A plan for Cape Town

Cape Town is nicknamed the Mother City within South Africa. Compared to the more business oriented Johannesburg it is known for its relaxed and leisurely atmosphere. Compared to other parts of South Africa, Cape Town is also distinctly more "western".

Geography

The metropolis of Cape Town is spread over a wide area, from Somerset West and Durbanville in the east to Atlantis in the north and Cape Point in the south. The city centre is situated in a fairly small area between Table Bay and Table Mountain.

The original Dutch settlement, and the heart of the current city, is southwest of Strand St, "Beach street" in Afrikaans, since it followed the original waterfront during the 17th century. Since then, centuries of landfills have successively moved the shoreline some 1,200 m (3,900 ft) northeast to its current position. The old city centre is intersected by avenues like Long St, St Georges Mall and Adderley St, and is approximately bounded by the Company Gardens in the southwest, the Castle of Good Hope in the east, and the slopes of Signal Hill in the northwest. During the 19th century, these slopes were settled by Cape Town's Malay Muslim population, creating the area Bo-Kaap, which translates into "Above the Cape" or "Upper Cape".

Although the legislative capital of South Africa, Cape Town doesn't seem like part of Africa, in fact, the city provides a natural backdrop and Cape Dutch architecture.

1 Bo-Kaap (Malay Quarter). This neighbourhood, on a hilly area southwest of the city centre, is where historically Malay Muslim descendants of slaves had lived. It is a popular location to shoot films, since there are bright and colourful buildings, mosques, quaint streets, stunning views of Cape Town, and delicious street food sold along the side. It is worth exploring the quarter for about an hour, and then visiting the Bo-Kaap Museum, showing how a wealthy Malay family lived during the 19th century. Within the quarter is Atlas Trading, an old-fashioned spice shop. Ask the manager to mix the spices you need for making the meal you want. About 1 km from the Bo-Kaap is the Noon Gun which is a cannon used as a time signal. At 12:00 from Monday to Saturday the cannons are fired, never ceasing to amaze the crowd of people watching. Go and see the brief ceremony that occurs before and during the shooting. (updated Aug 2025)

2 Castle of Good Hope, Cnr of Castle St and Darling St, ☏ +27 21 7871260, info@castleofgoodhope.co.za. 09:00-17:00 daily. Tours are offered Mon through Sat at 11:00, 12:00 and 14:00. Horse and carriage rides are offered daily at 10:30, 12:45 and 14:45. Booking is necessary. Popularly called 'The Castle' by locals, it is the oldest surviving building in South Africa, having been built from 1666 to 1679. The castle displays a vast range of historical military equipment and tools, an art collection and the William Fehr Collection, which includes antique Cape Dutch furniture. Visitors can buy wine and eat at the café or restaurant within the Castle . R50 entrance fee for adults, R25 for children and pensioners. (updated Nov 2017)

3 City Hall. This beautiful Edwardian building, completed in 1905, is where Nelson Mandela made his first speech after his release from prison in 1990. It no longer hosts municipal offices, but instead functions as a venue for exhibitions and performances, including those of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. (updated Nov 2021)

The easiest way to get an overview on things to do, nice restaurants, clubs, tours etc. is to walk into one of the visitors centres which are in several areas (V&A Waterfront, City Bowl, Green Point, etc.)

1 Cable Car to the top of Table Mountain (Table Mountain Aerial Cableway), Lower Cable Station, Tafelberg Road (take a free schuttle from the bottom of the hill (Kloof Nek Parking) to Upper Tafelberg 1.), ☏ +27 21 424-0015 (general info), +27 21 424-8181 (weather info), toll-free: +27, info@tablemountain.net. 07:00-22:00 (usually 08:30), last car down varies: 21:30 during high season to 18:00 in mid winter. One-way and return cable car ticket available. Wheelchair accessible throughout, with a separate lift entrance and friendly staff will help accessibility visitors. Weather conditions at the top of the mountain are not the same as at the bottom so always take something warm to wear when going up the mountain, even if it is a nice toasty 30˚C at the bottom of the mountain. Wear sunblock and carry a water bottle (there is also a free drinking fountain at the top near the cable station). There is a cafe with a limited range of snacks, coffee, beer and wine at the top.

Table Mountain is the home of a small animal, the rock rabbit (known locally as the 'Dassie') whose closest relative, DNA-wise, is the elephant, and you can see them running around on the rocks at the top of the mountain. If you want to see the sunset, you can go on the last car up which ranges from 17:00 (winter) and 20:30 (summer). R450 return ticket (bought online), R490 (bought on site), or R295 for one way; tickets for children R250 return, student special R300 return. (updated Nov 2025)

Food in Cape Town is generally of high quality. The wines are much celebrated, but the surrounding region is also a major fruit producer, and the Karoo lamb is widely regarded. Seafood caught locally is superlative, but ironically much of it goes internationally (e.g., tuna for sushi) because of the prices that can be achieved. Ask about the local linefish—yellowtail, cape salmon, kingklip, cod and others are great eating. Oysters in season are also exceptional, farmed and wild from Knysna or wild flown in from Namibia.

As one of the main tourist spots is the V&A Waterfront, you will find a broad range of restaurants, but they are often crowded and expensive. The area around Kloof St has many cafés and restaurants, as well as Long Street (frequented by a multi-ethnic clientèle), while the trendy area of De Waterkant between Bo Kaap and Green Point above Somerset Road also boasts good food and a great vibe. Dine with supermodels and other beautiful people in Camps Bay, which has many hip eateries and nightspots overlooking the beach along Victoria Road.

Farther afield, Hout Bay on the west side of the Cape Peninsula is very good for fresh crayfish (lobsters - they have become quite expensive, around R300, though). Kalk Bay on the east side of the peninsula offers a big variety of fresh fish, do check out The Brass Bell. The restaurants in nearby Simon's Town are also good.

Do not neglect the Cape Winelands for food if you have a car. In Stellenbosch, Spier has several restaurants, including the fun, afro-chic Moyo, and many wine estates offer food of different types and quality. The village of Franschhoek is the culinary navel of the wine region, with Le Quartier Francais a perennial five-star winner, but only one of many excellent restaurants. In the Constantia Valley there are a number of great restaurants including Pastis Brasserie, Wasabi, The River Cafe, La Colombe and the Constantia Uitsig Restaurant.

Make sure you know what the price is before you order rare delicacies in restaurants as there have been a few rare but high-profile cases of heinous overcharging where the price is not on the menu, particularly for perlemoen (abalone) and crayfish (similar to lobster).

Long Street, which can be easily reached from St. George's Cathedral and the Greenmarket Square, is famous for its bars, restaurants and clubs. This is the ideal place if you want to end the day with a drink. It is also one of the few truly multi-ethnic, multi-racial nightspots in the city. See the new South Africa, not just other tourists.

You will have live entertainment (normally something like jazz or kwaito music) in many bars and sometimes you will have to pay to get in.

Observatory or better known as Obz is just north of Rondebosch (Southern Suburbs). There are several student residences of the UCT and Obz main street (Lower Main Road) has a vibrant nightlife with restaurants, bar, pool halls and pubs. Almost daily there is something going on.

A popular destination with locals is Camps Bay, which offers a vibrant night-life and many bars, restaurants and clubs.

1 Bobs Bar, 187 Long street, ☏ +27 21-4243584. 07:30-04:00. A British-owned and -run bar with beer from R22. and breakfast from R19. (updated Feb 2016)

2 Club 169, 227 Long Street, ☏ +27 21 422 3903, info@club169.com. A dance club and cigar bar focusing on hip hop and RnB music.

3 Foresters Arms (Forries), 52 Newlands Ave, Newlands, ☏ +21 21 689-5949, admin@forries.co.za. Nestled at the foot of our majestic mountains, in the leafy suburb of Newlands, Cape Town, Foresters Arms Restaurant and Pub (fondly referred to by the locals as Forries), is one of the oldest pubs in South Africa and provides a retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. They have a good selection of draught beers.

4 Marco's African Place, 15 Rose Street, Bo Kaap, ☏ +27 21 423-5412. Popular gay bar which serves up specialities such as Ulwimi (steamed ox tongue with mustard sauce) along with live African music.

5 Mitchells Ale House (Mitchells Brewery), Cnr East Pier & Dock Road V&A Waterfront, ☏ +27 21 419-5074, info@mftv.co.za. Great location, fun atmosphere, friendly staff and famous craft beers, amazing views of the Cape Town harbour and Table Mountain, and karaoke.

6 Sandy B, 69 Victoria Rd, Camps Bay, ☏ +27 21 437-9701, res@thebayhotel.com. Open to the public at The Bay Hotel over summer, Sandy B is a unique cocktail venue, accentuated by its glorious views of Camps Bay beachfront.

By foot

Cape Town is not the most pedestrian-friendly city in the world. There are areas that are ideal for walking, such as the St George's Mall and Greenmarket Square areas in the city centre, the V&A Waterfront or some beach areas.

Care needs to be taken when walking in other parts of the city, as the roads can be busy, and having pedestrian right of way does not necessarily mean that vehicles will cede to you. Pedestrians normally cross when the road is clear, regardless of red pedestrian lights.

Outside of a few areas, there is very little pedestrian signage.

By bicycle

It is possible to get around by bicycle. There are some bike lanes in the center. More information about cycling in and near the city.

By car

Many car hire companies are based in the airport as well as being found all over town. Note that South Africa is a left-hand traffic country. Visitors from countries where traffic moves on the right-hand side may need to take some time to get familiar with the different road rules. Getting a car with automatic transmission at some rental services is not always easy so try to reserve a car in advance if you prefer an automatic.

Cape Town has some of the worst traffic jams in South Africa. During peak-hours traffic can grind to a total stand-still. Use an app like Waze or Google Maps to guide you around the worst spots.

All fuel stations accept international credit and debit cards using chip and PIN. US and other card holders not yet converted to chip cards may find their cards not accepted.

When you refuel your car you need to let the station attendants do it for you. You can just stay inside your car and they will ask you which type and how much fuel you want to put in your car. They will probably also wash your windscreen for you whether you need it or not, and it is also common to ask petrol attendants to check tyres and oil. In return a small tip is appreciated (around R5 is common) so it is advisable to collect a few of the low denomination coins you will receive elsewhere during your trip as change.

Cape Town has several luxury chauffeur companies that do a variety of services including transfer to and from the airport, taking you to exclusive events and becoming VIP bodyguards.

While Cape Town is not a dangerous place for tourists, South Africans are significantly more safety-conscious than people in most other parts of the world. While you should take some care as a tourist in any city, you should be more careful in South Africa than in many other places.

A large number of outdoor CCTV cameras have been installed by the municipality. These stretch from the city bowl, the suburbs, the townships and all the way to the outlying areas of the metropole. New cameras are installed in additional areas quite regularly as needed. The cameras are monitored 24/7, and police and emergency services respond quite quickly to any detected incidents.

Central Cape Town is generally safe to walk around by day, though you should not take valuables with you and should avoid dressing like a tourist. You may encounter beggars and con artists, but they will usually accept a "no". Avoid "dressing like a tourist", i.e. wearing an outfit involving cameras, backpacks, jewellery and golf hats. Leave valuables in the safe in your hotel room or with staff for safekeeping. (Do not leave anything valuable in your room outside of the safe, and do not leave anything in view of an open window. If you leave valuables out in your room you may find the hotel takes them into safekeeping and leaves you a note - this is to avoid their hotel getting a reputation as a place where thieves will find an easy target.) Stay on reasonably busy streets.