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Cape Town
Shopping
Generally one can do inexpensive shopping in South Africa on account of its undervalued currency and relatively low production costs.
Jewellery is particularly cheap. Many talented goldsmiths and jewellery designers live in the Cape and their creations cost comparatively little.
Textiles are also priceworthy especially leather, sports and outdoor wear. The same applies to antiques, books and wine.
In Cape Town there is a number of big shopping centres with big clothing stores and many small shops, with restaurants, bistros, coffeeshops and cinemas.
For many reasons, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which has grown a lot over the last few years, is still the best and most popular shopping complex in the city.
Its unique position and harbour atmosphere, the well kept historical buildings, the great number of excellent restaurants, the many cinemas as well as artistic presentations create an ambience which considerably enhance the shopping experience.
At the Waterfront one can find good clothes, jewellery, African curios, gifts and books.
The most impressive shopping Mecca of Cape Town is the Canal Walk, a part of the Century City complex on the N1 Freeway near Milnerton (Exit 10).
The shopping temple with its borrowed architectural style elements from the Orient and the Rennaissance, houses more than 400 shops plus restaurants, fast-food outlets and cinemas.
Outside, a system of canals has been built that's nostalgic of Venice. One can buy clothing, toys, decorative household goods, books and jewellery here.
Before buying African curios in a shopping centre, one should compare prices. The open markets often offer much better prices.
For the biggest variety in goods and the best prices visit the Green Point Market on sundays. With its hundreds of stands, it spreads over a wide area at the stadium in Green Point. On offer are all sorts of woodcarvings and ethnic jewellery from Kenya, Zimbabwe, South angd West Africa as well as paintings and bric-a-brac, African material and clothing.
Other good addresses for purchasing curios are the Red Shed Market at the Waterfront, the multistoried Pan African Market in Long Street, Greenmarket Square between Short and Longmarket Street and the Sunday market in Hout Bay.
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