Most well-known as the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27-year sentence, Robben Island, in Table Bay, is where many political activists were imprisoned during the Apartheid. Through the lens of the former prisoners, the museum here tells the emotional story of human rights and injustice. It’s a four-hour experience; visitors catch a ferry to the island and hop aboard a bus for a guided tour of the most important sites, including Mandela’s former cell. Although the Robben Island Museum is one of the most touristy things you can do in Cape Town—you’ll definitely find more foreigners than locals—it’s not to be missed.
