Touring Cape Town’s art galleries

AA Cape Town art tour will take you through some of the city's finest historic art institutions and some of the trendiest, edgiest, art and design studios. From Kloof Street to Khayelitsha, you'll find artists and galleries that express the multiple identities that make-up cosmopolitan Cape Town.

Whether you book a Cape Town art tour with a company, use public transport or drive yourself, there are plenty of options for an art-inspired tour of the city.

Did You Know?

CCape Town is home to South Africa's only public art festival, Infecting the City.

TThe South African National Gallery at the heart of the Company's Gardens is a fitting place to begin exploring Cape Town's art galleries. It has over 1 000 works in its collection and hosts a dynamic programme of high-quality exhibitions.

Food
When to visit
How to get here

Food

When to visit

How to get here

JJust a short walk away, the Old Town House is home to the Michaelis Art Collection, with its renowned selection of Dutch art from the 17th century. Also in the city centre, the Castle of Good Hope is home to the William Fehr Art Collection, an important visual representation of a particular time in the city's history. Historic Groote Schuur houses the Cecil John Rhodes Art Collection.

Moving out to the suburbs of Woodstock and Salt River, expect to find the city's trendiest design and art collectives in what is Cape Town's newest art precinct. Initiatives like the WhatiftheWorld Gallery, the Stevenson Gallery and the Goodman Gallery are great examples of Cape Town’s innovative art scene.

AAlso visit the V&A Waterfront, where galleries like Everard Read represent a number of top local artists. The Montebello Design Centre in Newlands is home to David Krut Projects and the Irma Stern Museum in Rosebank is another art gallery that is rewarding to visit.

Other places of interest include several private collections, which are not generally open to the public. In Kloof Road, Ellerman House has works by Maggie Loubser, Irma Stern and William Kentridge. In the suburb of St James you can visit another impressive collection of South African art at Rodwell House. Nearby Kalk Bay is home to dozens of small art galleries, shops and studios.

Round off your art tour with a visit to art hot spots in Khayelitsha, where Cape Town's vibrant township art scene adds yet another dimension to the city's artistic landscape.

Who to contact
Around the area
Tours to do
Get around
What's happening

Who to contact

Around the area

Tours to do

Get around

What's happening

Mpho Molema: The Workshop ko Kasi, Northern Cape

Despite its scenic landscape and being home to the Eye of Kuruman (a wondrous natural spring known as one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere), Kuruman in the Northern Cape is not often the first place that one thinks of when we speak about tourism in South Africa. Mpho Molema, a native of Mothibistad township in Kuruman, defies this status quo through The Workshop ko Kasi”, an eco-tourism and creative hub offering authentic African experiences to visitors from all over the world.

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Desert footsteps – a Kalahari San guided trail

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The Khomani San people of the Northern Cape

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Why travel is good for kids' education – here are 13 SA spots that should be on every youth tour itinerary.

Why travel is good for kids' education – here are 13 SA spots that should be on every youth tour itinerary

Dance culture in South Africa

South African dance has its own unique vitality and energy and includes traditional and cultural dance, gumboot and protest dance as well as contemporary dance and ballet, all performed in art houses and theatres across the country.

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Touring Cape Town’s art galleries