Newlands

What Makes Leafy Newlands such a Popular Suburb of Cape Town

Nestled on the foothills of Table Mountain, lies a leafy green suburb called Newlands. Known to be the wettest suburb in South Africa, it’s easy to see why this place calls home to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, one of the most beautiful gardens in Africa. Kirstenbosch Gardens is open every day from 08h00 and closes at 19h00 during summer (Sep-Mar), and 18h00 during winter (Apr-Aug). Find all the Kirstenbosch Gardens information you may need here.

If you take the train from the city centre and hop off at “Nuweland” station, it’s easy to see why this place was called Newlands, directly translated this means “the New Land”, in one of our 11 official languages: Afrikaans. With its high rainfall, it makes sense that two of Cape Town’s most iconic grassed sporting venues are found here; Newlands Cricket Ground and Newlands Rugby Stadium. From upmarket restaurants to student pubs, this area can be quite diverse with the University of Cape Town a stone’s throw away and only a short drive from the city centre.

What to do in Newlands: try a walk in Newlands Forest

Perched on Table Mountain’s southern slopes lies a green gem called Newlands Forest. Popular with locals, this forest offers a lovely walking trail for you and your dogs while offering something a little different to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Unlike Kirstenbosch Gardens, which has an entrance fee, you do not need to pay to walk in Newlands Forest. There are also facilities for families to braai or enjoy a picnic. Newlands forest is a perfect example of the outdoor lifestyle Cape Town is forever boasting about.

Newlands Rugby Stadium is over 130 years old

South Africans pride themselves on their sport, and Newlands is home to not 1, but 2 very special stadiums. The Newlands rugby stadium, the second oldest rugby stadium in the World and the oldest in South Africa, is found here. This 50 000+ seater stadium has had a long history and is set to be demolished in the next few years. This lush and central suburb of Cape Town is such prime real-estate, this land has been sold with residential and retail property in mind to replace the stadium.

Newlands cricket ground has been described as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the worldnby many players and coaches. This magnificent stadium offers spectators world-class facilities while watching the game they love shadowed by Table Mountain, a truly unique experience.

Newlands weather

With a high average rainfall and long cloudy days in winter, this leafy green suburb lends itself to cosy days by the fire in winter, and fantastic hiking and walking weather in summer on Table Mountain or in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Having such high rainfall, a hike in the mountains during springtime is a particular treat, with the local fynbos flowering in bursts of yellow, purple and white.

Newlands spring water is safe to drink

Table mountain not only offers majestic views and hikes but has always supplied the peopleof this area with the most important resource, water! With many springs dotted around the mountain, there are still collection points today where anyone can go and get fresh mountain drinking water, and one of these is found in Newlands. You can find the Newlands Spring near the Newlands Rugby Stadium, use this Google Maps link for the exact spot.