Cape Town guide | Cape Town attractions and things to do
Cape Town is southern Africa's most visited city. It is also its most beautiful, with few urban centres capable of matching its setting along the mountainous Cape Peninsula spine, which slides off into the Atlantic Ocean. The city itself is a veritable cultural melting pot, resulting from the fusion of Indonesian, French, Dutch, British and German settlers, the local Bushman and Hottentot tribes and the Bantu tribes from the north.
The world-famous Table Mountain, flanked by the legendary Devil's Peak and historical Signal Hill, stands proudly above the city. Down at surface level, the city is divided into distinct zones with white sandy beaches, public gardens, wilderness, forests, hiking routes, vineyards and desirable residential areas.
Cape Town International Airport is located about 22km from the city centre, and receives daily flights from all over the world.
There is no efficient public transport system that services the airport, but there are numerous bus transfer and shuttle companies, including Way2Go, Magic Bus, City Hopper, and Rikkis Taxis. If your end destination is in one of Cape Town’s suburbs, you may want to book a private transfer, as most buses will arrive into the city centre.
Domestic travel within South Africa is well developed, with various airlines offering flights on the hour to other major cities. If you are flying into Johannesburg (South Africa’s main airport hub), a connecting flight to Cape Town takes 2 hours.
Cape Town receives most of its visitors from Christmas to late January, whilst high season is generally during the rest of summer (November to February). Easter and other school holidays are also busy times.
Low season is the rainy winter months of June to August. Whale watching season along the Cape coast is between June and November, whilst if you want to see the region’s wild flowers in bloom then you need to visit in spring, between August and September.
Cape Town boasts an array of attractions, ranging from outdoor activities to a roaring night life under neon lights. The vast range of shopping opportunities includes the Greenmarket Square Flea Market, as well as stylish shopping malls. Meanwhile the huge variety of restaurants reflects Cape Town’s multicultural roots.
Situated in the working harbour of Cape Town, the vibrant V&A Waterfront is South Africa’s most visited attraction. Equally busy and beautiful either by day or by night, people visit to shop, dine, sip on cocktails, listen to music, jump on boat trips and visit the Two Oceans Aquarium – a window into the spectacular oceans surrounding the southern African coast.
However the main appeal of the Waterfront is its magnificent setting, overlooked by the stupendous Table Mountain. The Table Mountain Cableway treats visitors to panoramic views of Cape Town and Table Bay. The cable car, which revolves as it climbs, takes you to the summit within 6 minutes. However, be aware that as the service is weather-dependent it does not take bookings.
Anyone visiting Cape Town should make the effort to explore the city’s surrounding areas. One of the most famous and historically important attractions is Robben Island, 12km from Cape Town. For nearly 400 years, Robben Island was where the country’s rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers and social outcasts, the most famous of which was Nelson Mandela.
The Robben Island Museum Tours Department includes some ex-political prisoners who act as tour guides. The three and a half hour tour includes a return trip across Table Bay, a visit to the Maximum Security Prison, interaction with an ex-political prisoner and a 45 minute bus tour with a guide providing commentary.
