Experts' Choice Award Company's Gardens
What the experts agree on
This 1650s heritage garden in Cape Town's heart offers shaded green spaces, friendly squirrels, and global plant collections—plus a poignant slave bell reminder. It's an ideal escape when beaches get crowded.
“An aviary, ponds, squirrels and astatue of Cecil John Rhodes adorn this garden located across from the National Museum. Plants from the four corners of the world are grown here.”
– Michelin Guide
Lonely PlanetTop choice
"These shady green gardens, which started as the vegetable patch for the Dutch East India Company, are a lovely place to relax." Full review
Time Out "A symbolic bell silently stands testimony to the slaves who tilled and toiled away in what was once a veggie garden providing sustenance for scurvy-stricken sailors." Full review
Travel + Leisure "As old as Cape Town itself, this historic park dates back to the earliest European settlers in the 1650s." Full review
Fodor's "One of Cape Town’s best-kept secrets is also a great place to seek relief from a sweltering summer day if the beach is packed." Full review
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A self-guided walking brochure with detailed historical information about the garden is sold at the office just outside the restaurant.
Afar Magazine "The Company's Garden, in the heart of the city...along the way, you'll pass the South African National Gallery, the Planetarium, the Holocaust Centre, the De Tuynhuis presidential offices" Full review
Afar Magazine "Many friendly squirrels will greet you while walking through the Company's Garden, a park and heritage site located in the heart of Cape Town's City Bowl" Full review
Time Out "Then meander through the Company's Garden and bustling downtown"
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Rough Guide "Join a historic walking tour of central Cape Town neighborhoods such as the Company Garden, Bo-Kaap, or the Castle of Good Hope. These tours are usually short enough to be enjoyed in..."
National Geographic "A colonial vegetable garden turned public park, today worth a stroll for its leafy elegance"
Lonely Planet "The Dutch East India Company, which founded Cape Town as a refreshment station for its India-bound vessels, established Company's Garden to grow fruit and vegetables for scurvy-ridden..."
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