Shopping is a popular pastime for visitors to Cape Town. The city has embraced American mall culture with abandon and most shopping precincts in Cape Town have been decentralised to suburban shopping malls, with hundreds of shops under one roof. The most impressive malls are the Victoria Wharf at the V&A Waterfront, Cavendish Square in Claremont, Tyger Valley in the Northern Suburbs and Canal Walk at Century City (see Further Distractions).

Nevertheless, there are still scores of little shops to be found, all offering plenty of bargains. And the mall culture cannot hold back the markets, mostly informal, that continue to flourish in the city centre and along main roads in the suburban areas. While shopping malls are generally open Monday to Saturday 0900-2100 and even Sunday 1000-1600, central city hours are Monday to Friday 0830-1700 and Saturday 0830-1300. Muslim-owned businesses close 1200-1300 on Friday.

Since the end of apartheid, Cape Town has become a mecca for traders from all over Africa and it is possible to buy African art from all corners of the continent within a few city blocks. A sightseeing destination in its own right, Greenmarket Square, Shortmarket Street, in the city centre, has a market that is open Monday to Saturday, stocking an eclectic range of goods, including African art, local jewellery, handmade clothing, music, books and antiques.

Most of the streets that fan out from Greenmarket Square are also packed with street traders selling African goods, while The Pan African Market, 76 Long Street, is an experience within itself. Wall-to-wall African art and curios crowd into the double-storey labyrinth of shops, open Monday to Saturday. Tiny tin can sculptures sit alongside wooden behemoths of tribal masks, while leathersmiths, hair braiders, djembe drum tutors and West African tailors practise their crafts and an informal cafe offers refreshments.

For more arts, curios, clothing and crafts, the daily Waterfront Craft Market, located in the Blue Shed at the V&A Waterfront, next to the Two Oceans Aquarium, is just the place for visitors to pick up a few trademark Capetonian gifts. The Green Point Fleamarket is presently outside Green Point Stadium, Somerset Road, although the stadium itself is currently being dismantled. The market is held every Sunday and public holidays and is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, boasting a vast number of stalls selling everything from African art and antiques to fake international labels. However, pickpockets like this area even more than bargain hunters do, so be warned.

An excellent lightweight gift that is truly indicative of Cape Town is wire sculpture, with small pieces only costing a few rand. Streetwires, 77/79 Shortmarket Street, is an initiative to empower unemployed South Africans and supplies various creative contemporary wire and bead products, which can be made to order.

For a tasty South African speciality, biltong (dried raw meat) is available in almost every shopping market throughout the city. Visitors should note, however, that importing biltong might be illegal in some countries. A far safer exportable gift would be wine, which is available en route on a Winelands tour or at the city's supermarkets. Other South African specialities include Rooibos tea, hand-stitched ostrich leather or African rubber sandals.

The Montebello Design Centre, 31 Newlands Avenue, has wonderful ethnic crafts for sale as well as a charming tearoom, while African Image, Shop 6228 Table Bay Mall, V&A Waterfront, and 52 Burg Street, central Cape Town, specialises in authentic African tribal art and artefacts - a dream for collectors.

Antique lovers should stroll up and down Church Street and the section of Long Street just off Church Street. Also in Long Street, the fashion aficionado will be spellbound by the incredible offerings on show at Yin, 224A Long Street, an eclectic boutique that specialises in clothes designed and handmade by women from various African communities and countries. A vast collection of African music can be perused and purchased at The African Music Store, 90 Long Street.

VAT stands at 14% on all goods sold in Cape Town, although this is largely ignored in the markets, and visitors can reclaim this upon departure for purchases over R250, provided all receipts have been kept, the appropriate tax invoices have been obtained and filled in where necessary, and the goods are exported within 90 days of purchase. These, along with the goods, must be presented to the VAT Refund Desk at the airport international departures terminal. A refund is then paid after passing through Passport Control. The VAT Refund Office is located at the Cape Town Tourism Centre, First Level, Clock Tower Centre, V&A Waterfront (tel: (021) 405 4545; www.taxrefunds.co.za), offers further information and helps with the necessary paperwork beforehand, providing you have your passport and airline ticket with you.