Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in the historic heart of Cape Town's working harbour is South Africa's most-visited destination, having the highest rate of foreign tourists of any attraction in the country. [ Sovereign Publications article on the Waterfront. http://www.sovereign-publications.com/waterfront.htm] Situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain and set against a backdrop of sea and mountain views, it offers a variety of shopping and entertainment options to visitors, intermingled with office locations, hotels such as the historical Breakwater Lodge once a 19th century prison and luxury apartments in the residential marina.

It houses the Nelson Mandela Gateway which offers boat trips to Robben Island, as well as the Two Oceans Aquarium.

History

Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, began construction of the harbour in 1860. The first basin was named after himself, the second after his mother, hence the name.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront development is a renewal project that incorporates much of the historic harbour infrastructure. The whole complex is managed and is being developed by a private company owned by Transnet. An international consortium has just acquired the development at a record value in South African terms, for an amount of 7.4 billion Rand.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.waterfront.co.za/ Official homepage]
* [http://www.capeinfo.com/WCregions/CapeTown/CityBowl/VAWdev.asp V&A Waterfront – The Story of its Development]

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