South Africa · Western Cape · Cape Town
De Waterkant, Cape Town — Area Guide & Where to Stay
De Waterkant is a small historic quarter of Cape Town, wedged between the city centre and the harbour on the lower slopes of Signal Hill. Its steep cobbled lanes are lined with restored Georgian and Victorian cottages painted in bright pastel colours. The Cape Quarter anchors its shops and restaurants. The area is also known as Cape Town's gay village.
About De Waterkant
Where to stay in De Waterkant
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
De Waterkant is one of Cape Town's more compact places to stay, its restored cottages and warehouse conversions holding boutique guesthouses and self-catering apartments rather than large hotels. The Cape Quarter puts cafes, restaurants and design shops at the doorstep, while the V&A Waterfront and the city centre both lie within easy walking distance. Nightlife defines the quarter after dark.
The Somerset Road strip anchors Cape Town's LGBT bars and clubs, so travellers who want to step straight out into that scene tend to base themselves here. Those after quiet may prefer nearby Green Point.
About De Waterkant
What are the main landmarks in De Waterkant?
De Waterkant's own landmark is the Cape Quarter, a lifestyle centre of shops, restaurants and galleries built partly inside a converted warehouse near Somerset Road. The pastel cottages of Loader and Napier streets are its other signature, their painted facades recalling the older Bo-Kaap next door. Narrow lanes climb toward Signal Hill.
Views open over the harbour as the streets rise, and the V&A Waterfront lies a short walk downhill toward the sea.
What is the history of De Waterkant?
De Waterkant dates from around 1760, one of the oldest residential quarters below Signal Hill. Its name is the Afrikaans for the water's edge, from a time when Table Bay reached almost to its lower streets before the foreshore was reclaimed. Freed slaves, artisans and dockworkers first settled the cottages here.
The quarter later fell on hard times. Its little houses were later restored, and De Waterkant grew into the polished quarter and gay village it is known as.
Where is De Waterkant?
De Waterkant sits just above the working harbour, bounded by Somerset Road on the Green Point side and by Strand Street toward the city centre. Buitengracht Street separates it from the Bo-Kaap, which climbs the same slope of Signal Hill to the west. Its cobbled core threads along Waterkant, Loader and Napier streets.
The V&A Waterfront lies a short walk north.
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Updated July 2026