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If you have chosen to stay in our accommodation in Cape Town during your visit to the Mother City then you may very well have traveled past the Grand Parade at one point or another, like many of our Cape Town accommodation, it is situated right in the city center, in the heart of all of the activity.

The Grand Parade was first officially used by the Castle of Good Hope’s garrison, as a training ground. At the time it was a grassy common. Later it was used as an area on which to conduct military parades, which is possibly where its name originated from. It has been used as a market since 1710 and while this use continues today, it is also employed for other significant events.

Guests of our Cape Town holiday accommodation may recall that it was filled with 25000 people in 1990 when this large crowd gathered to see and hear nelson Mandela at the City Hall across the road from the Grand Parade, directly after his release from prison. Equally large crowds gathered again in 1994 when the ANC were voted to rule after South Africa’s first free and fair elections.

The Grand Parade had a facelift in the form of a R24 million upgrade in time for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. These upgrades were necessary and saw a 25000 strong crowd converge again on the Grand Parade to watch the 64 live soccer matches of the World Cup.

To this day the Grand Parade is used as a market place, but only twice a week every Wednesday and Saturday. Here guests of our accomodation in Cape Town can haggle with the vendors for fabric, clothes, flowers and various other goods. But guests of our accommodation Cape Town should be aware of pickpockets in this area.

All large cities have green spaces incorporated into their city plan, if you need to take a break from the pressures of city life while living in New York, you spend your lunch break strolling through Central Park. If the persistent hustle and bustle of London is getting you down, head to Hyde Park, Hampstead Heath or a number of other grassy spots. In Cape Town, if you feel that the mountain or the sea just aren’t close enough and you need to experience some nature immediately, you can wander off to our very own and equally impressive, Company Gardens.

The Gardens, as they are known to the locals, are situated right in the center of the CBD, and are therefore within walking distance from most of our Cape Town holiday accommodation, should you require some greenery. The Company Gardens were built in 1652 by the Dutch settlers and are therefore known as a South African National Heritage site. The Gardens are separated into two halves by Government Avenue which runs the length of the Gardens, from the end of Adderley Street to Orange Street, guests of our Cape Town accommodation will find that it is truly as tree lined as its name suggests.

Upon strolling the length of the Gardens, guests of our accommodation in Cape Town will find that there is a cultural activity for everyone here. The Gardens house the Iziko South African Museum and Planetarium, the South African National Gallery, St Georges Cathedral, The Great Synagogue and the Holocaust Center. After an afternoon of culture, guests of our accommodation Cape Town can relax in the popular tea garden, while children can play amongst squirrels and pigeons and the odd stray cat.

Of course it is recommended to do what guests of our accommodation in Cape Town will find many people doing while visiting the Company Gardens and that is to sit at one of the benches or sprawl out on the grass while indulging in a good book or simply enjoy getting lost in your own thoughts.   

Here’s an activity for the speed freaks staying in our accommodation in Cape Town. Killarney Race Course was first built in 1947, the track was rebuilt in 1959, according to specifications required for the Formula 1 cars of the era, just in time for the Cape Grand Prix, held there on the first of January 1960.

Situated in Tableview, about 50 minutes from most of our Cape Town accommodation in the city center, the racing track at Killarney Race Course is open from Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 17:00 and short circuit racing and go karting are also held on the tracks. But you are not planning to go for the go karting, you are there for the adrenalin rush of watching cars speeding past you, so why not give it a go yourself? Killarney Race Course is also home to ‘Fantastic Racing’, a company that teaches students how to handle a super-charged Reynard single-seater race car as it speeds around a circuit. Car loving guests of our Cape Town holiday accommodation should know that these courses are not cheap and start from R2900 a person. These courses are on offer to individuals or as net working or corporate events, how’s that for a team building exercise! The track is also available for hire and has been the site of various film shoots. 

If you do decide to leave the comfort of your luxurious and tranquil accomodation in Cape Town for a fast paced action packed adventure, be sure to know that the Killarney Racing Course also has a clubhouse, which includes a restaurant, as we all know that adrenalin pumping activities also build a hearty appetite. Alternatively, our selection of accommodation Cape Town are all equipped with excellent kitchens, inspiring our guests to experiment or whip up an old favorite. Either way, you won’t go hungry while staying at some of the best accomodation Cape Town has to offer.