Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island: the building where every visit begins

Where is the Nelson Mandela Gateway?

The Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island stands in the Clock Tower Precinct of the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, right next to the Clock Tower at the harbour end of the Waterfront. It is the departure point of every tour ferry to the island: whichever ticket you hold, your visit starts here.

The Robben Island Museum does not publish a street address, only a postal box. In practice nobody needs one: the Clock Tower is signposted all over the Waterfront and the Gateway is the building beside it. If you take a taxi, ask for the Clock Tower. If you navigate with a phone, the building sits at about 33.9065 S, 18.4225 E on OpenStreetMap, or open the map below and let Google guide you.

The Gateway has its own line at the museum: phone +27 (0)21 413 4200, fax +27 (0)21 419 1057, email infow@robben-island.org.za. It is the number to call for questions about sailings and the weather; if you booked on Tiqets, changes go through your Tiqets booking.

A building opened by Mandela

The Gateway is younger than the museum. When the Robben Island Museum opened in 1997, the first tour ferries left from Jetty 1, the old prisoners' quay a short walk away. The Nelson Mandela Foundation's archive records that Mandela himself officially opened the new Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, in December 2001. The name is apt: the journey to the island where he was held starts here.

What is inside the Gateway

A free exhibition

According to the V&A Waterfront's page on the Gateway, the building hosts interactive exhibitions, visual displays, personal artefacts, photographs and oral histories on Nelson Mandela's life, from his childhood in the Eastern Cape through his 27 years in prison to his presidency, and entry is free, even if you are not taking the tour. The building also has an auditorium. Wesgro, the Western Cape tourism board, describes it as a multimedia exhibition. If you arrive early for your ferry, it is the best way to use the waiting time; if the tour is sold out, you can still see it.

The museum shop

Both the V&A Waterfront and Wesgro mention a shop in the building, and it is worth a look before you board. On the island there is only a small shop selling snacks and drinks.

Places to eat

Here the sources disagree. The V&A Waterfront speaks of an auditorium, a museum shop and several eateries; Wesgro mentions a single restaurant. We could not confirm the names of the places or whether they are all open in 2026. Count on finding something to drink, but if you want a proper meal before or after the tour, look just outside the building.

Eating nearby

The Time Out Market Cape Town, opened in November 2023 in the Old Power Station on Dock Road, is about 300 m from the Gateway: 13 kitchens, bars and long tables on the quay. It opens at 11:00 and takes cards only, no cash. Next door, The Watershed is a covered market with more than 150 designers, makers and food stalls. Older guides still send you to the V&A Food Market: it closed in January 2023.

Plan your meal around the tour. There is no restaurant on Robben Island and alcohol is not allowed, so eat before you board or book lunch for after you land.

Opening hours

Two official sources give two different timetables, and neither explains why:

• V&A Waterfront: the Gateway is open Monday to Sunday, 07:30 to 18:00.
• Robben Island Museum: the museum is open Monday to Sunday, 08:00 to 17:00.

The first probably refers to the building, the second to the museum's offices and ticket desk, but nobody says so. What matters is that the Gateway is open well before the first ferry at 09:00. Tours run every day, weather and demand permitting.

Checking in for your ferry

The rules are few, and the museum enforces them:

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. The boarding gates close 10 minutes before the ferry leaves, and late arrivals lose their seat.
• Bring a valid ID, in the name on the ticket. You need a passport, an ID card or a driver's licence to board, and the museum's ticket terms say your ID is checked against the ticket details before you are let onto the ferry. If someone else booked for your group, check with them that the details on each ticket match the person travelling.
• Have your ticket ready. Digital or printed, both are accepted.
• Babies under 2 travel free. Their free ticket is issued at the Gateway on showing a birth certificate.
• Take seasickness tablets early. The museum suggests an hour before boarding, so swallow them on your way to the Gateway, not in the queue.

If you or someone in your group has a disability or a chronic illness, the museum asks you to tell it before you book, so that staff can help. Call +27 (0)21 413 4200. We found no official information on step-free access, toilets or left luggage in the building, so do not plan on leaving bags there.

From the Gateway the ferry crosses to Murray's Bay Harbour in 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the boat. Departure times and what happens on board are in our guide to the Robben Island ferry.

Buying tickets at the Gateway on the day

The Gateway has the museum's ticket office, and it sells the seats left on the day. The museum itself does not promise any: tickets are subject to availability and it recommends booking early. How many are left is impossible to predict: resellers report that same-day seats are rare in high season, from September to April, but the museum gives no figures.

At the counter you pay in South African rand or by credit or debit card: the museum does not accept foreign currency, so do not count on paying in dollars or euros. If you want to know what you will be charged, the museum's own price list is at the end of our tickets page. The ticket office is also where refunds are handled if a crossing is cancelled for bad weather: cash payments are refunded on the spot, card payments within 7 to 14 working days.

If you want to go on a set day, booking online is safer: the ferry and prison tour on Tiqets arrives on your phone in minutes. If you might need to change the day, choose the flexible ticket, which you can cancel or move for free up to 24 hours before. All the options are on our Robben Island tickets page. For what the tour includes once you land, read our guide to the Robben Island tour.

Jetty 1: the old embarkation point

The Gateway is not the first building to send people to Robben Island. A short walk away, in the Waterfront harbour, stands Jetty 1, about 190 m from the Gateway in a straight line. It was the old embarkation point for prisoners on their way to the island.

According to the Robben Island Museum, until the late 1990s the building at Jetty 1 kept its original façade of red bricks, wrought iron doors and barbed wire fencing, and when the museum opened in 1997 the first tour ferries departed from it. Wesgro describes a free multimedia exhibition there, with the testimonies of former prisoners, former warders and their families.

Before you go looking for it, note that we could not confirm whether Jetty 1 is open to the public in 2026, or at what times. Ask at the Gateway on the day. The story of the island's prison years is told in full in our guide to the Robben Island prison.

How to get to the Gateway

If you are staying at the Waterfront, walk to the Clock Tower. From the city centre or Sea Point, MyCiTi route 104 stops at Waterfront Silo, about 350 m from the Gateway in a straight line; do not look for a "Clocktower" bus stop, which the City of Cape Town removed in 2022. By car, the closest garages are the Clock Tower and Silo parking garages. By taxi or ride-hailing car, ask for the Clock Tower. Everything around the Gateway is a short walk:

Every option in detail, from the myconnect card to the airport, is in our guide on how to get to Robben Island.