The Best Things To Do In Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town, also known as the mother city, is a place that draws you in and doesn’t let go, and the sheer physical beauty of the town’s surroundings alone are enough to capture many a travelers heart. The colourful city is nestled between stunning mountain ranges on one side and the meeting of shimmering oceans on the other. It’s a place where mountains, wine country, nature, wildlife and incredible beaches all come together into a beautiful melody.

Venture out into the vibrant streets and you will find an enchanting city, as you explore the famous harbour, enjoy the colorful street art and indulge in the many cultural delights of the Cape Malay Cuisine. Drive a little further out and you will be rewarded with pristine beaches, unique wildlife, quirky fishing towns, world-class wines and one of the most scenic drives on the planet.

With so much to see and do here we’ve put together a list of our favourite things to see and do in Cape Town!

Hike Up Lions Head

If you’re wondering why it’s called Lion’s Head? That’s because Signal Hill, which connects Kloof Nek to Lion’s Head has the distinctive shape of a lion’s rump, hence together they look like a crouching lion.

We highly recommend this hike! It’s not too strenuous and depending on your fitness level only takes around 2 to 3 hours to complete, that’s including time spent at the top as well as stopping on the way up for pictures. You get stunning views all the way up as well as breathtaking 360 degree views at the top, which include views of table mountain, views over the city, across the bay as well as the beaches and the twelve apostles mountain range.

Tip – The weekends are always busier for hiking lions head but for the best experience make the hike at sunrise or sunset.

Hike Or Take The Cable Car Up Table Mountain

You can hike up to the top of Table Mountain or get the cable car, perhaps even hike one way and get the cable car back the other. If you’re hiking, there are various routes up to the top. The Skeleton Gorge route takes 4–5 hours to reach the cable car station, it’s the longest most strenuous route to the top of the mountain as it comes up over the back of it. The platterklip route is a shorter more direct across the front of the mountain. Bear in mind the platteklip route is the more popular route to take and therefore the busiest, it takes around 2–3 hours depending on your fitness level. You can also do smaller hikes at the top from cable car station and It’s a short hike from there to McClears Beacon which is the highest point.

Explore The Local Street Art Scene

Cape Town’s street art can be seen all around the city in the form of paintings, wall murals and graffiti art, which can be seen on the walls of shops, houses, bars, restaurants and walkways. A visit to Woodstock is a great way to explore the creative side of the Captonians, and there are even guided tours which will take you around various pieces of street art, as well as give you an insight into meanings and messages behind them. If you’re visiting Woodstock don’t forget to check out the Old Biscuit Mill, which has now been converted into a range of art and craft shops selling all sorts of interesting wares and goods. There’s also some great places to grab a bite to eat as well as an excellent coffee shop. Make sure to plan a visit here on a Saturday where you can enjoy the weekly market and sample a range of delicious, fresh foods prepared by local farmers and merchants.

The market is open from 9:00 am till 3:00 pm every Saturday.

Go To The District Six Museum

South Africa has had a turbulent history and this museum is a great place to start if you want to learn more about it. District Six was named as the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town in 1867. In February 1966 it was declared a white area under the Group Acts Area of 1950. By 1982 sixty thousand people had been forcefully removed from their homes to barren outlying areas known as the Cape Flats. The homes left behind were flattened by bulldozers. The District Six Museum gives an overview of the history of Cape Town and the timeline of the District Six area, but more importantly it gives the people who lived through this a voice. There are hundreds of photos, memoirs and memorabilia from the area’s and people’s past which provides a compelling glimpse into a world gone by, but it also brings home just how devastating this must have been for the former residents of District Six.

You can go around the museum yourself or for a few extra rand you can take a guided tour with an ex-resident of District Six for a more personal and in-depth insight into the area.

Visit The V & A Waterfront

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront dates back to 1860 when construction was first started by Prince Alfred, who it is also named after along with his mother, Queen Victoria. It’s a great place to experience some of Cape Towns heritage and there’s even an historical walking route around the harbour with information from each era. The waterfront is also a great place to do some shopping, grab a bite or enjoy a couple of sun-downers, and what better place to enjoy some fresh fish and chips! When you’re not shopping or dining to your hearts content you can soak up the atmosphere of the working harbour, or watch and enjoy  the cheeky residents – the cape fur seals which can be seen playing in the waters around the boat yard by the aquarium.

Visit The Kristenbosch Botanical Gardens

These gardens are acclaimed to be one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world and we’d have to agree. They feature over 25,000 species of plants, all of which are found on the Cape peninsular. You could easily spend hours relaxing in the gardens, and meandering through the various pathways which take you across some of the most stunning flowers and plant life we’ve ever seen. The gardens are broken down into various sections with one including plants that are nearly extinct, there is also a Protea garden, braille trail, amphitheater and tree-top walkway.

The Centenary Tree Top Canopy Walkway is a steel and timber bridge that takes you through and over the trees of the Arboretum, this is also one of our favorite parts of the garden as it lets you get up close to the various species of birds that can been seen in the tree-tops. 

The Gardens are open from 09:00 till 17:00 everyday.

Costs – 55 Rand for Adults, 15 Rand for Children aged 6-7, and it’s free for children under the age of six.

Visit Bo Kaap

Make sure to stop by this neighborhood with a rich, vibrant history and colorful buildings to match! It’s the city’s oldest quarter and is a real melting pot of African, Malaysian, Indian and Sri Lankan cultures, but it was originally a township where freed slaves and Muslim immigrants settled. You can visit the brightly colored houses, sample some classic Cape Malay food, sip some local beers or visit the first and oldest mosque built in South Africa – the Auwal Masjid.

If you don’t want to explore the area alone there are free walking tours operated twice daily by Neilson Tours. There is one at 2:00 pm and the other is at 4:20 pm, both depart from the Motherland Coffee Company in the Mandela Rhodes building. Taking one of these tours will give you a better insight into the areas culture and history, and the smell of eastern spices will entice you towards various Cape Malay food being cooked in the area.

Take The Ferry To Robben Island

Historically Robben Island dates back to the 17th century and was used during various periods as a prison, a military base and was generally just a place that was used to banish, exile and isolate various people. The island is now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is more famously known because it was the holding place for Nelson Mandela, where he served 18 of his 27 years incarcerated on the islands prison.

There are various tours and packages which can be arranged to visit the island but most sell out in advance so be sure to book ahead. All ferries to the island depart from the Nelson Mandela Gateway located at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. There are three departures daily at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, tours last around 4 hours in total including transport to and from the island.

Tickets for the ferry are around 360 Rand for an adult and 200 for a child, they can be purchased from the jetty at the ferry port or online as part of a tour – both include the return trip, bus tour of the island and a visit to the prison.

Visit Boulders Beach

Although the area does have some stunning beaches many people flock here each year just to catch a glimpse of it’s rather cute inhabitants – a colony of African Penguins. You can see the penguins at Boulders Beach but there are generally more at Foxy Beach which is a little further down, there are also more parking spaces there.

You can get into both Foxy Beach and Boulders Beach after purchasing a ticket from the kiosk and there is a boardwalk that takes you between the two beaches. The boardwalk takes you to the area where the penguins reside, but you can also see them in the shrubs and vegetation along the way.

Enjoy The Spectacular Coffee Culture

Head on over to what has to be one of the best coffee shops in the world, Truth Coffee Roasting! Relax and enjoy an incredible coffee brought to you by magician like Baristas from a coffee machine that looks like it’s come straight out of a science lab.  We can recommend the single origin India coffee when served as a flat white, it has spicy, nutty and chocolate undertones. We also loved the Black Honey coffee which has a natural sweetness and a lovely smooth satisfying aftertaste.

Expect to pay around 35 to 50 Rand for a coffee here,  It’s a small price to pay for one of the best coffees you’re likely to have.

Enjoy The High Tea At The Mt Nelson

Indulge in this traditional treat, it’s the best afternoon tea in Cape Town! You can have your fill with an array of sumptuous cakes, eclairs, sweet treats, and delicately filled sandwiches, all enjoyed in the grandeur surroundings.

You can be seated in the lounge, spacious veranda or around the garden area for the high tea, and although the setting is quite regal the atmosphere here is quite relaxed, and the dress code not too fussy. Dress code for men – jeans and a smart top or collared t-shirt would be fine, and women can wear a summer dress. There are also people dressed more formally, so it’s entirely up to the individual.

Morning Tea – 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Afternoon Tea  – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm and 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Evening Tea – 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

The cost for a child is 205 Rand. For adults it’s 285 rand for the morning sitting and 365 for the afternoon and evening sittings.

Get A Cool Photo

There are six of these giant yellow picture frames around Cape Town and they are all in perfect position to capture Table Mountain in the background. We won’t tell you where they all are as part of the fun is finding them, but there is one at Signal Hill and one or two at the V&A Waterfront— that should get you started!

Enjoy A Sunset From Signal Hill

Why not finish off the day enjoying one of Cape Towns entrancing sunsets! Venture up to Signal Hill and you will be in one of the best spots to enjoy the sunset, as you’ll get views of Table Mountain and Lions Head as well as having views over Cape Town and across the ocean.

If you’ll also be heading along the Garden Route during your time in South Africa, check out this luxury private game reserve.