Cape Town is home to some of the most picture-perfect beaches in the world, each with its own unique advantages. The beaches along the False Bay coastline boast warm water and good swimming conditions; the Atlantic coast beaches have water that is much colder, but almost always a brilliant shade of turquoise. While many people might moan about the temperatures of the latter, they don't seem to mind the fact that it helps to keep hordes of tourists away. Here's a breakdown of the best beaches both coastlines have to offer:
ATLANTIC COASTLINE
The four beaches of Clifton (named 1st through 4th) on the Atlantic coastline are impossibly beautiful. Most people can only handle a few minutes in the cold water, but the setting is well worth it. Each beach attracts its own type of crowd: 4th Beach is popular with teenagers, 3rd Beach attracts Cape Town's gay community, 2nd Beach is frequented by models, and 1st Beach is for people with dogs or those who want a more laid-back experience.
Camps Bay Beach is a few minutes away and is slightly easier to access (Clifton Beaches each have steep stairs leading down to the sand). Located across from the Camps Bay Strip, which features a range of glitzy restaurants serving up cocktails against rave music, this beach is popular with both locals and tourists. Overpriced food and drinks aside, Camps Bay Beach is worth visiting for the views of Lion's Head and the Twelve Apostles alone.
Bakoven Beach and Llandudno Beach are also part of the Atlantic coastline, nestled between Hout Bay and Camps Bay. Bakoven Beach, closer to Camps Bay, is ideal for swimming—even though the water is cold, it has few waves and large boulders which you can jump off of into the placid, clear water. Llandudno Beach is further south, towards Hout Bay. It's favored by surfers and is perfect if you’re going with a large group or children, thanks to the on-call lifeguards, wide spaces, and shallow water.
FALSE BAY COASTLINE
The False Bay coastline stretches from Cape Point to Pringle Bay on the opposite side of the Cape Peninsula. Most of the beaches require driving out of the city, but the trip is well worth it once you step into the warm water. The most popular, but not the most beautiful, beach in this area is Muizenberg, a long stretch of beach that is easily accessible and has great waves for those wanting to learn how to surf—you can sign up for and take lessons here. These waters do tend to draw sharks, but there are shark spotters on duty throughout the day. If there is the slightest cause for concern, the beach has a rigorous protocol to get swimmers and surfers out of the water.
Boulders Beach also lies along the False Bay coastline, and is most famous for its penguin population. Many people swim here just a few feet away from the penguin community. The smaller Windmill Beach is about a ten minute walk away. This gorgeous, hidden gem has warm water and boulders you can swim out to and jump off of. Though the penguins are adorable, they are also wild animals and will become skittish if you approach them: keep a fair distance and never try to feed them.
