De Waterkant — Cape Town's Gay Village

De Waterkant is Cape Town's gay village, a few streets of restored 18th- and 19th-century cottages on cobbled lanes between the city centre and Green Point. It became the centre of the city's gay scene in the 1990s, after South Africa's post-apartheid constitution banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Earlier, like the neighbouring Bo-Kaap, it was a mixed community affected by apartheid-era removals. The bars, clubs and guesthouses sit mainly around Somerset Road and the streets up the slope. The scene is smaller and more spread out than it once was, but this is still the main place for gay nightlife in Cape Town. Use registered taxis or rideshare at night.