Local and Luxury Items
South Africa's cities are an exciting mix world influences, offering a veritable kaleidoscope of sights and sounds for both locals and tourists alike.
Shopping in South Africa is a major activity for most tourists because of the vast array of craft at such good prices. Whether it's a quick dash into the airport craft shop or extended shopping expeditions to one of the numerous state-of-the-art shopping malls to be found in all major cities, few visitors leave without something special. Indeed, shopping in South Africa is a delight for visitors - and not only because of the unbelievably low prices by European, Japanese or American standards.
Shopping malls are actually shopping and entertainment centres, as all of them usually have several restaurants, cinemas and activity areas for children. Many also have ice-rinks, video-arcades and mini-golf, whilst others offer activities such as wall climbing and artificial-wave surfing.
The urban indulgences of South Africa are made up of a great combination of activities - you can try mouth-watering cuisine while traversing through brand-name stores and boutiques, or you can take the kids for a playdate at an indoor trampoline park while you take time for yourself at a nail or hair salon, makeup store or massage parlour.
Best Places to Shop
The shops themselves range from major supermarkets and smaller delis to designer sportswear shops and exclusive high fashion and designer jewelry boutiques. Banks and foreign exchange bureaux and post offices are also often located at shopping malls. Most major bookshops frequently double as coffee shops, making them an ideal place to while away a few hours.
These days many malls are in interesting locations such as waterfronts (real and artificial!), but for those who prefer strolling from shop to shop in the center of the city can still do so or even in trendy suburbs that have smaller, very specialised shops, that line their quaint streets in between restaurants, pubs and live music venues.
The best place to shop in Cape Town is without a doubt the V&A Waterfront. This large shopping centre is perched right on a busy harbour and connects various buildings together, such as art galleries, hotels, museums, an aquarium and a cave-like putt-putt course. It has a wide range of trendy restaurants on the water with an incredible with of Table Mountain, perfect for 5-star fine dining.
Luxury stores such as Gucci, Burberry and Guess are waiting to be explored, while the mall corridors are lined with stalls selling local memorabilia.
The cinema is ideal for film fanatics, while the outdoor play area and giant ferris wheel while entertain the kids. There are also live performances at the outside stage by traditional SA musicians, as well as dance groups and comedians. It’s also the perfect place to see Diwali and New Years’ fireworks! After a day of shopping, you can take a phenomenal yacht or sailboat ride from the harbour, or visit the Two Oceans aquarium to see African penguins, sea turtles and other local marine life.
The Watershed market sells beautiful indigenous items, and outside food market will make your mouth water. It is truly a unique experience, and enjoying a sundowner at one of the many pubs will be the perfect end to a perfect shopping experience.
Canal Walk Shopping Centre is also a popular spot in the Western Cape - it's made up of endless rows of luxury shops situated in a renaissance building with modern amenities.
The Mall of Africa located in Johannesburg is the newest addition to tourist attractions in the cosmopolitan city, and is the largest shopping centre ever built in a single phase in South Africa. It is home to over 300 shops, with both national and international brands.
The architectural appearance of the mall is inspired by Africa’s geological features and iconic landscapes. It’s the best place to shop if you're fashion-forward - look for stores such as Armani, Versace, H&M and Zara. The mall is also host to fairs and festivals throughout the year, such as the National Antique & Decor Fair and Incredible India Shopping Festival.
The range of restaurants are suited to both fine-dining connoisseurs and family outings, and you’ll spend hours taking in the sights of this esteemed mall.
Other shopping malls in Johannesburg worth a visit are Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square, both offering a mix of luxury and local goods.
The Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Durban is the ultimate retail and entertainment destination of KwaZulu-Natal. Here, you’ll find local stores and fashion brands, as well as an 18 cinema Ster Kinekor complex, IMAX Theatre, Funtubbles Family Funfair, Wavepark, Electric Avenue bowling and Action Karting.
Flea markets sell the most astounding array of goods from household items to arts and craft to handmade leather goods to outrageous clothing fashions to antique jewellery.
This is where the inventiveness of South African (and African in generally) is on display. It is worth a visit to at least one large flea market as the quality of the handcrafted goods, and unusual jewellery (often made from South African gold), is quite exceptional.
Apart from flea markets, African craft, mostly from Southern, East and West Africa, is on sale at the various African craft centres and specialist curio shops. Items include weaved baskets, loads of beadwork articles, African masks, ceramics, colourful textiles, jewellery, wooden carvings, items made from wire and a wide variety of sculptures.
Shopping hours are usually between 08h30 - 17h00 during the week and 09h00 - 17h00 on Saturdays, although as a rule, shopping mall hours are usually extended into the early evening. Most, if not all, shopping malls and larger stores are open on Sundays, usually until at least 14h00.
In addition, Sunday is the main shopping day for most flea markets and craft centres which normally close in the late afternoon. All methods of payment are usually acceptable, including VISA, American Express and MasterCard, and traveller's cheques such as MasterCard and Thomas Cook, on provision of proof of identity.