The grand parade was the site van Riebeeck selected for his first fort in 1652. The structure was levelled in 1674 when the Castle of Good Hope was completed; until 1821 the area was used as parade and exercise ground for the troops. As buildings went up around the perimeter, greengrocers established fruit stalls, precursors of today’s flea market. Every Wednesday and Saturday morning the area bustles with market activity, while for the rest of the week the Grand Parade serves as a pay-and-display car park.

Overlooking the Grand Parade is Cape Town’s large City Hall. Built in 1905 in the elaborate Italian Renaissance style, it presents its elegant facades on four different streets. A 39-bell Carillion tower was added in 1923. The walls of the City Hall regularly resound to the soaring orchestral strains of the Cape Town Philharmonic, formerly known as the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. It is well worth getting tickets for the popular lunchtime and evening concerts, which can be booked through any branch of Computicket.