A Perfect Cape Town Holiday | What to Do & See
Cape Town, South Africa’s stunning capital serves as a perfect destination for an African holiday. This picturesque city is nestled at the foot of Table Mountains and on your holday you will enjoy the relaxed vibe of the “Mother City” and spend time on the beautiful beaches at Camps Bay or take a day trip to the city’s amazing nature reserves and vineyards.
Cape Town has a unique but tragic history, take a boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, or visit the lesser-known Slave Lodge where you can learn more about the history of slavery in South.
Beautiful South Africa’s Cape Town’s, Mountain and Sea views. Table Mountain, Lion’s head and Twelve Apostles are popular hiking destinations for both locals and tourists all year round
The iconic Table Mountain dominates the skyline of Cape Town, from is plateau you can even spot the Cape of Good Hope. Traveling a short distance out of the city is the wine regions of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, if you enjoy a delicious glass of wine, the wineries here are perfect to visit.
Cape Town is an ideal destination for a trip or as a starting point for a longer South Africa Trip.
How to spend your weekend in Cape Town
Day one: Morning
Schedule a walk up to the iconic Table Mountain for the morning, when the wind is least likely to blow. Most travelers climb the Table Mountain with the cable car, but there is a relatively easy two-hour walk up along Platteklip Gorge, the oldest, most direct route following a well-constructed trail up the front face of the mountain.
To ascend by cable car, purchase the ticket online, dated for the day of your arrival. This ticket is single-use ticket is valid for one week and can be refunded if the cable car is unusable to operate due to high winds or fog. If you visit during the peak season, it is definitely worth purchasing a Fast Track ticket to skip the queues, and note that the cable way usually closes for maintenance from mid-July to end – August.
The cable car starts running at 8 am in summer and 8.30 am in winter (you can check online if the car is running). The duration of your exploration on top of the mountain is entirely up to you but plan for at least an hour.
If you are visiting Table Mountain for the second time, consider exploring a different part of Table Mountain on foot, there are other wonderful hikes, more scenic and fynbos-rich than Platteklip. It is best to do this with a season Table Mountain guide who will tailor-make the walk according to your interest and fitness level.
Afternoon
If you are interested in seeing a different angle on how Table Mountain dwarfs the Cape Town, either head to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where the manicured lawns seamlessly blend into the indigenous forests carpeting the protected eastern flank of Table Mountain, or head to the Waterfront to visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of the 27 years head was imprisoned. If you have opted for the latter, be sure to get to the Nelson Mandela Gateway, the departure point for the Robben Island ferry, 30 minutes before departure.
It is essential to prebook, and you must take some form of identification with you. Tours depart 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm (though the latter time is seasonal), and you will need to set a side around four hours.
Virtually, nest door to the Nelson Mandela Gateway is the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), worth a visit to see how Thomas Heatherwick and his local team repurposed the 1930s grain silo that today houses one of Africa’s largest contemporary art collections, with a great little museum shop. However the Norval Foundation, located in Constantia, gives the MOCCA a solid run for its money, besting it with exhibits more often than not.
A plethora of lunch choices are within easy strolling distance. Opposite MOCAA is The Yard, stroll over to Den Anker, with its marvelous view of Table Mountain and Belgian-inspired menu. Or try the Time Out Market: a selection of 13 food stalls with signature dishes from some of the city’s top chefs, enjoyed canteen-style at long shared tables in a historic dockyard building.
Late
After freshening up, head to Camps Bay to watch the sun sink into the Atlantic Ocean from vibey Chinchilla, then move downstairs to Bilboa to peruse the Mediterranean-style meu, or Bo-Vine for great steaks. Or go Salsify, where award-winning Chef Ryan Cole serves up a delicate, well-balanced and very delicious tasting menu. It’s housed in the city’s most atmospheric restaurant: the 18th-century Round House, tucked into Camps Bay Glen, with tree-fringed views of the ocean.
Day Two: Morning
To fully immerse yourself into the natural splendor of Cape Town, you need to go on a drive that loops around the peninsula, tooling along the west-facing coastal road that hugs the Atlantic to Cape Point, then exploring the village-like suburbs that look east across False Bay, with its magnificent backdrop of craggy mountains like cardboard cutouts against a big blue sky. Also, you can do the route described below in reverse, and enjoy the viewing from a different angle.
Start as early as 8 am to get to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (the southern tip of Table Mountain National Park) before the crowds, winding your way along the coastal road that connects Camps Bay to Hout Bay. Stop to enjoy the view halfway up Chapman’s Peak Drive before paying the toll and traversing the narrow road carved into the perpendicular cliffs high above the Atlantic Ocean. Cross Noordhoek Valley, skirting Misty Cliffs and Scarborough – a small worthwhile scenic detour that takes you to the entrance of the nature reserve.
Depending on time, take one of the detours, looking out for baboons, antelope and ostrich, on the way to a beach that the tourist coaches cannot reach, like Buffels Bay. Or head straight to the Cape Point lighthouse to enjoy vertiginous views of the most southwesterly point of Africa. The Boulder’s Beach is next stop for a visit to the endangered colony of African Penguins, bring a costume and take a dip with the penguins if the weather is fine.
Afternoon
For lunch, head to Harbour House or Live Bait in Kalk Bay – mostly for the fabulous location, right above the sea on the edge of the quay. If you would prefer something quick and casual, try the nearby Kalky’s for fish and chips or Olympia Café on high street, as popular with the local community as the visitors that floor this seaside village in season.
After lunch, take a stroll on Kalk Bay’s high street, enjoying the village vibe. Here you will find quaint galleries, like Kalk Bay Modern, and in interesting array of clothing shops, such as the electric selection at the aptly named Oh So Boho, elegant linens and pretty florals at Jane Valken, authentic African Jewellery from Soul Design and statement pieces at Anpa.
End you tour on the Peninsula with a wine tasting or two in Constantia, the oldest wine-growing region in the New World. With beautiful 17th Century Cape Dutch buildings and a small wine museum, Groot Constantia has the history – its vineyards have been producing wines for more than three centuries, but oenophiles should head to Klein Constantia, not least to sample the estates’ Vin De Constance, a desert wine that was described as a “balm for the broken heart” by Jane Austen.
Late
Tonight you will enjoy a mouthwatering dinner with stunning view of Constantia’s vineyard – clad slopes from Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia.
If you would prefer to eat out in the city centre, the Japanese-South African fusion tasting menu at FYN will delight. Or if you prefer a la carte experience, eat out at Upper Union.
End the evening with a drink at The Athletic. This vintage cool and cosy, artfully decorated Victorian bar attracts a wide variety of clientele, with live music or DJ in the basement, an excellent restaurant at street level, and a classy gentleman’s club-style bar on the second floor, with lovely nooks and a wrought-iron balcony.
When to Go
You can visit Cape Town any time of the year. However, summer is the most popular with peak season falling between mid-December and early January.
Another surge of visitors descends during the hot months of February and March. In April, the temperatures are balmy, the light is softer, the Cape Doctor (the southeasterly wind that howls through the city) is dormant and the sunsets are spectacular.
The temperate winter sometimes starts in May, more often June and July. Sunny days alternate with downpours that bring verdant relief, the mountain streams gushing into rocky gullies and watering the winter-flowering fynbos, including proteas, lilies and aloes. This is the most exhilarating time of year to explore the slopes of Table Mountain on foot.
July to November is when the Cape Floral Kingdom again blooms with a new cycle of flowering species, while the beaches, still relatively empty, sparkle in the temperate sun. This is when some of the best deals of the summer season are secured, especially if you book early.
Essential Information to Known Before You Go
- British High Commission: Cape Town; 00 27 21 461 7220
- British Consulate: 021 405 2400; gov.uk
- Emergency services: dial 082 911 or 084 911 (ambulance), 10111 (police and fire). To contact any emergency service from a mobile phone, dial 112
- Medical care: To find the nearest private clinic, or to contact a specialist, see netcare.co.za. For travel-specific queries, see travelclinic.co.za
- Tourism offices and information: Contact the centrally located Cape Town Tourism (0861 322 223) in Darling Street. Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm; Sat-Sun, 9am-1pm.
- Currency: South Africa Rand (R or ZAR)
- Telephone code: From the UK, dial 00 27 for South Africa, followed by 21 for Cape Town. From within South Africa, dial 021 for Cape Town.
- Wi-Fi: All hotels and guest lodges offer free Wi-Fi.
- Time difference: +2 hours or +1 hour depending on time of year
Local laws and etiquette
- Just like in any large city, crime is an ongoing concern, but most incidents occur away from tourist areas. That said, take the usual precautions, don’t flash your wealth, don’t visit no-go-zones (your host or concierge will advise you if you don’t know the city at all don’t rely on navigation apps that the most direct route, not the safest). Don’t walk when there are no other people around, don’t leave anything in your car (if you leave something in the boot make sure it is locked), and keep a close eye (and hand) on your belongings.
