6 Best Places to Shop in Cape Town, South Africa

If you visit this historic square, you'll see a plethora of stalls selling African jewelry, art, crafts, and fabrics, as well as clothing (especially T-shirts), and locally made leather shoes and sandals. It's not necessarily as authentic as it seems (many of the stalls might be owned by one person) but it's still fun to browse here for souvenirs and gifts. More than half the stalls are owned (or at least manned) by people from other parts of Africa, and if you stop to chat, you'll find political and economic refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo trying to eke out a living. Bargain, but do so with a conscience.

This fantastic seven-day-a-week indoor market is all about the food and drinks, although there are also a handful of shops selling clothing. It's a great place to get a variety of different kinds of food to share at one of the tables (upstairs there's a bit of a view and might be less crowded). There's occasional live music or a rugby match shown on the big screen. The bars here tend to be the busiest outlets of all and things can get lively as the night grinds on.

Greatly responsible for putting steadily gentrifying Woodstock on the map among Cape Town's hip, organic types who scoot in on their Vespas looking for artisan breads, pesto, home-cured olives, and fancy cheeses, this market takes place every weekend, rain or shine (most of it is sheltered). If you want to rub shoulders with a broad spectrum of Capetonians and eat fabulous artisanal everything, this is the place to be. The prepared foods are wonderful, and many of Cape Town's most beloved eateries got their start here; many of them still maintain a presence. When you're done browsing the food market, check out the crafts section with its lovely handmade leather goods, designer clothing, and jewelry, or go on to the various stores scattered across the Old Biscuit Mill complex. Get there before 9:30 am (or by 10 am on Sunday) or risk being crushed by the crowds, or perhaps finding that some popular foods are sold out. Music events are not uncommon, and craft beer and boutique wines are also for sale; there can be a bit of a party atmosphere on beautiful sunny days when mojitos and other tipples start flowing.

Held weekends from 9 till 2 and on Wednesday evenings, the OZCF centers around a community-style fruit-and-veg section stocked with some incredible organic produce. Beyond that, there's an array of independent local farmers, artisanal food producers, chefs, and food entrepreneurs selling everything from fresh organic veggies to unique meats, cheeses, chocolates, fish, dried fruit, and nuts, etc. There are queues at just about every stall selling prepared meals—you can get everything from shakshuka to eggs Benedict on a rosti to Korean fried chicken—and there are drinks galore, hot and cold. Crafts and fashion vendors, plant sellers, and a few other artisans also trade here, so you can browse before or after you feast.

Some 150 vendors sell more than 365 brands of top-quality locally designed jewelry, fashion, accessories, pottery and home decor, and all kinds of arts and crafts. The market is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm.

This has to be the most beautiful setting in the world for a fresh produce and food market—on the slopes of Table Mountain in the gorgeous suburb of Oranjezicht, with the harbor and city down below. Some of the veggies are grown just next door, on an old bowling green dug up and replanted in 2012. There's also a children's playground, a 300-year-old slave bell, and an old barn on the same site, which is also known as Homestead Park. The Oranjezicht City Farm market is a not-for-profit project celebrating local food, culture, and community through urban farming in Cape Town.