Cape Town - Surroundings

Durbanville, 20km/12.5mi northeast of central Cape Town, is one of the oldest settlements in the Western Cape. It is named after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, Governor of the Cape from 1834 to 1838.

Durbanville's principal sight is the Rust-en-Vrede Pottery Museum. It occupies a Cape Dutch-style building c 1850 which was originally a prison and later the residence of the Governor and a school. The Museum displays work by modern South African artists and a collection of African pottery.

False Bay extends for some 30km/19mi along the coast of the Indian Ocean between Cape Point, at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula, and Cape Hangklip. Round the bay are a number of very popular holiday resorts, including Muizenberg and Strand. When the sea on the Atlantic coast is uncomfortably cold bathers can enjoy warmer water in False Bay, which is washed by the warm Agulhas Current.