Spectacularly located between Long Street and the sea, Cape Town's V & A Waterfront is the most-visited destination in South Africa. And no wonder, it offers a vast range of shopping, cultural, historical, and entertainment options in the colourful, vibrant, cosmopolitan surroundings of this magnificently re-developed working harbour.

Used as Cape Town's primary link with the sea since the landing of Dutch East India Company Commander Jan van Riebeeck in 1652, the port was significantly developed after 1860 when Britain's Prince Alfred (the second son of Queen Victoria) ceremonially tipped the first load of stone into the sea to begin the building of the breakwater. Construction of the two harbour basins took place between 1860 and 1920, and the area still retains the charm of Victorian industrial architecture alongside the workings of a harbour built for sail and steam travel. An ambitious redevelopment project begun in the late 1980s and still continuing today has created a must-visit multi-faceted Cape Town destination.

You'll find over four hundred and fifty retail outlets selling everything from fashion, homeware, and curios to jewellery, leather goods, and audiovisual equipment, and three vibrant indoor markets offering a diverse range of local arts, crafts, and artisanal foods. You can choose from more than eighty eateries ranging from fast food outlets to rustic local fish and chips to international starched-tablecloth cuisine, and at night you'll always find somewhere to party. There are cinemas, regular activities for children, and free musical and other performances in the outdoor Amphitheatre, while talented street entertainers throughout the area add to the vibrant atmosphere. The 50-metre-high Wheel of Excellence offers the chance to take to the skies in one of thirty-six fully-enclosed cabins, providing panoramic views of the city, the peninsula, Table Mountain, and Robben Island – or you can choose to take a flip in a helicopter or a sight-seeing boat trip round the harbour.

When you visit the exciting Two Oceans Aquarium you'll see over three thousand live specimens, including sharks, fish, turtles, and penguins, and you can even scuba dive with sharks and other predators if you hold the necessary certification. Daily feeding of the predators at 3.30 pm is a highlight. The Iziko Maritime Museum includes exhibits detailing the development of the harbour since the 1800s as well as a general overview of the history of shipping from prehistoric times onwards, while the Shimansky Diamond Tour offers free tours and workshops exploring ancient and modern diamond-cutting techniques and the history of the diamond industry in South Africa.

Close to the embarkation point for Robben Island tours, you'll find the Victorian-Gothic Clock Tower, originally the Port Captain's office: it houses an old tidal gauge mechanism, a decorative mirror room designed to allow the Port Captain a full view of the harbour, and the original clock mechanism. You'll more than likely see the famous colony of Cape fur seals resting on the seal landing and old tyres nearby.Next to Dock House, the Harbour Engineer's former residence, is the Time Ball Tower containing an innovative early signalling device in which a ball was dropped to help ships' masters check their chronometers while in harbour, and alongside is the Canary Islands Dragon Tree believed to have been planted by a passing sailor well over a hundred years ago. The Chavonnes Battery, built between 1714 and 1725 by the Dutch East India Company, today is a museum showcasing historical firearms with a particular focus on the construction of an eighteenth-century cannon battery.

Most stores and other attractions are open daily between 9 am and 9 pm, with the exception of Sundays and public holidays when they open at 9.30 am and close at 6 pm.  The V&A Waterfront is a true Cape Town icon and very easy to reach from Long Street Hotel.

Situated at 230 Long Street, the Long Street Hotel is the ideal location from which to explore Cape Town and all the attractions such as the Waterfront that make it the exciting world class city it has become famous as.