Cape Town - Victoria & Albert Waterfront

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is an entertainment quarter with something of the atmosphere of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and London's Soho. It extends round two inner harbor basins, constructed in 1860, and named after Queen Victoria and her second son Alfred (later Duke of Edinburgh). Only a few years ago this was a rather squalid and rundown fishing harbor: it is now one of Cape Town's leading attractions, lively and bustling all day and much of the night.

It now draws more than 13 million visitors per year, attracted by its numerous shops, jazz spots, restaurants and hotels, its two theaters (including the Dock Road Theatre, housed in a former power station), a drama school, cinemas and museums.

Wherever possible old buildings have been preserved and restored: a three-story warehouse has become a luxury hotel, a pumping-station and a former prison is now the Business School of Cape Town University. New construction is kept in the style of the surrounding buildings.