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District Six Museum

The area known simply as District Six was a vibrant, multiracial, working-class neighborhood on the city's eastern fringe until 1966, when the apartheid government declared it a whites-only area. Over the next few years, 60,000 people were forcibly evicted from their homes and relocated, the houses and streets they left behind bulldozed. Though most of the area today is still just weeds and rubble, this onetime Methodist church—where anti-apartheid protestors once took shelter—has been turned into a fascinating museum documenting the area's history. A highlight is the large floor map of District Six, where ex-residents have inscribed their family names on their old streets.

Insider Tip: Book a free guided tour in advance with Noor Ibrahim, a former District Six resident, founder of the museum, and notable raconteur (011-27-21-466-7208).