Cape Town has a wide variety of shops and craft markets for you to explore and enjoy. Positioned at the very tip of Africa, Cape Town attracts arts and crafts from throughout the continent, this mixed together with its very own blend of Afro Funk gives rise to somereally cool gifting ideas. We recommend that you take the time to visit the following areas:

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront
So ok you can buy the Gucci Handbags and Jimmy Choos Shoes at home, but above and beyond the designer shops, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront showcases the very best of South Africa art and craft. There are two craft centres ( The Blue Shed and the Red Shed ) , The Everard Read Gallery, as well as numerous Curio Shops and Gift Shops. Shops are intertwined with restaurants, and street performers entertain you with Gum Boot Dancers, African Choirs, and Mime Artists.

Greenmarket Square
Greenmarket Square Flea Market, nestled in the heart of the Central Business District of Cape Town, has seen a vast mix of cultures pass over its ancient cobbles. This area has served as a slave market, a fruit and vegetable market (hence the name Greenmarket Square) and in the late 50's as a popular parking lot. Due to the success of the flea market, other forms of business began to prosper, and today there is still an abundance of coffee shops, restaurants and hotels bordering on the Square, convenient for customers who need to relax after the rigors of shopping Typical arts and crafts found at the market are: hand painted fabrics, wood carvings, glassware, clothing, jewellery, footwear, music CD's, sunglasses, paintings and curios from all over Africa, e.g. Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mali and Kenya.

Long Street
Long Street is a Bohemian and quite hippy street in Cape Town, so called because it is very long! Running from the foreshore to almost half way up to Table Mountain it is lined with many antique bookstores, restaurants, clubs and bars. There are curio shop and bazaars to visit, take a
leisurely walk up or down the street and see what you can discover. As with any city centre anywhere in the world, avoid wearing flashy jewellery, don’t carry big cameras and watch out for street beggars and undesirables !

Hout Bay Sunday Market
Every Sunday during summer there is a fantastic craft market in the centre of Hout Bay. We believe this craft market is well worth visiting. Potters, fashion designers, trinkets, artists, shoemakers, and many more have their stands under the trees. This market is very enjoyable, and together with some of the art shops and crafts shops that are open locally in Hout Bay, makes it well worth a visit.

Where do Capetonians shop?
We often get asked the question where do local Capetonians do their shopping? And where can I go to avoid the tourist traps? There are several shopping centres in an around Cape Town, these are easily accessible. They include Canal Walk, Cavendish Square, Tygervalley and Constantia Village – although refreshingly you will find South African’s and Capetonians also visit the Waterfront.