Things to Do

Grahamstown is strongest for culture and history: the cathedral and museums are close enough to visit on foot, while the National Arts Festival can take over an entire trip if you come in winter.

Guide

Things to Do

01

National Arts Festival

The National Arts Festival is Grahamstown's biggest reason to make a deliberate trip. For about eleven days in late June and early July, the …
02

Cathedral of St Michael and St George

The Anglican cathedral stands in the middle of Grahamstown and gives the city its old colonial silhouette. Its spire, stonework, memorials, and central position …

Sight
03

Albany Museum

The Albany Museum is one of South Africa's older museum institutions, tied to Rhodes University and spread through several collections. It is strongest when …

Museum
04

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature preserves manuscripts, archives, recordings, and exhibitions connected to South African writing. It is a good cultural stop in …

Museum
05

Observatory Museum

The Observatory Museum is Grahamstown's strangest small sight: a Victorian house built around the interests of jeweller and amateur astronomer Henry Carter Galpin. Its …

Museum
06

1820 Settlers National Monument

The 1820 Settlers National Monument commemorates the English-speaking settlers who shaped the region. Since opening in 1974, the hilltop building has also served as …

Sight
07

The Provost Prison

The Provost Prison is a small but unusual 1830s military prison on the old Drostdy grounds in Grahamstown. It was built after the Sixth …

Sight
08

International Library of African Music

The International Library of African Music is a specialist archive and research centre founded in 1954. Its collection of African music recordings, instruments, and …

Museum