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All 223 Cape Town Central Attractions »

Robben Island

Cape Town Central 7400, South Africa
27 021 409 5100
As featured in 3 days in Cape Town
4.0 of 5 stars 345 Reviews
Type: Historic Sites, Islands
Fee: Yes
Traveller Description: If interested in prisons this is a "must do" trip when in Cape Town, however the sea can have heavy swells and the 30 - 40 minute ride might be... more »
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345 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
Sao Paulo, SP
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

Nice tour in Cape Town. Very informative. Best part of the tour is the visit where tour guide is a former inmate of Robben Island prison. Our guide was very polite and knew quite some histories of that time. You also visit island installations including limestone quarry where inmates were forced to work. As a bonus you can also visit... More

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See 7 more reviews by Mauricio R for Cape Town Central
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2012 NEW

It was very touching and quite educative on the part of history that we didn't know. They view is great from table mountain as well. Worth going early so that you can see the penguins as well. We had a very good and interesting guide who made the experience all so awesome. More

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See 5 more reviews by SandraNana for Cape Town Central
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2012 NEW

There are some excellent guides but many visitors find the local ones hard to understand. The ferry service to the island has been very erratic with the buses used for transferring passengers and island sightseeing very old and uncomfortable. More

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See 3 more reviews by Dinah W for Cape Town Central
Warwickshire
Senior Contributor
46 reviews 46 reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2012

We booked our trip to Robben Island online and this is a must if you want to visit. However this does mean that there was no flexibility which would be useful when the weather is bad. The ferry crossing was awful as the sea was very rough and I will try not to let this colour my judgement. We were... More

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See 4 more reviews by Zut_Alors for Cape Town Central
Madison Heights, Virginia
Top Contributor
74 reviews 74 reviews
Reviews in 45 cities Reviews in 45 cities
106 helpful votes 106 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2012

We bought tickets through the hotel concierge,but there was no long line for tickets at the ferry departure point, so we could have just as easily bought them on site. Ferry left on time; trip over to the island was a bit rough, so take bonine or other antinausea medication if you are susceptible to sea sickness. Views from open... More

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See 5 more reviews by leesvillelake for Cape Town Central
Raleigh, North Carolina
Top Contributor
93 reviews 93 reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

This is worth doing while in Cape Town. The ferry ride was nice and the view of Table Mt is great. The tour itself could have been timed better as it was rushed at the end. The groups are also very large so not a very personal experience. The other downside is that you do have to commit a few... More

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See 11 more reviews by Kat0425 for Cape Town Central
Belgium
Top Contributor
76 reviews 76 reviews
Reviews in 33 cities Reviews in 33 cities
37 helpful votes 37 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012

especially the tour given by an ex convict. Not as impressive as Alcatraz tough. More

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See 18 more reviews by EmmaBelgium for Cape Town Central
UK
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2012

The whole trip was awesome. The boat trip over to the island gave us a stunning view of Cape Town and Table Mountain. The tour, and talk was emotional. The only down side is that it is all a bit rushed and herded like cattle. I would have like more time to take it all in. That said we came... More

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Galway, Ireland
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2012

We did the Robben Island tour and really enjoyed it, the ferry to/from the island is great, you can get some great views of Table mountain. The tour itself was very good in informative, would def recommend doing it while in Cape Town. More

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See 6 more reviews by Nicola D for Cape Town Central
Midrand, South Africa
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 May 2012

The trip to Robbin Island was just anti-Apartheid in reverse and the show was only for the overseas visitors. Get your facts straight and stop lying to people. More

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