Meandering along the coastal route through Muizenberg and Fish Hoek or the Old Cape Road through the stunning mountain pass, Simon’s Town is less than an hour from Cape Town. The residents of Simon’s Town are justly proud of their small town. Picturesque, laden with history, South Africa’s principal naval base, museums, art galleries, and a gateway to the Marine Big 5 of False Bay, Simon’s Town is a maritime heritage, a treasure of a small coastal town.

The cobbled alleyways of this charming village are home to restaurants, coffee shops, antique shops, clothing, curios, and lifestyle shops. Discover the character and warm atmosphere of this lovely town. Revel in its stunning views of False Bay, the Table Mountain range, Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Whales, seals and penguins are often seen romping in its waters. In fact, the African Jackass penguins are very special guests. They arrived in 1985 and never left. They live on Boulders Beach, a protected sanctuary.

Simon’s Town began life as a Dutch naval anchorage, and a refuge for merchant ships of the Dutch East India Company, and for whalers in 1741. It’s named after Dutch governor Simon van der Stel. In 1814 the British South Atlantic Naval Squadron had Simon’s Town as its headquarters. It became a South African naval base in 1957. Nearby, a surveillance and communications centre tracks much of the South Atlantic and South Indian oceans. Expanded in 1970, it is now South Africa’s principal naval base. Despite this, it is still a quaint, small village with many beautifully preserved buildings, many dating back to the middle of the 1700s, an astonishing number of historical landmarks and many museums. It is also home to the first English church built in South Africa, the St Francis of Assisi Church.

To prevent Napoleon Bonaparte from having a base this far south in the Atlantic Ocean, Britain built a Martell Tower in Simon’s Town. In front of the tower, they constructed a battery armed with cannons.

Among the museums are the one housed by the Martello Tower, the South African Naval Museum, the Simon’s Town community museum. But there are more that make exploring the village a day of time travelling wonder. Among the many heritage sites that are well-worth visiting are churches, caves, the railway station, and the Post Huys (Post House), the old police station and the old courthouse. Many of the private homes in Simon’s Town are also heritage sites.

Part of the history of the village, a rather eccentric part, is Able Seaman Just Nuisance, whose statue stands in Jubilee Square. He was the only dog ever enlisted in the British Royal Navy. On his enlistment papers, his surname was given as ‘Nuisance’, first name ‘Just’. his trade was ‘Bonecrusher’ and his religion ‘Scrounger’. He signed his papers with a paw mark. Promotion to Able Seaman entitled him to free rations. His duties included fund raising, parades, and raising morale.