Arts & Culture · Our pick in Cape Town
Iziko South African Museum
Founded in 1825
The country’s oldest museum, founded in 1825, in the Company’s Garden: fossils to stone tools.
Our take
- Founded in 1825
- 1.5 million specimens
- Open daily
- Address
- 25 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens, Cape Town
Gardens · Company’s Garden, Cape Town - Nearest MyCiTi
- Upper Long
250 m · 3 min walk
More distances - Phone
- +27 21 481 3800
- Website
- iziko.org.za
About Iziko South African Museum
Founded in 1825, the South African Museum has stood in the Company’s Garden since 1897 and holds more than one and a half million specimens, from fossils nearly 700 million years old to stone tools made some 120,000 years ago. The Planetarium is part of the same visit. Open daily, 9am to 5pm.
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Iziko South African Museum before you go.
Last checked: October 2026 How we choose
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Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to Iziko South African Museum, as the crow flies.
- Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel450 m6 min walk
- Taj Cape Town650 m8 min walk
- Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel700 m9 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from Iziko South African Museum are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest MyCiTi stops
- Upper LongMyCiTi250 m3 min walk
- Lower KloofMyCiTi250 m3 min walk
- Upper LoopMyCiTi350 m4 min walk
Key sights
- The Table Mountain cableway2.3 kmWalk 29 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Zeitz MOCAA2.4 kmWalk 30 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 11 min
- The V&A Waterfront2.6 kmWalk 32 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Robben Island boats2.6 kmWalk 32 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Kirstenbosch6.5 kmCycle 32 minCar or taxi 21 min
- Cape Town International Airport18 kmCar or taxi 48 min
- Cape Point48 kmCar or taxi 121 min
Railway stations
- Cape Town station1.3 kmWalk 16 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 8 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
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Arts & CultureIziko South African National GalleryThe national art collection, in the Company’s Garden.