What to do in Cape Town when it rains
Grey skies over Cape Town are a chance to go deep on its museums and galleries, poke around an indoor market, and find the cosiest café in town.
Museums
Spend a few hours in the city's museums — many are free, and a rainy day is the perfect excuse to take your time.
- Castle of Good Hope Castle St, Foreshore, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa S Arm Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum 71 Wale St, Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Museum of Illusions Cape Town 10 Kloof St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- District Six Museum 25A Buitenkant St, District Six, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- Iziko South African Museum 25 Queen Victoria St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Art galleries
Duck into the art galleries; they're quiet, warm and rarely busier than on a wet day.
- V&A Waterfront Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Shelflife Shop 5, 50 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- Ground Art Caffe 160 Strand St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- The Artists Gallery Cape Town 34 Bree Stree, Waterkant St, CBD, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Goodman Gallery Cape Town 37A Somerset Rd, Green Point, Cape Town, 8051, South Africa
- Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town Ulundi House, Portswood Square, Portswood Ridge, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Historic sites
Explore the indoor historic sites and their covered galleries.
- Clock Tower Waterfront Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Somerset Hospital Beach Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8051, South Africa
- Jetty 2, V & A Waterfront Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Leeuwenhof Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Protea Assurance Building 98 St Georges Mall, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- President Nelson Mandela Statue 25 Darling St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
Covered markets
Browse the covered market — street-food stalls, local makers and somewhere dry to graze for an hour.
- Oranjezicht City Farm Market Parking Deck, Breakwater Blvd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Mojo Market 30 Regent Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8060, South Africa
- The Old Biscuit Mill 373 Albert Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
- The Watershed V&A Waterfront, 17 Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8002, South Africa
- Greenmarket Square Burg St &, Longmarket St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- The Neighbourgoods Market 373 Albert Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
Cafés
Claim a window seat in a cosy café and watch the rain instead of walking in it.
- Truth Coffee Roasting 36 Buitenkant St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- The President Hotel 4 Alexander Rd, Bantry Bay, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- JARRYDS. 90 Regent Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
- The Strangers Club 1 Braemar Rd, Green Point, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
- Giovanni's 103 Main Rd, Green Point, Cape Town, 8051, South Africa
- Café Caprice 37 Victoria Rd, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Indoor shopping
Hit the covered shopping streets and centres — everything under one roof.
- V&A Waterfront Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- The Old Biscuit Mill 373 Albert Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
- Gardens Shopping Centre Buitenkant St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre Waterway House, 3 Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
- Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village 27 Somerset Rd, Green Point, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
- The Point Mall | Shopping Centre | Sea Point 76 Regent Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Venue suggestions powered by Google — tap a name for the map, and always check opening times before you go. 36 places listed; the list refreshes regularly.