Robben Island tour
Place · V&A Waterfront
The ferry and guided tour of the island where Nelson Mandela was held: allow half a day, book ahead, and keep a spare day in case the sea is too rough for the ferry.
- Timed ticket: book ahead
- Crowded at peak
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 10Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…Across the subregion, plan every road leg to arrive befor…After dark, use ride-hailing or a hotel car between areas
- Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
- Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
- Southern Africa ↗A rental car may leave its home country only with the rental company's cross-border letter, the registration papers and paid road taxes at each post; driving into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique or Angola without them ends at the border.
- Southern Africa ↗Across the subregion, plan every road leg to arrive before sunset: livestock, wildlife, pedestrians and unlit trucks make night driving the main cause of serious visitor accidents.
- South Africa ↗Check visa and entry rules for your passport with the Department of Home Affairs or a South African mission before booking; exemptions depend on nationality, and the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is optional for most visa-exempt visitors in 2026.
- South Africa ↗Travelling with children: accompanied foreign children no longer need a birth certificate, but unaccompanied minors, South African children and some passports that omit parents' names still do; check with Home Affairs and your airline before you fly.
- South Africa ↗Driving is on the left. If your licence is not in English or has no photo, get an International Driving Permit before you travel; rental companies also check it.
- South Africa ↗National park gates open and close at fixed times; you must be inside your camp before the gate closes, and speed limits in parks are enforced.
- Cape Town ↗After dark, use ride-hailing or a hotel car between areas; do not walk between the City Bowl, Bo-Kaap and the Waterfront.
- Cape Town ↗The Table Mountain cableway stops in strong wind: keep a spare morning and check the operator's status page before you go.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Hours not on file: check the official site.
- Time to spend
- 210–240 min · up to 300 min if you linger
Best time to go
Sails are full in school holidays; book ahead.
Opening hours
- Note
- Departure times are set by the operator; not printed until verified.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- Nelson Mandela Gateway, Waterfront
- Ticket
- timed advance official · official site
- Stairs
- none of note
- Shoes
- Shoes on.
Sensory load
- Sensory load4/5 High
Exposure: medium
What to bring and the rules
- Your booked ticket or QR code · Entry is timed and sold ahead on the official site.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- rain: Ticket hall (field-verify)
Nearest rescue anchor: A — Clock Tower area (WC, cafés) (field-verify)
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
The pin marks the centre of V&A Waterfront: this place has no exact entrance point on file.
More places in V&A Waterfront
Eat in V&A Waterfront
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- Timed entry: book a slot on the official site; walk-up slots can run out.
- Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
150min
Worthwhile
210min
Typical
240min
p95
300min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (240 min).
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Combine with
Combine with
Walk the V&A Waterfront area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Best photo time today
Sun times for today load in your browser.
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
No questions answered here yet.
Photos
Photos
Robben Island tour Photo: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 3.0
Deep dive
Sources
- officialRobben Island Museum (official)
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Taken from the desk crowd estimate by hour. It is not a count of visitors.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.