City of poets and poetry, and home to artists and performers of every description, Cape Town is indeed the erudite heart of South Africa. It is also a city warmly receiving those who seek to be inspired by her artistic wealth, offering a diverse range of these genres to be experienced and savoured - in historic or exhilaratingly modern galleries, open-air amphitheatres, concert halls and cinemas.

The South African National Gallery hosts regular exhibitions ranging from contemporary African photography to globally-acclaimed artists. Festivals of the arts occur every summer at leading winelands destinations, while the Cape's "Secret Season" - over the cosy mid-year winter months - offers many a day's entertainment.

Cape Town, her fascinating history spanning back to the mid-17th century, offers a myriad museums and places of cultural interest to visit, scattered across the Peninsula. From tours of the townships, a ferry trip to Robben island and a wander through the District Six Museum, to a sojourn around the Castle of Good Hope or the Cultural History Museum.

If you want to explore and understand South Africa's past, you can take one of a number of organised tours. Typically, such a tour will take in the Bo-Kaap or Malay Quarter and its Museum, District Six and the District Six Museum, Langa, Gugulethu and Khayehitsha. South Africa's past and recent history make Cape Town a very interesting and informative cultural tourism destination. There are several general guided walking tours of historical Cape Town. Contact Cape Town Tourism for details.

The other political pilgrimage every South African ought to take, and many foreigners want to take is the trip to Robben island. This tour includes the ferry trip from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island and a guided tour of the island.

Nico Malan Theatre Centre D.F. Malan St., Cape Town,
The Nico Malan Theatre Centre, a huge theatre complex on the foreshore, is the hub for performing arts and other cultural activities in Cape Town. Exciting indigenous Afrocentric productions bring a whole new vista to Cape Town's cultural scene and have helped make the Nico a vital part of the city's cultural landscape. Cape Town City Ballet and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the city's theatre and opera companies, perform here.

There are many fascinating art galleries in around Cape Town that offer original art work for sale such as Hout Street Gallery in Paarl

For fine leather and game skin hand crafted furniture visit Incanda