Graaff-Reinet Favorites

Favorite thing: As elsewhere in South Africa, the tourism authority people are helpful, knowledgable and friendly. If you are the kind of person who normally likes to find out things for yourself or relies on the LP or RG, I would suggest a different approach here.

Not only are the tourism offices absolutely stacked with information but there is masses of information on other towns in the area, and elsewhere in South Africa.

In Graaff-Reinet, the situation is slightly confusing. There seem to be two tourism information centres, close to each other. The "more official one" seems to be the one nearer the Old Library (further away from the church on Church Street), which is the Graaff-Reinet Publicity Association. Their office is also a mini-museum. They have a really excellent website and their written material is superb (trust me on this one, folks; I am a tourism consultant, and I see a LOT of this stuff. It doesn't get much better than the G-R material!!). Graaff Reinet Publicity Association

There is a second Tourist Information Centre, which is a little more obviously signposted, at the back of the bookshop on Church Street very close to the church itself. However, this has a lot less information and didn't mention some of the free local information pamphlets available at the Publicity Association. To be honest, they didn't even mention the Pubicity Association (about one minute's walk away) which suggests that there is some tension and competition here! Ohhhhhh, I do love small-town politics......it'll be pamphlets at dawn soon!