the parade is the grand Edwardian Cape Town City Hall, now used occasionally for music and cultural events. Nearby Drill Hall, dating from 1889 and where Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 21st birthday, has been sensitively restored and turned into the city’s Central Library.

Transportation

  • bus: Darling

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cape Town attractions

1. Nelson Mandela Statue

0.06 MILES

On 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela gave his first speech as a free man from the balcony at Cape Town City Hall. To celebrate the centenary of his birth,…

2. Central Library

0.06 MILES

The Drill Hall, dating from 1889 and where Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 21st birthday, has been sensitively restored and turned into the city’s…

3. Cape Town City Hall

0.07 MILES

Cape Town's old city hall is a grand Edwardian building dating to 1905. Nelson Mandela made his first public speech from the front balcony here after…

4. We Are Still Here

0.08 MILES

Mosaic artists Lovell Friedman and Leora Lewis are the creators of this powerful artwork just outside the Central Library. A mosaic of ceramic tiles forms…

5. Castle Entrance Gate

0.08 MILES

The main entrance to the Castle of Good Hope, crowned by a bell tower, replaced the original sea-facing entrance to the fortress.

6. Castle of Good Hope

0.13 MILES

Built by the Dutch between 1666 and 1679 to defend Cape Town, this stone-walled pentagonal castle remains the headquarters for the Western Cape military…

7. Homecoming Centre

0.14 MILES

This centre houses an annexe of the District Six Museum which is usually open for temporary exhibitions and events. Currently there's a wonderful…

8. Mutual Heights

0.16 MILES

Clad in rose- and gold-veined black marble, Mutual Heights is the most impressive of the City Bowl’s collection of art deco structures. The facade is…

  • 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/grand-parade/a/poi-sig/1202454/1323002",
      "destination": "Cape-Town",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "South-Africa",
      "city": "Cape-Town",
      "position": "superzone"
    }