Long Street is a historic avenue with diverse international restaurants and eclectic nightlife options. With its bookstores, second-hand shops and ethnic dining establishments, it has a bohemian atmosphere and an important place in local history. Hear how the theaters on this street are renowned for having put on anti-apartheid plays in the 1970s.
Note the eccentricity of some of the shops in this trendy area. Inspect the Victorian architecture and the wrought iron balconies overlooking the street. Among the impressive edifices are the Carnival Court and the Blue Lodge, which are now youth hostels.
Order a drink at one of the coffee houses and watch the vacationers, shoppers and joggers congregate along the street. Rest your feet in the Turkish Baths of the Long Street Baths complex. It has a large main pool and a children’s pool with hot baths and showers.
This main avenue is the place for city-wide celebrations and events. Peruse the intriguing trinkets and artifacts on display in the Pan African Market. Haggle for souvenirs and gifts with an African theme, such as jewelry, art and traditional masks.
Stay into the evening, when the neon signs of fashionable bars and hip nightclubs light up the street. Rowdy clubs with skilled cocktail designers entertain revelers until the early hours of the morning. Many parties are held on the private balconies and rooftop lounges, while the street below is abuzz in summer.
Note that traffic flows one way uphill in a southwestern direction, with the parallel Loop Street carrying traffic downhill. The whole street is 2.3 miles (3.8 kilometers) long.
Long Street runs through the City Bowl part of the Cape Town City Centre. Ride a bus to one of the many stops along the street. Visit the nearby Bo-Kaap neighborhood a few blocks west and see St. George’s Cathedral to the south.
