De Waal Park, Gardens
Sandwiched between the leafy suburb of Gardens and the lower slopes of Table Mountain, De Waal Park is the City Bowl's most overlooked green space — a Victorian-era public garden where Capetonians bring their dogs, their picnic blankets, and their Saturday newspapers while visitors walk straight past to the cable car.
A Neighbourhood Park Done Right
De Waal Park sits on the edge of the Gardens suburb, framed by oak trees and backed by the dramatic rock face of Table Mountain's lower slopes. The park has a children's play area, open lawns ideal for a picnic, and a gentle, unhurried atmosphere that feels genuinely local rather than curated for tourists.
The surrounding Gardens neighbourhood — one of the City Bowl's most characterful suburbs — is worth exploring on foot. Kloof Street, the area's main artery, is lined with independent coffee shops, bookstores, and some of Cape Town's most consistently good neighbourhood restaurants, including the beloved Kloof Street House at number 30.
The Gardens and Surrounds
A short walk from De Waal Park brings you to the Company's Garden on Government Avenue — Cape Town's oldest garden, established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 as a vegetable supply station for passing ships. Today it is a shaded public park running through the heart of the museum quarter, flanked by the South African Museum, the South African National Gallery, and the Iziko South African Jewish Museum.
The Iziko South African Museum on Queen Victoria Street is one of the City Bowl's most underrated institutions, housing natural history collections, whale skeletons, and San rock art alongside temporary exhibitions. Entry is affordable and it is rarely crowded, even in peak season.
How to Spend a Morning Here
Start with a flat white at one of the independent cafés on Kloof Street — Truth Coffee Roasting on Buitenkant Street (a 10-minute walk away) is worth the detour for its steampunk interior and exceptional single-origin espresso. Then walk through De Waal Park and down Government Avenue through the Company's Garden to the museum quarter.
The whole loop from Kloof Street to the South African Museum and back takes about two hours at a relaxed pace and costs almost nothing — a perfect counterpoint to the bigger-ticket Table Mountain and Robben Island days.
De Waal Park, Gardens on video
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