Greenmarket Square is one of the oldest public squares in Cape Town, laid out in 1696 as a market for vegetables and slaves. The cobbled square is now occupied six days a week by stalls selling African crafts, beadwork, wire sculptures and curios — much of it imported from elsewhere in southern and central Africa, but the bargaining is genuine and the atmosphere is lively.
The square is ringed by handsome eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, including the Old Town House on the north side, which holds the Michaelis Collection of Dutch and Flemish art (and is free to enter). A few of the cafés around the square's edge are popular places to sit and watch the market in action.