Robben Island Museum, Cape Town: Ferry, Tour & Prices
~3.5 hours (including the return ferry crossing)
UNESCO World Heritage Site & Former Prison
Used to isolate people since the late 17th century; maximum-security prison operated 1961-1991; declared a World Heritage Site in 1999
Departs from the Nelson Mandela Gateway, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa (the island itself lies in Table Bay, ~7 km offshore)
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Practical Visitor Info & Tips
R600
R400 (South African adult, standard tour); R310 / R210 (child, non-SA / SA, standard tour); R1,400 / R1,000 (adult, Weekend Walking Tour Experience, non-SA / SA)
Museum hours 08:00-17:00 daily. Standard guided tours depart four times a day (09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00). A separate Weekend Walking Tour Experience runs Friday-Sunday, 09:00-14:30.
Not strictly mandatory, but advance online booking via the museum's own site (robben-island.org.za) is strongly recommended — standard tours run four times daily and frequently sell out weeks ahead in peak season (September-April); on-the-day walk-up tickets are rarely available.
Return ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, a guided bus tour of the island, and a guided walk through the former maximum-security prison — including Nelson Mandela's cell — typically led by a former political prisoner. Total experience is approximately 3.5 hours including the ferry crossing.
| Option | Price | Booking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-SA adult, standard tour | R600 | robben-island.org.za, book ahead — frequently sells out | |
| SA adult, standard tour | R400 | robben-island.org.za, valid SA ID may be requested | |
| Non-SA adult, Weekend Walking Tour (Fri-Sun) | R1,400 | robben-island.org.za | |
| SA adult, Weekend Walking Tour (Fri-Sun) | R1,000 | robben-island.org.za | |
| With Cape Town City Pass | Not included | Book and pay separately regardless of any pass |
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Ticket Options
R600
Check whether a city pass already covers this attraction before buying separately.
See pass compatibility below ↓Overview & History
Robben Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of South Africa's most significant historical sites — used to isolate prisoners, exiles, and people with leprosy since the late 17th century, and best known today as the maximum-security prison that held Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 years of incarceration. Robben Island Museum, a public entity established in 1997, runs the only way to visit: a return ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, a guided bus tour around the island, and a guided walk through the former prison — typically led by a former political prisoner — ending at Mandela's cell. Ferry capacity is limited and the experience is entirely managed by the museum itself; no third-party city pass includes it.
What to See: Top Highlights
Nelson Mandela's Cell
The guided prison walk ends at the small cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison — the tour's emotional centerpiece.
A Former Political Prisoner as Guide
Prison tours are typically led by former political prisoners themselves, who share first-hand accounts of daily life and resistance inside the maximum-security section.
The Island Bus Tour
A guided bus circuit covers the wider island, including the lime quarry where Mandela and other prisoners performed forced labour, the leper graveyard, and the World War II-era coastal defences.
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Is Robben Island Included on the Cape Town City Pass?
Compare Cape Town PassesNo — confirmed absent from the Cape Town City Pass's attraction catalogue on both the Unlimited Pass and Unlimited Premium Pass. It doesn't appear on any of the pass's category pages, and its own attraction-page URL pattern on the pass's site returns a 404. Robben Island Museum, an independent public entity, runs its own separate ferry and tour booking system — book and pay for it directly regardless of any Cape Town pass.
Cape Town City Pass
Not included. Robben Island Museum is not part of the City Pass's attraction catalogue — absent from every attraction category page and from both the Unlimited Pass and Unlimited Premium Pass's full attraction lists; its own attraction-page URL pattern on the pass's site (capetown.citypass.co.za/attraction/robben-island/) returns a 404. The ferry/museum tour is booked and paid for entirely separately, directly with Robben Island Museum (an independent public entity), regardless of any Cape Town pass.
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