Situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain in the heart of Cape Town's working harbour, the Gateway to Africa, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront has become South Africa's most visited destination. Set against a backdrop of magnificent sea and mountain views, the V & A Waterfront hosts well over 400 speciality shops, from designer clothing and jewellery to the informal trading areas of the Red Shed and the Waterfront Craft Market.

Furthermore, it boasts world calss resytaurants, the Two Oceans Aquarium, the South African maratime Museum, which are all intermingled with imaginative office locations, world-class hotels and luxury apartments in the residential marina. We invite you to discover the experience... live, work, shop and play at the V&A Waterfront.

History

Since its origins in 1860, the Port of Cape Town has been the scene of excavations, reclamations, harbour construction programmes and land-based developments.
By the time Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, tipped the first load of stone into the sea to initiate construction of Cape Town's harbour, the trade routes to the East had transformed the city into a hive of seafront activity. The discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa meant that the first section of harbour, the Alfred Basin, had to be added to and the Victoria Basin was built.
The construction of the two harbour basins took place between 1860 and 1920, and the area is notable for its outstanding heritage buildings. It retains the charm of Victorian industrial architecture and the scale of a harbour built for sail and the early days of steam travel.
Over the past 140 years, the harbour has undergone numerous changes, which continue even today with the redevelopment of land and buildings surrounding the original Victoria & Alfred Basins. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront project is the culmination of nearly three decades of planning and development proposals.

Shopping

The Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre forms the bulk of the retail space at the Waterfront, and presents the shopper with a wide variety of national retailers, boutiques and services, along with a large selection of restaurants, coffee shops and fast food outlets.
The Alfred Mall & Pierhead is situated within the historic Pierhead and overlooks the small craft harbour and adjacent dry dock. Those seeking quality specialist artefacts, jewellery, curios and art with a nautical or African flavour will find a wonderful selection here.
The Red Shed Craft Workshop, adjoining the Victoria Wharf centre, is filled with an eclectic mix of handmade merchandise and art and has an atmosphere that brings the shopper closer to the creator.
NB! The Red Shed Craft Workshop is closed for renovations.
Waterfront Craft Market represents the Waterfront's culture of entrepreneurship and micro business development. This vibrant indoor craft market, adjacent to the Two Oceans Aquarium, features a diverse assortment of innovative designs and traditional handcrafts, antiquities and holistic lifestyle accessories.
Eating Out
Savour the Waterfront food experience - the ultimate sensation, texture, aroma, flavour and atmosphere appreciation. The wide variety of tastes are all savoured because they are enhanced by the cultural ingredients of the Waterfront; it sights, sounds and smells, its people, its chefs, these submerge themselves into the melting pot that is your savouring moment.
Whatever your mood, style or budget, our diverse restaurant selection is able to cater to your specific tastes. Make any occasion special, whatever the mood.

Boating

The V&A Waterfront experience is primarily a maritime one. The working harbour caters for a wide range of vessels and yachts. It has 2 metre deep water, 200 metre length passenger vessel berths, Super Yacht berths and a multitude of up-market floating marina berths. The local fishing industry occupies some 60% of the harbour and provides visitors with a vibrant and ever changing backdrop of ferries, fishing vessels, charter boats and marine life.

Accommodation

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront offers accommodation ranging from budget to five star comfort, in exceptional surroundings. Whilst within a few minutes of the city business district, the Waterfront is in close proximity to Sea Point, the Atlantic Seaboard and offers easy access to the Western Cape's other major tourist attractions and main route to the airport. As a result, it is suitable for both the business and tourist traveller.

Live here

Part of the vision for the V&A Waterfront was for it to be lived in and the V&A Marina is the culmination of 6 years of planning and design to produce one of the world's foremost Marina developments. Aimed at the worlds most affluent the V&A Marina will have a quality and standard of finish to rival the worlds best.