Greenmarket Square

A cobblestoned square at the heart of the city, Greenmarket Square has been a gathering place in Cape Town since the end of the seventeenth century. Ringed by handsome old buildings, it began life as a market for farm produce and, more darkly, was also a site where enslaved people were bought and sold before slavery was abolished at the Cape.

Its architecture gives the square its character. On one side stands the Old Town House, a fine example of Cape rococo that once served as the town hall and now displays a collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings. Around it rise art deco facades, banks and cafes, so that a slow turn on the spot takes in three centuries of building styles framing the uneven grey cobbles.

Today the square is best known as an open-air craft market. Traders from across Africa spread out stalls of beadwork, carvings, textiles, masks and paintings, and the babble of bargaining in many languages gives the place an energetic, pan-African feel. Prices are negotiable, and patient browsing usually turns up something distinctive.

It is an easy anchor for exploring the old town. The square lies a couple of blocks from the flower sellers of Adderley Street and within walking distance of Long Street's bars and bookshops. Surrounding cafes put out tables where you can sit with a coffee and watch the market unfold. Mornings are quieter and cooler; by midday the stalls are busy and the light is good for photographs of the painted buildings. It remains one of the most atmospheric public spaces in central Cape Town, equally rewarding for shoppers and for anyone simply soaking up the street life.