Jump to:
Sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and Table Mountain, Cape Town attracts more visitors than any other place in Africa, with its natural setting, cosmopolitan culture and Mediterranean climate providing the appeal. Scaling Table Mountain — by foot or cable car — rewards you with panoramic views over the mountains, city and both oceans. You can also explore Cape Town’s turbulent history with a historical tour and a visit to Robben Island. Leisurely afternoons might involve browsing the shops and restaurants at Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or relaxing on Camps Bay’s beach.
South Africa specialist TobyI always remember Cape Town as being a vibrant city with big skies and genuine smiles. It has incredible scenery and a climate that provides a bounty of great food and wine.
Things to see and do in Cape Town
Soak up the history and culture
Cape Town’s multiculturality is reflected in its food, architecture and historical sites. On the Footsteps to Freedom tour you learn about Dutch rule, see where slaves were once traded and explore the apartheid years with a visit to parliament. A boat ride across Table Bay to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent much of his imprisonment, provides further insight; former inmates conduct the tours. If you’re interested in discovering the cultural differences in Cape Town’s food, the Cape Town Eats tour takes you through backstreets to taste a variety of delicacies from African soul food to bunny chow (a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry).
Table Mountain
Once the ‘table cloth’ cloud has cleared, it’s well worth admiring Cape Town from the summit of Table Mountain. You can reach the top by taking the modern cable car, which completes a 360º rotation on its way, allowing you to appreciate the incredible views from all angles. More adventurously, you can also hike up the mountain with the help of a guide or independently, navigating steep, rocky trails and short vertical faces. Once at the top, you can explore the various pathways and viewpoints and enjoy refreshments in the restaurant. You may also spot the resident rock hyraxes, which resemble large hamsters.
Explore the scenic Cape Peninsula
Whether self-driving or exploring as part of a private tour, you’ll feel immersed in the wild landscape of the Cape Peninsula, despite the region’s popularity with visitors. The Cape is an area of profound natural beauty and huge ecological significance and, after passing through the classy suburbs of Camps Bay and Clifton and through numerous coastal towns and villages, you’ll reach the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. This makes up a significant part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest but most diverse of the world’s seven floral kingdoms. Fynbos — low-lying shrubs and colorful heathers — are the main vegetation, while the habitat supports animals such as antelope, ostriches, baboons and a variety of birdlife.
Whale watching and shark cage diving
The Cape Town coastline is visited by numerous whale and dolphin species, including southern right whales and humpback whales, which migrate each year from the icy waters of Antarctica to have their young. Gansbaai, a two-hour drive from Cape Town, is the main launch pad for whale watching cruises, as well as shark cage dives, as high numbers of great white sharks patrol the waters between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. This is an exhilarating way to acquaint yourself with these ominous but graceful creatures in their natural environment, whether you remain on the boat and watch them feeding on the surface or opt to be lowered into the water inside a galvanized steel cage for a closer view.
The Winelands
The rolling countryside and lure of trying South Africa’s finest wines makes taking a one to two-hour drive out to the Winelands well worthwhile. On a private full-day tour you can sit back and admire the landscape as you wind through dramatic mountain ranges and expansive vineyards. Stop at Stellenbosch, South Africa’s second oldest town, to admire its canals, Cape Dutch architecture and wine, before heading over the Helshoogte Pass to Franschhoek, renowned for its cuisine and idyllic valley setting, where a patchwork of vineyards meets towering mountains. Here, you can visit a wine estate to taste more of the region’s produce, before moving on to the town of Paarl, set at the foot of a huge granite rock, for a final wine tasting.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Nestled on the eastern slope of Table Mountain, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are home to a large collection of indigenous plants, from fynbos heather to bright strelitzias and proteas (South Africa’s national flower). There’s also a conservatory housing flora that grows in more extreme conditions, from mountain peaks to arid deserts. In addition, the gardens regularly host stone sculpture exhibitions and outdoor concerts. There are shady, secluded spots to sit in, or explore the pathways that meander through the woods and bushes in the upper areas of the gardens, which run unfenced into the slopes of the mountain.
Afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson
The delicious food and elegant surroundings of the renowned Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel makes for a truly memorable experience. You’ll tuck in to classic sandwiches, fresh cakes and mouth-watering pastries, as well as a wide selection of teas and coffees. The food is presented in the colonial-style grand sitting room, to the soft accompaniment of a pianist. If the weather is fine, you may opt to sit out in the property’s lush gardens, surrounded by shady trees and the sound of birdsong.
Best time to visit Cape Town
With warm, dry summers and a temperate winter climate, Cape Town makes an excellent year-round destination. Summer months (December to March) average a maximum temperature of 79°F and minimum of 61°F, while winter months (June to August) average a maximum of 64°F and minimum of 47°F. The hot Berg (‘mountain’) wind arrives in February or March, while in late spring there may be a strong southeasterly wind.
Festivals, events and seasonal reasons to visit
- Between June and November is the best time for whale watching off the coast, with southern right whales and humpback whales migrating from Antarctica to calve and rear their young.
- Springtime in the Cape sees the dry, dusty landscape transformed by a carpet of vibrant wildflowers, which spreads across South Africa’s west coast.
who's been there
- 617-223-4340
- Make an inquiry
Suggested itineraries featuring Cape Town
Our itineraries will give you suggestions for what is possible when you travel in Cape Town, and they showcase routes we know work particularly well. Treat them as inspiration, because your trip will be created uniquely by one of our specialists.
Places near Cape Town
- Constantia 13 kilometers away
- The Cape Peninsula 39 kilometers away
- Stellenbosch 41 kilometers away
- The Winelands 53 kilometers away
- Paarl 55 kilometers away
- Franschhoek 65 kilometers away
- The Whale Coast 94 kilometers away
- Hermanus 94 kilometers away
- Langebaan 99 kilometers away
- De Kelders 113 kilometers away
- Paternoster 133 kilometers away
- The Overberg 142 kilometers away
- Montagu 159 kilometers away
- The Cederberg Mountains 170 kilometers away
- Swellendam 187 kilometers away
- Sanbona Game Reserve 198 kilometers away
- De Hoop Nature Reserve 204 kilometers away
- Calitzdorp 306 kilometers away
- Oudtshoorn & Surrounds 352 kilometers away
- The Cango Caves & Swartberg Pass 357 kilometers away
- Wilderness 384 kilometers away
- The Klein Karoo 417 kilometers away
- Knysna 428 kilometers away
- Plettenberg Bay 456 kilometers away
- Namaqualand 480 kilometers away
Photos of Cape Town
Our expert guides to exploring Cape Town
Written by our specialists from their own experiences of visiting Cape Town, these guides will help you make the most of your time there. We share both our practical recommendations and the best ways to appreciate Cape Town at its best.
-
What to do in Cape Town What to do in Cape Town
What to do in Cape Town
Cape Town is a fantastic, cosmopolitan city with a superb location under Table Mountain. Any trip to South Africa is likely to include a few days here and our specialists can advise you on the many things you can see and do in this iconic city.
Read this guide
Accommodation choices for Cape Town
We've selected a range of accommodation options for when you visit Cape Town. Our choices usually come recommended for their character, facilities and service or location. Our specialists always aim to suggest properties that match your preferences.
-
Rovos Rail
Cape Town -
Waterfront Apartments
Cape Town -
The Bay
Cape Town -
Camps Bay Retreat
Cape Town -
The Blue Train
Cape Town -
The Twelve Apostles
Cape Town -
Liberty Lodge
Cape Town -
The Taj Hotel
Cape Town -
Responsible ChoiceWe've hand-selected a range of tours and stays across the world that go above and beyond to be a force for good by supporting local businesses, educating staff, challenging local norms, or promoting conservation and biodiversity efforts. Your Responsible Choice helps increase the positive impact of your trip.
Belmond Mount Nelson
Cape Town -
Welgelegen
Cape Town -
Four Rosmead Guest House
Cape Town -
One&Only Cape Town
Cape Town -
Abbey Manor Guest House
Cape Town -
Acorn House
Cape Town -
The Silo
Cape Town -
Cape Grace
Cape Town -
Waterfront Village
Cape Town -
More Quarters
Cape Town -
Azamare Guesthouse
Cape Town -
The Cape Cadogan
Cape Town
Ideas for experiencing Cape Town
Our specialists seek out authentic ways to get to know the places that could feature in your trip. These activities reflect some of the experiences they've most enjoyed while visiting Cape Town, and which use the best local guides.
-
Peninsula Tour Peninsula Tour
Peninsula Tour
The Cape Peninsula is an area of dramatic natural beauty and huge ecological significance, which manages to retain a wild feel despite its huge popularity with visitors. As you drive south from Cape Town, you pass through the exclusive suburbs of Camps Bay and Clifton before continuing onto Hout Bay and through Constantia, where the road meanders behind Table Mountain and down onto the coast.
View details -
Robben Island Excursion Robben Island Excursion
Robben Island Excursion
Your tour will be conducted by a former inmate, which gives a truly unique perspective. As well as the communal cells, where most prisoners were kept in conditions of severe overcrowding, you will also see the tiny cells of B-Section, where Nelson Mandela spent much of his incarceration here.
View details -
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden occupies a large swathe of beautiful land on the lower slopes of Table Mountain. It houses a huge collection of indigenous flora, such as heathery fynbos, flowering proteas and dramatically colored strelitzias.
View details -
Table Mountain Tour Table Mountain Tour
Table Mountain Tour
Guests are taken to the lower terminal for the cable-car up Table Mountain. The cable-car is a very modern affair, and completes a 360º rotation during the ascent, affording you fantastic views over the city.
View details -
A journey aboard The Blue Train A journey aboard The Blue Train
A journey aboard The Blue Train
Following a historic route between Pretoria and Cape Town, The Blue Train is one of South Africa’s finest rail journeys. On board, you can experience fine dining, relax in your own private suite and take in mountain views from the Observation Car.
View details -
Museums of Cape Town Museums of Cape Town
Museums of Cape Town
As with any major city there are a number of very good museums in Cape Town and you might like to visit some whilst you are here. Some of the ones that we personally recommend are District Six Museum, Gold of Africa Museum, and the Iziko Museums of Cape Town.
View details -
Cape Town City Tour Cape Town City Tour
Cape Town City Tour
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a tour of the "Mother City". Your tour will include visits to the Castle of Good Hope, the Parliament Buildings and Bo-Kaap, plus of course the iconic Table Mountain.
View details -
Luxury train journey on Rovos Rail Luxury train journey on Rovos Rail
Luxury train journey on Rovos Rail
The beautifully restored carriages of Rovos Rail combine luxury travel with the chance to experience living history.
View details