Last reviewed: September 2026

Not the dockyard itself, no: the naval base is a working military installation, and wandering up to its gates with a camera is a poor plan anywhere in the world. The good news is that Simon's Town's naval story is meant to be visited around the base's edges, and it is a rich one: a retired submarine you can climb inside, a museum in the historic precinct, and a village walk that threads the whole maritime century together.

What the base is

The South African Navy's principal base has anchored Simon's Town since the Royal Navy handed the station over in the late 1950s, and the fleet's frigates and submarines still work from these wharves. For visitors, that translates into working-harbour atmosphere rather than access: grey hulls across the water, the dockyard walls along the main road, and the pleasure of a town whose rhythms still answer to the sea.

The SAS Assegaai submarine

The star attraction sits at the dockyard's edge: the SAS Assegaai, a decommissioned Daphne-class submarine, preserved for guided visits below decks. It is a genuinely memorable hour: passing through the actual hatches, along the torpedo compartment and past the bunks where crews slept in shifts, with guides who make eighty metres of steel feel like a small city. Access arrangements, tour times and minimum ages vary, so check the current operator details before you build a day around it, and skip it if confined spaces trouble you.

The SA Naval Museum

In the historic dockyard precinct, the SA Naval Museum carries the longer story: the Royal Navy century, the handover, the modern fleet, ship models, uniforms and the small artefacts that make naval social history feel personal. It pairs naturally with the Just Nuisance statue nearby, which is also part of the museum story in spirit if not in exhibits.

The town-walk version of naval history

Simon's Town's centre is itself a naval museum without walls: the Residency and its contemporaries on the main road, the churchyards, the harbour walls, the statue of the village's most famous sailor, who happened to have four legs, and the cemetery on the hillside where he rests. Our walkability guide maps the realistic route, and the two-day itinerary slots it into a proper morning.

Who it suits

History-minded travellers, engineers of any age, families with school projects in their future, and anyone who enjoys a town that still smells faintly of tar and purpose. Combine the submarine with the museum in one morning, lunch on the harbour, and you have the best of naval Simon's Town without a gatepass.

Where Aqua Terra fits

Aqua Terra is an owner-managed, five-suite guesthouse above False Bay in Simon's Town, an easy walk or short drive from all of it. The hosts keep current word on submarine tour schedules and museum hours, which change more often than the internet suggests.

Check live availability for a Simon's Town stay, or message Garth on WhatsApp for direct booking help.

The short answer

You cannot tour the working base, but you can go inside a real submarine, dig through a century of naval history in the museum, and walk a village that is itself an exhibit. That is more than most naval towns offer, and almost all of it fits one morning.

Frequently asked questions

Can tourists enter the naval base?

Generally no, beyond booked experiences at the precinct edge such as the submarine museum, and occasional open days. Treat the dockyard as what it is: a working base.