Tourism News South Africa

Rediscover the V&A with its new audio walking tour

The V&A Waterfront has launched a free audio walking tour, providing visitors with insight into the history of the property and its evolution from an industrial port to one of the country's top attractions.
Rediscover the V&A with its new audio walking tour

The V&A Waterfront's world-class retail and dining offerings, coupled with an inspired lineup of activities and events throughout the year, draws more than 24 million visitors annually. But only a few decades ago, South Africa’s oldest working harbour held little attraction for visitors, and was largely removed from the daily lives of Capetonians.

The tour has been introduced to not only show how the bonds between the city and its port were broken, but also how they've been rebuilt, creating new ways for everyone to rediscover Cape Town’s connection with the sea.

“The heritage of the V&A Waterfront is woven into the very fabric of the property, with most buildings and structures around us having important historical significance. This history – which is an integral part of the history of Cape Town – can often be forgotten in the rush of modern life. We worked hard to develop a meaningful, educational, interesting audio tour for our visitors to ensure that anyone interested in this history, can explore it at their leisure,” said David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront.

Rediscover the V&A with its new audio walking tour
©Lauren Hartzenberg

Well-trodden paths and hidden gems

The GPS audio tour is available at no cost through the mobile app VoiceMap, which lists dozens of other tours around Cape Town and across the globe. V&A Waterfront has titled its first tour on the app 'Tavern of the Seas', as this is what sailors nicknamed the port all those years ago. The company has, however, expressed interest in expanding the number of routes in the near future.

The walking route covers some of the property's best-known attractions, but also areas that even frequent visitors like myself had never stumbled upon. Expect to learn the history behind some of the V&A's heritage buildings and meet the characters who play a role in driving daily operations. Witness the bustling atmosphere of the Watershed market, seals sunning themselves on the jetty, quality busker entertainment, or perhaps a group of fishermen offloading the day's catch... all in an hour's walk.

Rediscover the V&A with its new audio walking tour
©Lauren Hartzenberg

How it works

The tour begins at the V&A Information Centre (close to the Amphitheatre and Cape Wheel) and ends at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in the Silo District.

Download the VoiceMap app, search for and download the ‘Reinventing the Tavern of the Seas’ tour, plug in earphones, and tap ‘start’. Free earphones and Wi-Fi are available from the Information Centre.

The tour uses a GPS connection to ensure that your audio always matches where you are on the property. If anyone veers a little too far off course, the GPS location will ensure the audio reminds them to return to the tour route. Additionally, the use of GPS means that, once the app and tour are downloaded, visitors can switch off their mobile data and do not need an active internet connection for the tour. It also means that you can put your device away and focus on your surroundings.

About Lauren Hartzenberg

Managing editor and retail editor at Bizcommunity.com. Cape Town apologist. Dog mom. Get in touch: lauren@bizcommunity.com
Let's do Biz