Muizenberg beyond the beach

Back in the 1920s, this short street was the commercial heart of the village, lined with grocers, fishmongers and other small businesses serving the local community. A century later, the shopfronts remain, but the flavour is more creative. Green Calm is an urban jungle of houseplants and vintage finds, while the Palmer Studio Collective brings together textile art and crafts. Then there’s Bluepriest, where bold Afroteck prints cover streetwear and accessories, and Skermunkil, a jewellery and design studio best known for colourful handmade enamel pieces and one-off statement earrings. When you’ve browsed enough, stop at Joon for coffee, breakfast or lunch.

Wedged between Main Road and Boyes Drive, Muizenberg Park is one of those green spaces many locals drive by without a second thought. But an active ‘Friends’ association has seen the Park transformed into a green haven perfect for a picnic or a game of frisbee with the kids. They have planted fynbos, rejuvenated the wetland and upgraded the play park and paths to make it a green space for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Just before you leave Muizenberg along Main Road, it’s impossible to miss Casa Labia. This ornate Italianate mansion seems improbably grand for Muizenberg, but that was sort of the point. Casa Labia was built in 1929 for Count and Countess Natale Labia (the couple also funded the founding of the Labia Theatre in Cape Town) as the official residence of Italy’s diplomatic representative in South Africa. For years, Casa Labia operated as a public cultural venue and restaurant, but it is now closed to the public and is let out as a function venue. If you want to admire the Count’s Italian style, you’ll have to book a party or admire it from the road. 

Muizies is a long way from the diamond fields where Cecil John Rhodes made his fortune, but the complicated legacy of the British imperialist is precisely what makes this modest seaside museum worth visiting. 

Rhodes bought this simple cottage as a coastal retreat and died here in 1902 aged 49. Today the house contains photographs, furniture and historical material relating to his life. The museum is run by the Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society and staffed largely by volunteers. There’s also a tea room if all that imperial history calls for cake and a cuppa.

A short walk from Rhodes Cottage, Het Posthuys looks even further back into Cape history. The tiny thatched building dates to the 17th-century and was originally used by the Dutch East India Company as a lookout and military post on the route towards Simon’s Bay. It later served as a toll house, collecting levies from farmers carrying produce to market. Today it’s a pocket-sized museum filled with early photographs, displays and material on the Battle of Muizenberg. It’s open Saturdays (10am-2pm) and Sundays (11am-4pm). Entry is by donation.

Muizenberg had a battle? It certainly did, and in 2026 the place where it unfolded was formally declared a Provincial Heritage Site.

The Battle of Muizenberg began in August 1795, when British forces attacked Dutch positions at the Cape. It may receive little attention in school history books, but the consequences were enormous: the campaign led to the first British occupation of the Cape and helped reshape the political future of southern Africa.

Today, the only remnants of the fortifications lie among the fynbos on the mountainside above Main Road. The Battle of Muizenberg site is not open to the public, but guided tours can be arranged through the Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society. Even if you don’t, take a moment to stand and gaze out to sea, imagining British warships pummelling the coastline with cannon fire!

For one of Muizenberg’s best views – and a lesson in how Cape Town keeps surfers safe – head up to the Shark Spotters lookout on Boyes Drive. The programme has operated in Cape Town since 2004, using a simple yet effective system of mountainside spotters who scan the water for sharks and maintain radio contact with a colleague on the beach. If a shark is spotted, the beach team sounds a siren and raises the appropriate warning flag.

The Muizenberg lookout is on Boyes Drive, and when they’re not busy tracking sea life in the bay, the Spotters are usually happy to explain how it all works.

Boyes Drive, above Muizenberg

While you’re there, consider taking a walk up Bailey’s Kloof, which rises above Muizenberg from behind the Spotters. Expect stone steps, rocky sections, and fantastic views over False Bay. If you’re geared up for a hike, the kloof can be linked to longer routes towards St James Peak and the network of paths across the mountain above Kalk Bay. As with any Cape Town mountain trail, don’t hike alone and take plenty of water.

Muizenberg Station isn’t just a handsome slice of 1913 architecture. Climb the slightly gloomy staircase above the northbound platform to find The Happy Rooster, a laid-back Portuguese-style restaurant that opened in late 2025.

Grab a seat on the terrace, where the counter looks straight across the railway tracks towards False Bay. Flame-grilled chicken with peri-peri is the star of the menu, but the menu also includes trinchado steak, chicken livers, calamari and a very respectable prego roll. Portions are generous and prices are very reasonable. 

Better yet, make the journey part of the outing. The restaurant sits directly above Muizenberg Station, so hop on the Southern Line, avoid the weekend traffic, and arrive at the door.

Muizenberg Station, 185 Main Road, Muizenberg

If you only look at the smarties-box of bathing huts, you’re missing some of Muizenberg’s best architecture. Start at the magnificent red-brick Muizenberg Station, completed in 1913, with sandstone arches and its distinctive teak clock tower. Then wander through the older streets around Main, Atlantic and Beach roads, where the suburb’s late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century boom produced an extraordinary collection of holiday homes.

Acclaimed Cape architect Sir Herbert Baker was particularly fond of the area, and he built his own beach house, Sandhills, here in 1899. It still stands today as one of the more modest houses in the row of Edwardian homes opposite the public swimming pools. There is also lovely Art Deco architecture to admire throughout the neighbourhood.

The Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society occasionally runs guided architecture walks, which are well worth booking. Otherwise, simply slow down and look up.

Every neighbourhood needs a local celebrity, and in Muizenberg that’s Bridget: a century-old railway bridge (built from hefty steel plates to carry the railway line above) with an unfortunate habit of munching delivery trucks.

Not that it’s her fault, exactly. She’s pretty hard to miss. You’ll find her straddling Atlantic Road, but her clearance of just 2.5 metres has proved surprisingly easy for distracted truck drivers to misjudge. Over the years, countless trucks have tried their luck, but Bridget always wins. The resulting crunches have become so hilarious that Bridget even has her own Facebook page, where locals gleefully record her latest ‘meals’.

But now the City is trying to put Bridget on a diet by installing height-detection and early-warning systems to steer oversized vehicles away. It worked for a while, but judging by her Facebook feed, Bridget is feeding again.

Atlantic Road, Muizenberg

Head inland from the beach, and you quickly swap sand and surfboards for reedbeds, wetlands and waterbirds. Zandvlei is a crucial estuary on the False Bay coast and forms part of a protected wetland system that stretches across 200 hectares.

You can simply wander the shoreline, but keen birders should visit Park Island, a green pocket within the vlei that’s ideal for a gentle walk and some low-effort birdwatching. Keep an eye out for herons, kingfishers, ducks and other wetland species. It’s a long walk or a short drive to get to Park Island. If you don’t have time, simply wander the shores of the vlei for a dose of nature.

An easily accessible parkrun that skirts the banks of Zandvlei, near Muizenberg. It’s flat and even, mostly on grass with some paved sections, making it a great option for those just starting out. You might not clock a fast time here as you'll be happily distracted by the birdlife on the vlei, and lovely mountain views. There’s not much shade, but expect a fresh south-easterly wind to keep you cool in summer. Doggos are welcome, and the beachfront restaurants of Muizenberg are a short walk away for a post-run coffee.

False Bay Rendezvous, Promenade Rd, Zandvlei

On Thursday and Friday evenings, an old industrial building on Albertyn Road becomes one of Muizenberg's liveliest corners. Blue Bird Garage Food & Goods Market is housed in a former aircraft hangar and fills with food traders and makers, along with locals easing into the weekend. It’s more of a place to grab a bite than to do your weekly shopping, but that’s precisely the charm. Grab something from the bar, order a bite and find a communal table. There are also traders selling clothing, crafts and other locally made goods. It’s unpolished, local-led and a great way to rub shoulders with the Muizenberg community. Plus, there’s a little speakeasy bar hidden out past the courtyard. Blue Bird is open Thursday and Friday, 4pm–10pm, rain or shine.

39 Albertyn Road, Muizenberg

The Masque was founded by Bertie Stern to encourage ordinary Capetonians to get involved in theatre, and Muizenberg’s independent theatre has been keeping the footlights burning since 1959!

That community spirit remains central to the 174-seat theatre today, where you’ll find productions ranging from musicals and comedies to drama, tribute shows and youth theatre. You’ll find the schedule of upcoming shows at The Masque here.