Canal to the Waterfront

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V&A Waterfront canal at night

In a post about the Westin Grand Hotel a few days ago I mentioned the canal that leads from the hotel and the CTICC to the Waterfront area. And voila, here you have it!

The canal is known as the Roggebaai Canal, and apparently water taxis depart from the Westin Grand Hotel every hour on the two-kilometre, 20-minute trip. From the hotel, the taxi takes passengers under the freeway, past a fresh sea-water waterfall, and then past the City Lodge Hotel. After the City Lodge the taxi heads on under more bridges, past the West Quay offices and under two lifting bridges, through the marina lock, and then to moor at the Two Oceans Aquarium.

The one-way trip costs just R20 for adults and R10 for kids, and as soon as the weather clears up, we're definitely going to take the trip! Take a look at the route map that I've plotted on Google Maps.

6 thoughts on “Canal to the Waterfront”

  2. Pamela

    Thanks for putting up the info about this – I have added it to the list (the trip is just 17 days away!),the route looks as though it will give an interesting perspective.

  5. Kerry

    Love your blog. My husband and I just relocated to Cape Town from the U.S. and have been reading your blog for months as part of our advance preparation ;)

    I just took my 4.5 year old son on the water taxi ride through the canal. It wasn’t quite what I expected but we did enjoy ourselves. From the lock right near the Two Oceans Aquarium all the way to the Convention Centre, the main “view” is of very cool looking apartments and hotel accommodations. I kind of felt like I was on a real estate tour. My son loved it because of the sea birds that lined the non-developed portion of the canal and the little boy thrill found in going under bridges in a boat. I’m not sure I would have called that part of the trip scenic and the architecture, while very much a style I appreciate, never varied throughout the trip.

    I LOVED going from the lock (near the Aquarium) to the Waterfront, as it was fun to check out the boats, the buildings and the people from the vantage point of the water. We even had a playful seal come up to the taxi to greet us.

    Our driver was very nice and he had an assistant who had very thorough knowledge about how the waterway worked, which birds and fish called the canal home, and which famous person lived in which high-priced flat. They were both very nice and accommodating. And the boat was well-shaded, so we were quite comfortable on a bright, shiny day.

    I wasn’t sure where to catch the water taxi and couldn’t find much info online, but I had seen what I thought was a taxi stop outside the Aquarium when we were there a few weeks ago. I headed for that taxi sign, but there was no information there or posted nearby that seemed to indicate when or if the taxi would be by. One of the guys hawking harbour cruises recommended I walk down to the lock near the aquarium and ask the lock operator to call the taxi for me. My son and I got lucky as the taxi was in the lock as we walked up. The driver picked us up at a nearby dock even though it wasn’t a “designated” stop, which I really appreciated.

    So all in all, a good trip and a pleasant afternoon with my 4.5 year old. Though I think the harbour is much more interesting then the canal.

    Thank you again for the idea and for your fabulous photography. We greatly enjoy your blog. All the best!

  6. Paul

    Post author

    Wow Kerry, thanks so much for your long and informative message. Welcome to Cape Town – I trust that you’re having an awesome time!

    I clicked through to your blog to check out the photos from the trip along the canal. We’re definitely going to do this soon. It looks like a relaxing thing to do with plenty to see.

    Yes, I’ve noticed that it’s not well advertised or marketed. I think whoever’s managing this really need to up their game.

    Once again, thanks for your message.

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