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Cape Town

Cape Town

A mountain in the middle, two oceans either side.

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Why go

Cape Town is arranged around Table Mountain, and the weather comes from whichever side the wind is on. Within an hour you can be in a vineyard, on a penguin beach, or on a cable car at 1,085m — which is exactly why people overstay.

Five things to do

  • 01

    Table Mountain at first cable car

    Before the tablecloth cloud forms.

  • 02

    Lion's Head at full moon

    Ninety minutes up, chains near the top.

  • 03

    Boulders Beach penguins

    Boardwalks, no touching.

  • 04

    Robben Island

    Book ahead; the guides are former prisoners.

  • 05

    Kalk Bay harbour

    Snoek off the boat and second-hand bookshops.

Neighbourhoods

City Bowl

Bo-Kaap's colours and the Company's Garden.

Woodstock

Warehouse galleries and the Old Biscuit Mill.

Constantia

The oldest wine estates in the southern hemisphere.

Cape Peninsula

Chapman's Peak drive to the Cape of Good Hope.

Getting around

Buy the transport card on arrival — every city on this list has one, and it is cheaper than single fares within about four journeys. Walking covers more than the map suggests: most of the districts above are within thirty minutes of each other on foot.

Taxis and ride apps are worth it late at night and when you are carrying luggage. Everything else is faster on the metro, the tram or the ferry, in that order.

Where to eat

The rule that holds in Cape Town is the rule that holds everywhere: eat at the busy place, at the hour the locals eat, and order the thing the kitchen makes most of. Reserve for dinner in the districts above; lunch rarely needs it.

Two days here

  1. Morning: Table Mountain at first cable car
  2. Afternoon: walk City Bowl
  3. Evening: Boulders Beach penguins
  4. Day two: Kalk Bay harbour

Compare these dates elsewhere

Places to stay in Cape Town, priced by each site in its own currency.

Booking.comBiggest inventory; free cancellation on most rooms.Check price ↗AgodaUsually strongest across Asia.Check price ↗ExpediaGood for flight-and-hotel bundles.Check price ↗Hotels.comCollect-ten-nights reward scheme.Check price ↗Trip.comOften cheapest for East Asian cities.Check price ↗HostelworldHostels and guesthouses the big sites miss.Check price ↗KayakCompares the comparison sites.Check price ↗TrivagoSide-by-side rates for the same hotel.Check price ↗AirbnbFlats and whole houses rather than rooms.Check price ↗TripadvisorReviews first, prices second.Check price ↗

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