Henri Leroux

Cape Town · experience

District Six Museum entrance ticket

Skip-the-line entry to the museum on the site of Cape Town’s District Six, presented largely by former residents on staff.

1-2 hoursFrom €4

The experience

Skip-the-line entry to the museum built on the site of Cape Town’s District Six, forcibly cleared under apartheid.

District Six Museum occupies a former Methodist mission church in the heart of what was, until the apartheid government declared it a whites-only area in 1966, a densely populated, multiracial inner-city neighbourhood of some 60,000 people, most of whom were forcibly removed and their homes bulldozed over the following years.

The collection of photographs, recordings, street signs and a large floor map is presented largely by former District Six residents on staff, who share personal accounts of the neighbourhood before and after the removals; the area’s history is widely credited as a direct real-world inspiration for the 2009 science-fiction film District 9.

Duration

1-2 hours

Group

Group size confirmed with the option

Languages

Confirmed with the option

Format

Confirmed with the option

Meeting point

District Six Museum, 25A Buitenkant Street.

Pickup and drop-off

Confirmed with the option

Who this suits

A good choice when it matches the way you want to use the city.

  • Travellers who want Cape Town’s apartheid history explained by people who lived it.
  • Anyone who has seen or knows of the film District 9 and wants the real history behind it.
  • A shorter, indoor complement to a full day at Robben Island.

Itinerary

The route at a glance.

The guide and exact sequence are confirmed on the day. Times below are a useful indication of how this visit is normally structured.

  1. 1

    Skip-the-line entry

    Entrance ticket collection at the museum.

    ~5 min
  2. 2

    Self-guided visit

    Photographs, recordings, the floor map and staff testimony.

    ~1-2 hours

What the visit includes

The practical detail before you choose a date.

Highlights

  • A collection built largely from testimony of former residents on staff
  • The museum’s large floor map of the old neighbourhood, annotated by former residents
  • Original street signs rescued before the area was bulldozed
  • The real history behind the film District 9’s premise

Included

  • ✓ Skip-the-line entrance ticket
  • ✓ Access to the museum’s permanent collection

Not included

  • • A dedicated private guide (museum staff, many former residents, are present throughout)

Before you go

A few essentials for the day.

  • The museum is closed on Sundays and open 9am-4pm Monday to Saturday, with last entry at 3pm.
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
  • Tickets can sell out; booking ahead is recommended.