South Africa · Gauteng · Pretoria
Capital Park, Pretoria — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Capital Park is one of Pretoria's oldest suburbs, lying north of Church Square behind the Pretoria National Zoo.
Find your area →
Where to stay in Capital Park
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
PretoriaSouth AfricaChurch Square and the core, a short run south of Capital ParkPretoria Central
Pretoria Central covers the ground around Church Square that Capital Park lies about 4 km north of, which shortens the approach to the city's oldest streets.Pretoria Central →Few places to stay in Capital Park — most visitors book in Pretoria Central nearby.
About Capital Park
What are the main landmarks in Capital Park?
The Portuguese Church still stands. It sits in Van Heerden Street, left from the years when Italian and Portuguese communities filled Capital Park, and one of Pretoria's former mayoral residences is in the neighbourhood too. The Pretoria National Zoo lies just in front of the suburb, with Church Square about 4 km to the south.
Street names do the rest, each one taken from an early mayor of Pretoria.
What is the history of Capital Park?
Capital Park counts as one of Pretoria's oldest and first suburbs, laid out with its streets named after the early mayors of the city and one of their residences kept inside it. Two communities shaped it later. Italian and Portuguese families made the neighbourhood a popular one, and the Portuguese Church in Van Heerden Street survives from that period.
The residential area is predominantly Afrikaans speaking, with the CPRTA acting as the neighbourhood's own association.
Where is Capital Park?
Capital Park is bordered by the Witwatersberge on its south side and the Apies River on its west, extending from that river to Johan Heyns Drive.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Capital Park?
Capital Park: a base behind the Pretoria National Zoo on streets named for the city's early mayors. Pretoria Central: Church Square and the core, a short run south of Capital Park.
More areas in Pretoria
Updated September 2026