The Workers’ Day Museum Crawl!

Did You Know That All The Majestic Iziko Museums In The City Bowl Are Free For South Africans On Public Holidays?

I've known for ages but I've still never quite taken advantage of the privilege!

As I've realised more and more doing these tours, we all tend to forget the truth of the adage that the best things in life are free... So let us help you cherish the world-class establishments on your doorstep by offering a unique, unprecedented Heritage Crawl across the city's national collections this Workers’ Day!

I would say the hardest-earned and most valuable right South Africans have earned over the last century is our freedom of speech, our freedom of information, our freedom to follow our curiosity wherever it may lead us, and we simply have to renew our commitment to holding that right whenever we can x

So here's the plan:

Between 09h30 and 15h30 on Friday the 1st of May, I will lead you (and whoever you can seduce into joining) on a long, loping, whimsical guided walk through all five of the landmark museums thrown open to the public in and around the CBD.

We'll explore the Iziko South African Museum by Queen Victoria Street from 09h30 to 10h30.

Then do the epic trek across Government Avenue to cover the Iziko South African National Gallery from 10h30 to 11h30.

Then we'll ramble down to time-travel through the Iziko Slave Lodge & Cultural History Museum on the corner of Wale and Adderley Street from 11h30 to 12h30.

Then we'll break for lunch and a requisite coffee at the gorgeous La Botessa Cafe from 12h30 to 13h30.

We'll zoop back up to delve into the Michaelis Collection at the recently-refurbished Iziko Old Town House Museum in Greenmarket Square from 13h30 to 14h30.

Finally, we'll triumphantly march up the hill of Wale Street to finish our day by paying homage at the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum before cooling off with a glass of public-holiday wine at The Drinkery in Heritage Square.

Of course you can leave and join the expedition at your pleasure and discretion at any point in the mission, but I promise I'll use my expertise to make every stop feel indispensably interesting.

What I personally love about the museums of Cape Town is the fact that every building that houses our archives has its own history and its own epic saga, from the oldest intact private-residence in the country to the oldest free-standing building in the Sub-continent outside the Castle to the original municipal offices of the oldest city government in the country to the oldest continuous scientific institution in the Southern Hemisphere.

The best pieces in the city's collections are the buildings which house the collections themselves.

We'll be limited to a group of just 20 peeps this time so RSVP ASAP!

Yours,

Cameron of CTHT.

P.S. If you've read this far I'm guessing you'll want even more of the specs, so here goes:

- We'll be starting by the entrance to the South African Museum and finishing six hours later by the Bo-Kaap Museum in Wale Street so happily park on Queen Victoria Street or take the MyCiTi as needs be.

- If you want to leave, join, or leave again at any particular point in the schedule, just message me on 076 033 8164 and I'll drop you a live location if you worry about meeting up with the group.

- We've just put up our ticket prices for the first time in two-and-a-half years, from R120pp to R150pp. Obviously this is just to keep with inflation and to allow the tours to remain a sustainable enterprise for the foreseeable future, but this is still about R50 less per person than our nearest competition. In other words, we are deliberately undercharging the tours so as to keep them affordable for locals and visitors alike and to encourage guests to come back weekend after weekend.

- Book via Quicket, WhatsApp us on 076 033 8164, E-mail us on [email protected] or Message us via the buttons on our home page to secure your place.

- We have also just introduced a broad scheme of discounts you can apply for on each tour, so please do consult the list below before contacting us!

- And we've decided to partner with my friend and fellow obsessive guide Richard Kilpert of ArtRoute Tours for the National Gallery and Old Town House sections so please join for his segments if you want to cherry-pick your day!

- This is a consistently well-reviewed heritage-focused walking tour; which is to say that all you'll need to enjoy yourself is curiosity about Cape Town's past (and History in general) and enough stamina to walk just less than 4km in one day (with stops and snacks).

- If you're rejoining us, please please please please please please consider dropping us a short (or extensive) review on our Facebook Reviews or Google Reviews section as it will help spread our gospel of curiosity and playful appreciation across the internet and across the spectrum of all potential visitors to the Cape. It helps us more than you can believe!

- You can also add an optional R10 donation on your ticket which will go directly to the NGO Streetscapes as part of our mission to spread love, enthusiasm, mutual support and respect for all of Cape Town's people and histories. Just think how many people we could help and the difference we could make with a few hundred tours!

- Feel absolutely free to spread the word, invite friends who've been looking for this kind of experience and badger us with every imaginable heritage query. We live for it!

Can't wait to meet ya, really!

THE CTHT DISCOUNT LIST:

1. Guests over 65 and under 18 can claim a 33% discount on each ticket, at R100pp pre-booked.

2. If you buy tickets for both the Saturday and Sunday tours on one weekend, you can claim R50 off each ticket, at R200pp pre-booked.

3. If you buy a Cape Town Heritage Tours Tote-Bag or any of our books on sale at our Half-Booked Online Shop, you can claim a free tour voucher for each piece of merchandise.

4. You can buy individual advance vouchers for our public tours at R150 each and then message in the week before a scheduled tour. But you can also buy value-packs of five for the price of 4 (R600), 10 for the price of 7 (R1050) or all 18 for the price of 10 (R1500).

5. If you bring 2 or more friends on a weekend tour you can claim R30 back on each of your tickets, at R120pp pre-booked.

6. If you share the posts promoting individual tours you can claim R30 back as well, at R120pp.

7. If you review the tours on Google Reviews, Facebook or TripAdvisor (at any rating) you can claim 50% off your next ticket, at R75pp pre-booked.

8. Likewise if you recommend the tours to a friend who then attends a weekend tour, you can claim 50% off your next ticket, at R75pp pre-booked.

See ya next weekend!