Photo by Tobias Reich on Unsplash
A shopping-first Cape Town itinerary: City Bowl craft markets and boutique streets, Woodstock design and antiques, the Waterfront's maker market, and harbour and seaside markets. Best run Friday to Sunday, so Saturday lines up with Neighbourgoods and Sunday with Oranjezicht, Bay Harbour and Kalk Bay.
81 playbooks shared · added to 0 trips
- Day 19 am – 5 pm · 5 stops
- 9 am 1Greenmarket Square craft marketCape Town
One of Cape Town's oldest squares, with a daily market for African crafts, beadwork, fabrics and curios. Haggle kindly and greet the trader first; this is the place for gifts to take home.
3 min walk · 100 m - 10:30 am 2Pan African Market on Long StreetCape Town
A covered warren of stalls at 109 Long Street selling African art, textiles, clothing and crafts from across the continent. Good for a second pass at anything you skipped at Greenmarket Square.
3 min walk · 200 m - 11:30 am 3Bree Street boutiquesCape Town
Walk Bree Street for upscale local fashion, jewellery and lifestyle boutiques mixed in with galleries. The most concentrated designer shopping street in the City Bowl.
8 min by train or taxi · 1.8 km - 2 pm 4Kloof Street independent shopsCape Town
Kloof Street in Gardens is the other City Bowl shopping artery: independent clothing, homeware and concept stores, plus local jewellery designers. Browse both sides of the street on foot.
8 min by train or taxi · 2.4 km - 3:30 pm 5Cape Quarter in De WaterkantCape Town
A lifestyle centre at 27 Somerset Road in De Waterkant, with South African design, furniture showrooms and boutiques in a village-like square. A calmer end to the City Bowl shopping day.
- Day 29 am – 5 pm · 4 stops
- 9 am 6Neighbourgoods Market at The Old Biscuit MillCape Town
Saturday market at 373-375 Albert Road in Woodstock: design and craft stalls alongside the food hall, in the old biscuit factory that kicked off Woodstock's revival. Arrive early for the design stalls before the crowds.
14 min walk · 1.1 km - 11 am 7Woodstock Exchange design hubCape Town
A creative hub at 66 Albert Road for independent designers, furniture makers and studios. The best single stop for contemporary South African furniture, clothing and accessories.
6 min walk · 450 m - 12:30 pm 8Delos AntiquesCape Town
Hand-picked antiques for the home at 181 Albert Road: chandeliers, Murano glass, candelabras and decorative pieces. Woodstock's Albert Road is the city's antiques strip, so keep walking it after this stop.
16 min by train or taxi · 16 km - 3 pm 9Bay Harbour Market, Hout BayHout Bay
Over 100 traders inside an old fish factory at 31 Harbour Road, under Chapman's Peak: handmade jewellery, pottery, fashion and home decor, many sold by the makers themselves. Open Friday to Sunday (Friday evenings to 9pm).
- Day 39 am – 5 pm · 4 stops
- 9 am 10Oranjezicht City Farm Market, Granger BayCape Town
Weekend market at Granger Bay for artisan goods, flowers and farm produce, right beside the Waterfront. Shop the craft and flower stalls first, then head into the Waterfront proper.
4 min walk · 300 m - 11 am 11The Watershed at the V&A WaterfrontCape Town
A permanent indoor market at 17 Dock Road with over 150 stalls of South African design: ceramics, textiles, jewellery, leatherwork and art. Open daily, and the single best place for a meaningful, locally made gift.
13 min walk · 950 m - 1 pm 12V&A Waterfront shoppingCape Town
The flagship precinct with over 450 shops: international labels alongside a growing set of local designer stores. Use it for anything the markets did not cover, and for South African brands in one place.
25 min by train or taxi · 25 km - 3:30 pm 13Kalk Bay Trading PostKalk Bay
A treasure trove at 71 Main Road in the seaside village of Kalk Bay: vintage furniture, antiques, old comics and collectables. Walk Main Road afterwards for the village's other antique and design shops.