Cape Town Museums

The Iziko museum route consists of 12 museums and sites.
Iziko is an Xhosa word, meaning "a hearth".

The hearth of a typical African homestead usually occupies the central space - Iziko symbolises the centre South Africa’s diverse culture and heritage.

There are however other museums also to be found in the City and surrounding areas.

Cape Town also have some prominent art galleries which specialises only in artwork.
Sometimes however, the gallery doubles up as a museum and visa versa.

To see a summary of what is to be seen at the various museums and galleries, see below. Iziko South African Museum Iziko National Gallery Iziko Michaelis Collection Iziko Rust en Vreugd Iziko Koopmans de Wet House Iziko Bertram House Iziko Maritime Centre Association for Visual Arts Gallery District Six Museum Museum Franschhoek Motor Museum Gold of Africa Museum Irma Stern Museum Rust en Vrede Gallery and Museum SA Jewish Museum Stellenbosch Village Museum

Iziko South African Museum This museum is well known for its huge natural science and social history collections.

Iziko National Gallery South Africa's premier art museum housing an outstanding collection of South African, African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art.

Iziko Michaelis Collection A world-renowned selection of Nederlandish art from the seventeenth-century including works by Frans Hals, Jan Steen and Jacob Ruisdal.

Iziko Rust en Vreugd The finest surviving example of eighteenth-century urban architecture housing the art on paper – prints, drawings and watercolours - of the William Fehr Collection.

Iziko Koopmans de Wet House This house museum houses some of the best pieces of Cape furniture and silver and a priceless collection of ceramics.

Iziko Bertram House A collection of English porcelain, but also including fine examples of Chinese export porcelain. Also a superb collection of English Furniture.

Iziko Maritime Centre An overview of shipping in Cape Town, the earliest existing model of Table Bay harbour completed in 1885 by prisoners and warders of Breakwater Prison.

The Association For Visual Arts Gallery A non-profit art gallery promoting the art and artists from the Western Cape.

District Six Museum The District Six Museum, works with the memories of forced removals.

Franschhoek Motor Museum View more than 100 years of motoring history. From the 1898 Beeston Motor Tricycle to a 2003 Ferrari Enzo supercar.

Gold of Africa Museum The museum is home to a collection of West African gold artifacts and objects from the ancient civilisations of southern Africa.

Irma Stern Museum The permanent collection shows Irma Stern's development as an artist showcasing oils, water colours and gouache and charcoal works.

Rust en Vrede Art Gallery and clay museum The Clay museum contains a collection of South African ceramics and includes the Oude Meester Collection of Linn ware and ethnic pottery.

The South African Jewish Museum The South African Jewish Museum provides an engaging account of the South African Jewish history.

Stellenbosch Village Museum Four houses each representing a different period in the architectural development of Stellenbosch.

Back to Cape Town attractions page