I was super excited to visit Cape Town, South Africa. As I have traveled around the world and asked other travelers their favorite city, it often makes a top 10 list and it is the most common answer that I hadn’t been to. Spoiler alert: I agree. It is also in my top 10 and I already have plans to return in the next few years (on my way to Botswana and Namibia). Cape Town very much has the feel of an international city, like Singapore, Shanghai or London – but has its own distinct history and feeling – different from those and different than the rest of South Africa.
I was there for 5 days which felt about right for a first trip. There is definitely more to see and I have a list of different things for my next visit.
When planning the trip, I was torn where to stay. I was drawn to the V&A wharf. This would have put us in walking distance of many of the sites and right on the water. But I read such great things about the Gardens. We ended up staying at Welgelegen House in the Gardens. It is an absolutely beautiful boutique hotel in the shadow of Table Mountain. The staff is amazing and breakfast was delicious. And you are a short walk from Kloof Street which probably has at least two dozen restaurants, bars and cafes. Other than meals, you will need a car to get anywhere from Welgelegen House but Ubers are very easy and very affordable.
Eating in Cape Town. Obviously, Cape Town has thousands of places to eat. It is a foodie’s paradise. So as with any list, take it with a grain of salt, but these are the ones that were good enough that I will return to on my next trip. EatStanbul on Kloof Street outstanding Turkish food. I think we tried everything on the menu. It was fantastic. Osteria Torontino was amazing!! The owner is from Napoli and settled in Cape Town in the 1960s. The ravioli was superb (my friend ordered a second serving). The atmosphere was also just charming. It is a small place. It was obvious the staff got along and they even sat down for a communal meal together. Quay 4 on V&A will make most go-to lists. I skipped dinner that night, but the group went and said it was great for seafood and meat. Also the Black Sheep on Kloof Street gets wonderful reviews. Our thoughts were mixed but maybe we should cut them some slack as it was crazy busy that night and the power was out for over an hour.
Kirstenbosch Gardens is beautiful. We were there about 90 minutes and all agree it would be a great place to spend half a day exploring. Not only is it a beautiful garden but it is also linked to the history and culture of Cape Town. The gardens are also a venue for movies and concerts in the summer. I highly recommend you take advantage of hanging with the locals. Advance reservations are definitely needed for the special events. Of note, the prices for these special events is very reasonable, but you also have to pay for entrance to the gardens, so you might want to combine seeing the gardens with the event. Also, they only take a credit card and we had to try several cards before we could get one to work.
Cape Town Walking Tour: I try to do a walking tour in almost city. The Cape Town tour we took wasn’t great but I am still going to recommend a city tour. I learned a lot about the country and the city in those few hours and it set the tone for the rest of the time.
Robben Island. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela and many political prisoners were held during apartheid. You need to get tickets in advance and I would recommend taking the first ferry of the day (9 am). This is definitely worth doing and I highly recommend it. But it does take half a day. If you are pressed for time AND have already done the apartheid museum in Johannesburg, you can save this for another trip. You won’t necessarily learn anything new at the prison but there is definitely something about being there. At the time I visited, the tours are given by former inmates. They also used to be given by former guards, but they have all since retired. Former inmates will all start to hit retirement age soon as well and unfortunately this will no longer be available. It was heart-wrenching to hear a first-hand account.
Diamond Museum. We spontaneously went to the Diamond Museum on the V&A waterfront. This is definitely not really worth it, but if you are in a situation similar to ours where everything else is closing and it is a little too cold and rainy to walk around and too early for dinner, then this makes an informative and free stop.
Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. This is a fabulous all-day trip. It would be easy to do on your own with a rental car but I would recommend hiring a driver or going with a tour. We used Take2Tours and loved our driver and guide, Wayne. The roads are curvy and while definitely doable, I would prefer to watch the gorgeous scenery instead of the road. Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope are the most southwest tip in Africa. While we got very lucky with the weather, it is also known as the Cape of Storms and be prepared for lots of wind and possibly rain. On the way back to Cape Town, most people stop to see the Penguin Colony at Boulder Beach in Simon’s Town.
Cape Agulhas which is officially the most southern point of Africa and where the two oceans meet was fantastic. It was a favorite of our entire group. It was a gorgeous drive, much less crowded than Cape Point and had some amazing views. It is a long day and many prefer to spend the night in order to see the sunset over the ocean. We didn’t have enough time but would love to do it in the future. Our driver said he goes to Cape Point a few times a week but to Cape Agulhas only a few times a year. It is definitely a gem that not everyone takes the time to see. Most of the small towns along the route also have whale watching in late winter and early spring.
Food Tour. Cape Town is an international city with a huge food scene. A member of our group loves food tours and so we spent Thanksgiving Day with Cape Town Culinary Tours. This was a fantastic afternoon and an easy way to visit some restaurants and try some food that we definitely would not have otherwise. Consider this if you have time and enjoy trying new foods!
District 6 Museum. This is small museum dedicated to a neighborhood that was destroyed as part of apartheid. The residents were forcibly removed to make room for white residents. While the museum is focused on one neighborhood, this was a common occurrence across the country. While we learned about this at the Apartheid museum in Johannesburg, it was more personal to learn about individual stories. You don’t need more than 30 minutes and I would recommend it if you have time.
Bo-Kaap is the Islamic neighborhood of Cape Town. We didn’t get a chance to visit the museum but we did do a quick walk through the main street. I’ll visit again on my next trip but glad I at least saw it.
Table Mountain dominates the skyline of Cape Town. Although we tried twice, we were unable to take the cable car to the top. You can take a bus, taxi or Uber to the cable car station for a look at the views of the city.
Lions Head was a great hike and offers wonderful views of Table Mountain, the city and the ocean. It took me a little less than 3 hours round trip by taking the hard way up, the easy way down and lot of photos along the way. I heard it gets wonderful views of the sunrise and sunset but I was nervous about walking in the dark. I shouldn’t have been. While I definitely wouldn’t want to do the summit in the dark, the first 20 minutes or so is very easy. You still need a flashlight but the path is wide, gradual and for the most part smooth.
High Tea at the Silo. I love tea and appreciate having “high tea” anywhere that is or was part of the Commonwealth. You definitely need reservations but the Silo was a fun venue for a reasonable price (as far as high tea goes).
I didn’t have time to see the Garden Route or visit wine country. We didn’t go paragliding from Table Mountain. And of course, I have to make it to the top of Table Mountain. These are all on the list for my next trip.
Cape Town is definitely a city I would recommend. It has a great vibe and it a good mix of both the entire country while being its “own thing”.
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