NG Kerk Swellendam
NG Kerk Swellendam
4.5
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Sunday
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
About
An extremely popular and impressive stop for global visitors with a permanent exhibition and a rich history. Unique architectural mix in SA.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles98 reviews
Excellent
46
Very good
38
Average
11
Poor
1
Terrible
2

Ilona S
Sunnyvale, CA9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2022
The church is in the middle of town and we were just about to drive past it when we were attracted by the steeple and beautiful architecture. We went inside and were overcome by the grandeur of the interior and pipe organ. The church is known as The Mother church and has been central to the Dutch Reform movement for a couple of decades, A visit to the Old Drostdy ( Magistrate's homer and court) Is also so well worth it. I will stop and look and any Cape Dutch architecture I see!
Written 11 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

antongunter
Shropshire, UK77 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
as part of our little day out we visited the church. they ask for a small donation which is fine, and there is a small area of historicsl interest under the stairs. The outside's beauty out ways the insides dull ness, but as i am lead to believe that the inside is for worshipping only, why does it have to be posh?

good half hour visit
Written 19 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Piet14
Johannesburg, South Africa21 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2012 • Friends
Every written South African Tour guide I’ve seen so far suggests you stop here and have a closer look at our beautiful and interesting church building. As soon as you see it you will know why! Its unique architectural mix is its first striking feature: It demonstrates Italian Baroque, French Gothic, an Eastern dome and Cape Dutch facades, with a replica of a Belgium wooden tower. Very South African!
Who can believe that this majestic building was erected for less than ÂŁ 10,000 from the year South Africa became a Union in 1910!
A wonderful book was published around the 200 year history of the church and its people in 1998. Written in Afrikaans and illustrated by Ds, Gert van Lill, it also covers Swellendam’s town history very well. Enquiries can be made at the church.
Visiting hours are on four weekdays only, from 8:00 to 13:00 and in the afternoons between 14:00 and 16:00. It is closed on weekends and on Thursdays.
Written 19 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tappers127
Cheltenham, UK161 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2018 • Couples
looks great on the outside and was quite excited to go in .............. but its just like a court room - very disappointing !
Written 23 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

111TWIGAMINHAAFRIKA
Bristol, UK7,783 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2018 • Friends
We were travelling from Wilderness to get to Hermanus and decided to break the journey for coffee and cake and to look at this historical church in Swellendam.
Plenty of easy and safe parking on the main street, we visited the wonderful Ikigai coffee bar before heading for this imposing church.
Beautiful to photograph in inviting light exteriorly, but once inside this became a magical and humble experience.
This is one of the oldest churches in the Cape and so significant to the early Dutch settlers. Beautiful visit and worth an hour of anybody's time.
Written 23 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jill d
Port Elizabeth, South Africa2,416 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2016 • Solo
What an amazing array of different architectural styles under one roof! Neo-Gothic windows, Cape Dutch gables, Byzantine minaret, Eastern Mediterranean cupola - all existing, cheek by jowl, in the same building. With such an eclectic mix of styles, one wonders what the architect's brief was... "Go to town!" or, "Do whatever you want!" As crazy as it may seem, its actually the white paint that brings it all together, for, without a doubt, this building is not only eye-catching, but impressive!
To the east of the main entrance,stands the only remnant of the original church built on this site, a section of archway and gate - this has been accorded National Monument status.
A walk through the immaculately kept gardens brings the visitor to the side entrance (also on the eastern side).The interior of the church is such a contrast to the outside of the building.. stark minimalism is the term that comes to mind. The concentric arrangement of the wooden pews is echoed in the beautiful semi-circular pattern of the organ pipes, creating a wonderful harmony of lines.
It is no surprise then, that most visitors to Swellendam make this church their first port of call - its quite unique!
Written 20 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lu-Gerda d
Mossel Bay, South Africa242 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2013 • Couples
This church is beautiful and huge. We visited it on a Saturday morning but unfortunately it was closed. (The church is open for visitors in the week but not Saturdays) We returned Saturday evening to take some wonderful photos of the church at sunset. And when the lights came on is was even prettier.

Sunday we attended the church service and afterwards we walked through the building and grounds with lots of white roses. The inside of the church is pretty with a beautiful organ. The old graves in the church ground were very interesting.
Written 28 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jet51160473081
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
This Dutch Reform Church is definitely worth a visit. The original church on this site was built in 1802 and this building was erected in 1911. It is Cape Dutch in architectural style and very plain inside according to Dutch Refirm tradition. There are interesting gravestones in the beautifully kept gardens surrounding the church
Written 19 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

harold_vrieling
Doetinchem, The Netherlands12 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
It's a nice church but don't expect something spectacular on the inside. It's well maintained and that's it.
Written 13 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wolery
Johannesburg, South Africa513 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2017 • Couples
This is a lovely church, magnificent and statuesque. However, please be aware that it is only open to the public during the week (tourism info did not tell me this), but you could go and visit on Sunday when they hold their services. I could not get into the grounds to look around as the gates were locked (this was as Saturday). If you have a good camera, this is a wonderful place to get some beautiful shots.
Written 16 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 66
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

NG KERK SWELLENDAM - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Swellendam HotelsSwellendam Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Swellendam
All things to do in Swellendam
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars