Cape Town travel guide

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What to do

Lion’s Head might be the best place to start — this distinctive little peak is the most popular place for Capetonians to watch the sunrise over the city. The short, steep hike is well worth the expended calories for its panoramic views. There are dozens of other hiking options along the Table Mountain range — go with a guide who knows the trails.

Wildlife lovers can visit the Boulders Beach African penguin colony along the Cape Peninsula or go to the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront.

There’s plenty for a culture fix, too. The artwork at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art (MOCAA), also at the V&A Waterfront, provides insight from all over the continent and the diaspora. Even the building itself — a restored grain silo — is something of a marvel. From the waterfront, you can catch the ferry to Robben Island, where anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, were incarcerated — ex-prisoners lead the tours.

The District Six Museum documents mass forced removals from this inner-city neighbourhood during apartheid, and the 18 Gangster Museum in Khayelitsha is run by ex-offenders to shed light on the cycle of crime and how it can be broken; each tour allows one local schoolkid to visit the museum for free.

• Best things to do in Cape Town

Where to stay

There’s a vast array of accommodation in Cape Town, from budget backpackers and comfy guesthouses to seriously slick luxury hotels. The Atlantic Seaboard is one of the most popular places to stay, including suburbs such as busy Sea Point with its independent cafés, restaurants and boutiques, access to the promenade, and only a short Uber or bus ride into the city; and wealthy Camps Bay with its popular beach and tidal pools (note of warning: Camps Bay is super-windy in the summer).

There’s a smattering of high-end boutique hotels along the coast with stellar ocean views, such as the art-filled Ellerman House. The city centre has a range of business hotels and basing yourself here makes you well placed for evenings of wining and dining; just a little further up the city bowl, the more residential Gardens is home to boutique hotels, Airbnbs and maybe one of SA’s most famous and oldest hotels, The Mount Nelson — a pastel-pink grande dame with pretty gardens, a big art collection and a vast afternoon tea spread.

Woodstock is the city’s hipster ’hood, with street art everywhere, craft beer bars and the Old Biscuit Mill market. Around False Bay — for those who want to spend time in the water — top spots to stay include trendy little Kalk Bay and the larger suburb of Simonstown, with its naval history.

• Best hotels in Cape Town

Food and drink

It’s not hard to find good food and drink in Cape Town. There’s a slew of good coffee and brunch joints to try throughout Sea Point, Green Point, in Gardens and the city centre. There are long-established, no-frills fish and chip shops in Hout Bay (such as Fish on the Rocks) and around False Bay (such as Kalky’s, in Kalk Bay).

Burgers and craft beers are best paired in Woodstock — try some local Fynbos gin here, too. Cape Town has a real thing for small-plate fine dining and, for international tourists, many of these restaurants are excellent value — there are new places springing up all the time, mostly in the city bowl, but established award-winning restaurants include the Test Kitchen (probably the most expensive of the bunch) in Woodstock and La Colombe in leafy Constantia.

But you needn’t be confined to establishments — visit a deli such as Giovanni’s in Green Point and put together a picnic to eat in a park, on a beach or on a mountain perch. Some wine farms offer picnics as well, and many also have excellent dining and wine-tasting options — Constantia Glen’s views of rolling fields of vines backed by the mountain are among the best in the city.

Don’t miss

Cape Town’s kelp forests are a hidden and magical world to be discovered by those who can brave the cold water (a wetsuit is recommended!). Book a freediving course or snorkelling tour with a diving operator in False Bay for a chance to swim among the golden kelp, maybe spotting octopuses (you’ve seen Oscar-winning Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, right?), Cape fur seals, harmless little sharks, nudibranchs or rays. There are many more ways to enjoy the saltwater, too — make time for a sunrise dip in one of False Bay’s tidal pools (Dalebrook is a local favourite), paddle out for a surf at Muizenberg, or, pretty much anywhere along CT’s coast, you can hire a kayak or SUP board to spot dolphins or whales.

Know before you go

South Africa’s currency is the rand; small change is useful for tips and markets, but most places take card.

Although Cape Town is generally safe for tourists, crime is a problem in South Africa — be vigilant, don’t flash your valuables, don’t hike alone, and do take an Uber after dark. If you’re driving, you can tip car guards (self-employed people in high-vis vests who will often help you park and then watch your car) and petrol attendants; locals generally tip about R5-10. Tipping (10 per cent is the norm) is also appreciated in restaurants.

Take me there

Inspired to visit Cape Town but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Virgin Holidays and BA Holidays. These are the best tours of Cape Town from our trusted partners.

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