Greenmarket Square
An open-air craft market on the cobbled old square in the city center, selling African masks, wood carvings, beadwork and fabrics, surrounded by Art Deco buildings.
Greenmarket Square was established in 1696 and is the second-oldest square in Cape Town. It was once a market for farm produce and for the slave trade. Today the cobbled square is packed with stalls selling wood carvings, masks, wire crafts, beaded jewelry, colorful fabrics and T-shirts, much of it from Zimbabwe, the Congo, Malawi and other countries. Prices can often be haggled down to between half and 70% of the initial asking price. On one side of the square, the Old Town House (1755) houses the Michaelis Collection, where you can view Dutch Golden Age paintings for free. Several Art Deco buildings surround the square. It is open roughly Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:00, and the market is smaller on rainy days. From here you can walk to Long Street, Bo-Kaap and Company's Garden. Watch out for pickpockets.
Opening hours
Mon–Sat, approx. 09:00–16:00
Nearby sights
- Bo-Kaap
- Company's Garden
- District Six Museum
- Castle of Good Hope
- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
- Two Oceans Aquarium
- Signal Hill
- V&A Waterfront