Simon’s Town is situated 35 km outside Cape Town and is one of South Africa’s oldest towns. The main road from Muizenberg passes through Fish Hoek and arrives in Simon’s Town which, for many years, marked the end of the line.
Named after the Dutch governor Simon van der Stel, Simon's Town has a rich maritime history dating back to 1671 when the natural harbour was first used when a passing ship nipped into the bay to shelter from unfavourable winds. In 1743 Simon’s Town became the official anchorage for ships of the Dutch East India Company.
To protect the bay against attack by foreign fleets, the company built the Zoutman Battery on the northern outskirts of the settlement in 1793. Simon's Town served as the Southern Atlantic base of the Royal Navy between 1814 and 1957, when it was transferred to the South African Navy.
To this day the South African Navy holds an annual festival in the town. Simon’s Town is really an attraction in its own right, and you will need to set a full day to fully explore it.
Next to Simon’s Town rail station is Long Beach. Turn into Drie Gebroeders, a short lane named after the Dutch East India Company vessel s...
To follow the epic Cape Point mountain biking route, set off from the Table Mountain National Park entrance gate from Simon’s Town, passin...
With its long history of seafaring folk, a walk along the historical mile of Simon’s Town has great appeal for historians and boat-nuts al...