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Cape Town
If you’re coming on a visit to inner-city Cape Town, and your feet need a break from a brisk walking tour, a stop in the Company’s Garden is a welcome treat.
The garden is a lunch spot for the working person, an educational area for the tourist, the perfect setting for an enamoured couple and a utopia for the scurry of squirrels that call it home.
The Company’s Garden has become a staple tourist attraction on the Cape Town to-do list; located in the centre of the city, the garden boasts lush, well-maintained flora.
The heritage site is home to ancient trees – one such tree being the saffron pear tree. The saffron pear’s rated as a South African champion tree, which means that it cannot be cut down or damaged.
Another feature of the garden is its prime location in the city. Trendy restaurants on popular Long Street, Bree Street and Kloof Street are all within walking distance of the garden. You’ll also find a MiCiTi bus stop easily.
Here are a few frequently asked questions about the gardens.
Are there cafés and restaurants in the Company’s Garden?
Peacefully nestled in the shade of the garden, you’ll find the Company’s Garden Restaurant. Open for light meals and favourite teatime treats, you’ll leave feeling watered and well fed. The restaurant currently only caters for weekday events – and calling to make a booking is essential.
If you’d rather prefer a picnic-style lunch on the grass, make a point of stopping at any of the restaurants that surround the garden and collect a few items for your lunch basket.
Is there an entrance fee at the Company’s Garden?
No, there is currently no fee at the garden.
What can children do at the garden?
An afternoon in the sizeable gardens is perhaps one of the cheaper activities you can do with your children while in Cape Town.
Use the time in the garden to eat lunch on the grass, wander past historical statues and memorials, or feed the squirrels nuts from bags sold in the garden. Government Avenue is an excellent route for a midday stroll; it runs the length of the garden, goes past the back of Parliament, passes the National Library of South Africa Cape Town Campus, and is flanked by ancient (and exotic) oaks.
If an educational afternoon is your hope for the kids, take them to the Iziko South African Museum, the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre, the South African National Gallery or the Slave Lodge. Check for opening and closing hours on their websites.
