Public Garden

Cape Town


Planted with a fine collection of botanical specimens, including frangipanis, African flame trees, aloes and roses, the Public Garden is the centrepiece of the Company's Garden. The oldest recorded specimen is a Saffron pear tree, in the region of 300 years old and still bearing fruit.

Also to be found here is a bronze statue of Cecil Rhodes; a small aviary; a fake ‘slave bell’ erected in 1911; a rose garden designed in 1929; and the VOC Vegetable Garden.

Transportation

  • bus: Groote Kerk

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cape Town attractions

1. Company’s Garden

0.03 MILES

These shady green gardens, which started as the vegetable patch for the Dutch East India Company, are a lovely place to relax. They are planted with a…

2. Houses of Parliament

0.05 MILES

A tour around parliament is fascinating, especially if you’re interested in the country’s modern history. Opened in 1885, the hallowed halls have seen…

3. National Library of South Africa

0.08 MILES

Facing the north end of the Public Garden, this neoclassical building is based on the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK, and holds a copy of nearly…

4. De Tuynhuis

0.08 MILES

Dating from 1700, but altered during the British administration of the 19th century when it was the home of the British governor, De Tuynhuis was…

5. Cecil Rhodes Statue

0.1 MILES

This bronze statue of the politician and mining magnate Cecil Rhodes was erected in 1908 in the Company's Garden on a plinth carved with the phrase ‘Your…

6. St George’s Cathedral

0.13 MILES

Known as the People’s Cathedral, this was one of the few places of worship that was open to people of all races during apartheid. Classical concerts are…

7. St Mary’s Cathedral

0.14 MILES

Dedicated in 1851, and having undergone many alterations since, this is Cape Town's main Catholic church.

8. Centre for the Book

0.14 MILES

This grand domed Edwardian building first opened in 1913 as the headquarters of the now-defunct University of Good Hope. More recently it has become an…

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