Cape Town CBD
Cape Town CBD is the central business district of Cape Town, and the economic centre of the city.
The CBD sits beneath Table Mountain, and alongside the Port of Cape Town. The N1 freeway connects the CBD with communities to the east and north-east while the N2 and M3 freeways link the CBD with communities to the south-east.
Being the economic centre of the city, the CBD houses the headquarters of many large South African and multinational corporations.
The CBD is home to numerous tourist attractions and local amenities. The area is also traveled through in order to get from the freeways into the V&A Waterfront, and to approach Table Mountain from the front.
Unlike many other CBDs in South African metropolitan areas, Cape Town CBD is considered clean and safe, and has been well-maintained in terms of infrastructure. Numerous public-private partnerships exist to keep the CBD a desirable place to be, including the Cape Town Partnership and Cape Town Central City Improvement District.
In recent years, billions of rands of foreign investment has flowed into Cape Town CBD, and numerous businesses have moved employees, and their headquarters, from other South African CBDs into Cape Town's. The CBD is also a major destination for tourists, and it had its busiest year for tourism to date in 2024.
Geography
Cape Town CBD is in the City Bowl region of the city, positioned between the Port of Cape Town and Table Mountain to the east and west, and between De Waterkant and Bo-Kaap in the north, and District Six to the south.The CBD sits roughly between Buitengracht Street on its northern border, and Buitenkant Street on its southern end. Orange Street runs along the CBD's western side, forming a border between it and Gardens. To the CBD's west is Nelson Mandela Boulevard.
Cape Town CBD is approximately 2 km away from the V&A Waterfront, 20 km from the Cape Town International Airport, 10 km from the Century City commercial node, and 8 km from the popular beaches along the coastline of Camps Bay.
Transit
The CBD is served by the MyCiTi bus rapid transit system. Within the CBD are 21 BRT stations, the busiest of which are Civic Center, Adderley, Riebeek, Thibault Square, Darling, Groote Kerk, Castle, and Strand. As in other suburbs, the CBD features dedicated BRT lanes, painted red. Approximately 2.62 million people boarded MyCiTi buses in the CBD in 2022.Metrorail trains terminate at Cape Town Station, and the CBD also has metered taxis as a transit option. Numerous major roads feed the CBD, including the M3 and M5 freeways, Kloof Nek Road, Beach Road, and the M4.
Main roads traversing the city include Adderley, Heerengracht, Buitengracht, Buitenkant, Strand, Longmarket Roeland, Darling, Riebeek, Newmarket, Kloof, Long, Wale, and Bree Streets.
There are an estimated 7,500 public parking spaces in the CBD, some of which are in access-controlled buildings, while others are free and on the roadside or on surface lots.
The CBD also features dedicated cycle lanes, painted green. Certain CBD cycle routes, such as those down a segment of Bree Street, have undergone infrastructure enhancement pilots, whereby safety bollards and kerbs have been installed.
Cycle routes in the CBD connect the area to the apex of Beach Road in the north, to Queen's Beach in Sea Point to the west, to the southern extent of Blaauwberg Nature Reserve in Big Bay to the east, and to Rosebank in the south.
CBD cycle lanes are part of the City of Cape Town's expanding non-motorized transport routes, which run along roads to link the CBD to Table View, and also run alongside MyCiTi bus routes. One goal of the NMT is to enable easy access to, and thereby enhance the integration of, Cape Town's public transport connections, like buses and trains. CBD cycle lanes form part of the broader network of commuter, recreational, and offroad cycle routes around Cape Town.
Bree, Wale, Strand, and Shortmarket Streets in the CBD are car-free on Sundays. This pedestrian-only initiative began during Transportation Month, in October 2024. The idea behind the initiative is that Capetonians have an opportunity to reclaim public space, and enjoy a more pedestrian-friendly city.
Commerce
Cape Town CBD constitutes a significant portion of the city's overall economy.Situated in the CBD are the headquarters and regional offices of many major South African and foreign companies, including some of South Africa's largest companies by annual revenue. Companies with headquarters or offices in the CBD include Standard Bank, Investec, First National Bank, Naspers, ENSafrica, KPMG, Cape Union Mart, Clicks, TFG Limited, Sweepsouth, Media24, Takealot, Truworths, Van Der Merwe Miszewski Architects, and Woolworths.
Numerous large hotels are situated throughout the CBD, serving Cape Town's tourists and business visitors. These include the Southern Sun Cape Sun, the Westin Cape Town, Mandela Rhodes Place, The Capital 15 On Orange, the Holiday Inn Express Cape Town City Centre, Park Inn, The Rockefeller Hotel & Residences, Southern Sun The Cullinan, the Radisson Cape Town Foreshore, the Hyatt Regency, the Taj Cape Town, and the Capetonian.
The top 10 sectors of business in the CBD are, in descending order, retail; legal; medical; finance and banking; food; architecture and engineering; coffeehouses; tech; communications; and general corporates.
Cape Town CBD is considered South Africa's most economically successful and stable, and continues to show significant growth. As of 2023, there were 3,116 entities doing business in the CBD alone. The number continues to grow, and the 2023 total was an increase of 6% since 2022.
1,243 of those businesses were retail and entertainment entities, including bakeries, spas, art galleries, bookstores, electronics retailers, printing shops, restaurants, specialty stores, sporting goods stores, clothing stores, cafes, and grocery stores. In the same year, the CBD was home to 106 tech companies, 19 coworking spaces, 43 art studios, around 190 finance and banking firms, around 700 law firms, around 250 medical practices, around 100 architecture and engineering firms.
Cape Town CBD has undergone significant revitalization in recent years, due in part to successful public-private partnerships, as well as business investments. Other contributing factors are well-planned infrastructure and effective governance.
The CBD has just over 1 million square meters of commercial space, and around 270,000 square meters of retail space. Vacancy rates are low, with fourth quarter 2022 rates at 13.3% and 4.5% respectively. Average rental costs for office space are between approximately R100 and R200 per square meter, depending on the grade, and the CBD holds around 40% of the City of Cape Town's total office space.
Adderley Street was one of the first major roads to be built in the CBD, and remains as the main street of the suburb. Partway down the street, in the Foreshore area, Adderley becomes Heerengracht Street - the old main street in the CBD.
The 15 tallest buildings in Cape Town are located within the CBD area. The tallest is Portside Tower, which is located on Buitengracht Street and serves as the headquarters for major South African finance and investment corporation FNB, and its subsidiary, RMB.
The CBD is also home to the Cape Town International Convention Centre - a major conference venue for the African continent. The Convention Center is linked to the V&A Waterfront by a manmade river.
Housing
Housing within the CBD is predominantly made up of condos and apartments of various sizes. The density in the CBD is one of the highest among Cape Town's suburbs. Major residential developments in the CBD include One Thibault, The Rockefeller at Harbor Place, 16 On Bree, Icon, St Martini Gardens, The Adderley, The Square, The Heriot, Stonehill Place, the Onyx, and Foreshore Place. The CCID stated that the median price for sectional title properties in the CBD in 2022 was R1.47 million.In mid-2025, the average sale price of a property in Cape Town CBD was just under R2 million. The most common size for properties sold in the area was 1-bedroom, followed by 2-bedroom properties. The rent in mid-2025 for a 1-bedroom apartment in the area ranged from around R10,000 to R21,000 per month. Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment ranged from around R17,000 to R70,000 per month.
In September 2025, it was reported that the average rental for a studio apartment in the CBD was R15,850. This reflected an increase in rental prices for CBD studios of almost 30% year-on-year. At the same time, the average rental for a 2-bedroom CBD apartment was R28,630. Most 3-bedroom apartments were priced at around R56,000.
Cape Town residents wanting to stay in detached homes close to the CBD have options in the surrounding, predominantly residential areas of Gardens, Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht, Higgovale, District Six, and Bo Kaap, as well as mixed-use suburbs like Sea Point and De Waterkant. A number of upmarket apartment buildings are located close to the CBD, in the suburb of Green Point.
In September 2024, the City of Cape Town proposed a new CBD spatial plan, and stated that it expects up to 50,000 new CBD residents by 2040. The municipality is focusing on car-less streets that are dedicated to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, improved public transit, access to affordable housing, maintaining mixed-use spaces, preserving heritage areas, and adding additional public spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy. The City is aiming to make the CBD a more people-centered environment, and less car-focused, in support of potentially developing a car-free CBD.
In September 2025, there were approximately 7,000 residential units in Cape Town CBD, with developments for thousands more in progress.
Leisure
Cape Town CBD is home to numerous well-known sightseeing, tourist, food, and leisure spots for locals. These include the Iziko South African Museum, the Iziko Planetarium, the South African National Gallery, The Cape Gallery, and the Castle of Good Hope.Major theaters located in the CBD including the large format Artscape and the smaller District Six Homecoming Centre.
Beside the Houses of Parliament in the CBD sits The Company's Garden, which is the oldest garden in South Africa, and a national heritage site.