The Old Cape Town Ramble with The Last Word Retreats

A unique ramble and loop through the city's fascinating streets with a passionate Capetonian

Have your eyes and ears opened to seldom seen sights and seldom heard stories of the city’s former inhabitants; previous visitors; beautiful architectural heritage; social, cultural, religious, and political history; and its international links and connectivity.

Khoi, Dutch, French, German, Indian, Malay, Malagasy, Angolan, Xhosa, British, Ottoman, American, Jewish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek – what do they all have in common?

Cape Town has been a meeting place of diverse peoples for over 350 years: The historic old town, with an area of only a few square kilometres at the base of Table Mountain, has seen individuals from dozens of linguistic and ethnic groups live, work, trade, suffer and prosper alongside each other.

Cape Dutch, French Roccoco, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Revivals (classical, renaissance, and gothic) , Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and International – where can all of these architectural styles be found?

In Cape Town’s relatively small city centre, evidence of a great variety of architectural movements can still be found by the discerning eye. As a port city on major historical trade routes, the fashions of Europe, America and elsewhere took root at this tip of Africa.

Captain Cook, Abbé de la Caille, Charles Darwin, Stanley & Livingstone, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, H.G. Wells, A.C. Doyle, Agatha Christie, George VI, Princess Elizabeth, and many others – where did they all pay a visit?

Although Cape Town is positioned far from the world’s major cities, famous personages nonetheless made the long journey here before the advent of air travel.

From ships docked in Table Bay, visitors rode up the old Heerengracht to a succession of fine boarding houses and hotels.

Join this walking talking expedition through the streets of Cape Town’s centuries old centre city.

Have a read through our Travel Specials Section to find out about the specials with the tours hosted by The Last Word Retreats.

Read more about The Little Wine Journey, The Fynbos Explorer as well as the Strandloper Safaris with The Last Word Retreats.

For more information on these tours please contact: +27(0)21 794 2036

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