V&A Waterfront Harbour
Photo Caption: The V&A Waterfront keeps delivering after dark. Explore this working harbour under its night lights with a stroll along the canals and shops.
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Photo by @kyleincpt
Strategically positioned almost at the southern tip of the African continent with scenic mountain views in the backdrop is the oldest working harbour in South Africa. The V&A Waterfront Harbour is a modern, full-service general cargo port renowned for its friendly resident seals and deciduous fruit and fish exports. With its modern facilities, the harbour serves container cargoes moving between Europe and the western hemisphere and the Middle East and Australia.
In 1860, Queen Victoria’s second son, Prince Alfred, tipped the first load of stone into the sea to initiate the construction of harbour called the Alfred Basin. The construction of the harbor turned the city into a hive of seafront activity. The harbor became a staging post on a major east-west trade route. The subsequent discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa rendered the Alfred Basin unable to accommodate the increasing number of ships. The exigency of the situation led to the construction of the Victoria Basin in 1920.
Over the years, the V&A Waterfront Harbour has undergone numerous changes and the greater need to use the harbour started in the early 1970s when South Africa depended mainly on imports for many basic daily needs. With the development of Cape Town’s historic harbor into a busy commercial harbor came the progress of the surrounding area. The harbor is now at the center of Cape Town’s major tourism and leisure hub featuring residential and commercial properties, luxury hotels, specialty shops, retail stores, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and other leisure and entertainment facilities. Although the V & A Waterfront evolved into a modern favorite Cape Town destination, it retained the charm of Victorian industrial architecture with its notable heritage buildings.
Don’t miss this must-visit destination when you visit Cape Town!
