Cape Town, South Africa is an incredible place to visit with so much to explore and see. But if you’re just there for a few days, here’s my list of 10 things to do in Cape Town. Squeeze them into your travel itinerary!
1. Table Mountain
This iconic landmark is hands down a MUST do when in Cape Town. There are several ways to visit Table Mountain, whether it be an ambitious hike up (various routes with varying difficulty) or like me riding the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway which is just a 5-minute journey.
I would advise getting tickets for the cable car ahead of time, and to get there early to avoid the long queues.
I would also recommend keeping an eye on the weather, as mornings in Cape Town can be quite foggy and limit the views from the top. We visited in early November and luckily had incredible weather the day we visited. At the top there are walkways that will lead you around the entirety of the flat tabletop surface and offer you some incredible 360 views of Cape Town.
You could easily stay for hours to take in the amazing scenery all around you, or just relax in the restaurant/bar that is also found at the top.
2. Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most scenic drives in the world. It is 9km and runs from Hout Bay to Noordhoek. There are 114 curves in the road and you’ll get some stunning views along the way.
There is a small toll to drive this route which is 40 Rand (€2, £1.75, $2.20). The first 3km of this drive is free and does have several places to pull in to take some picturesque photos of Hout Bay. Nearer the end of the drive, you will be in awe of the incredible white sandy beaches of Noordhoek and the stunning homes in the village below.
We enjoyed the drive so much we did it both ways, starting and returning to Hout Bay.
3. Robben Island
It’s hard not to think of Nelson Mandela when you think of South Africa, and for those who enjoy a bit of history when visiting a new city, then a tour of Robben Island is not to be missed.
Robben Island is the former maximum-security prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for nearly two decades, along with many other political prisoners.
This is a very popular attraction, so definitely book tickets ahead of time. The tour leaves from the Nelson Mandela gateway at the V&A Waterfront. From here there is about a 20 min boat ride to the island. Upon arrival, you’ll be taken on a bus ride around the island where guides will talk you through some of its dark history. There’s also some stops to enjoy the beautiful island views, and if you are lucky you might see some of the indigenous African penguins.
The most interesting part of the tour is where former inmates, many of whom still choose to live on the island, guide you through the prison and provide first-hand accounts of what life here was like. Hearing their accounts of the harsh conditions and treatment they endured was beyond humbling.
I would advise setting aside a minimum of 4 hours for this tour, as start times are often delayed. Our 3pm tour did not end up leaving until 4pm and this was because of delays that started earlier in the day that impacted all subsequent tours.
Regardless of the delays, I really enjoyed the tour and left with a much greater understanding of this period of time in South Africa’s history.
4. Cape of Good Hope
This rocky headland found on the southern tip of South Africa, is where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. It’s about a 1.5hr drive from Cape Town and located in Cape Point National Park. Due to it’s location the Cape is extremely windy and the landscape quite rugged.
You might actually see a few ostriches along the drive down to the Cape, as the Cape Point Ostrich Farm is located nearby.
There are many hiking trails to be found around the Cape of Good Hope. For those short on time, I’d recommend the trail that runs from the Flying Dutchman Funicular and ends at the Cape of Good Hope. At about 3km in total, it’s very manageable, taking around 1.5 hrs with some dramatic views along the way.
The entrance fee for the park is 360 Rand for adults (£15, €18, $20).
Highlights in the Cape Point Nature Reserve in South Africa (capeofgoodhopetour.com)
5. Old Cape Point Lighthouse
If you do make the journey to the Cape of Good Hope, then Cape Point is also worth a visit. I’d recommend walking up (or taking the funicular) to the Old Cape Point Lighthouse to enjoy amazing 360 views of the Cape.
At Cape Point you can find a cafe, restrooms and gift shop. It’s extremely windy so I would recommend bringing a light jacket and tying your hair up or wearing a hat!
6. Boulders Beach Penguins
This was one of the highlights for me while in Cape Town. Visiting Boulders Beach and seeing the African penguins had been on my bucket list for so long! And the visit here did not disappoint!!
Boulders Beach is located in Simons Town, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town. The Boulders Bay colony of African penguins settled here in 1982. They are an endangered species and can only be found along the coastline of Southern African (South Africa and Namibia).
There is a small entrance fee (65 Rand) to enter this protected area, but you’ll get to see nearly 3000 penguins up close from two different viewing platforms.
Seeing these incredible animals found along the backdrop of a beautiful white sandy beach, large granite boulders and the deep blue ocean was truly a dream come true. It’s quite funny to hear them as well. The noises they make sound like donkeys, which is why they are nicknamed the jackass penguins. 🙂
7. Franschhoek Wine Tram
South Africa has long been known for its delicious wines, and there is no shortage of wineries around Cape Town to visit and enjoy.
We chose to visit Franschhoek and take the wine tram tour as it not only maximizes the wineries we could visit within a day, but most importantly lets both of us enjoy the wines and not have to worry about driving.
When we booked, I also opted for the additional addon of pick up and drop from our hotel in Cape Town. This makes things even easier, I highly recommend.
When researching the wine tram, we found there were numerous routes to choose from for the day tour. We chose the Orange line as I had friends who had done this before and thats what they recommended. It’s worth doing your research ahead of time as each route visits different wineries, but you can’t go too far wrong, as you can’t visit them all!
The Orange line stops at 7 different wineries, but it’s only really possible to visit 4 or maximum 5 during a full day tour. We chose to stop at 4 different wineries, as we didn’t want to be rushed and we wanted to enjoy lunch as well.
We stopped at Noble Hill, Babylonstoren where we enjoyed a delicious lunch, Plaisir for their wine and artisanal chocolate tasting, and ended at Boschendaal. I absolutely loved the wine tram, and each winery was so beautiful and unique. I can’t think of any better way to enjoy the wines found in this region than on a cool tram, meeting other people and seeing the beauty around you. My only regret was that we didn’t have another day to come back and enjoy a different route.
8. Bo-Kaap
Bo-Kaap is a beautiful Cape Town neighborhood found just outside the city center at the foot of Signal Hill. It has a rich history dating back to the late 1700s.
Bo-Kaap, formerly known as the Malay quarter, was where houses were leased to former slaves brought over from Indonesia, Malayasia and other parts of Africa to work.
The bright and vibrant colors found on the houses today are the result former restrictions being lifted, where leased houses could only be white. They are now painted in bright colours to celebrate their freedom.
The neighborhood is also the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town. Below is a quick self guided walking tour to enjoy while visiting Bo-Kaap.
9. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens is a 528-hectare garden, nestled at the foot of Table Mountain that contains over 7,000 plant species, indigenous only to South Africa. Besides the huge variety of plants and flowers, you can also enjoy a scenic lunch at the restaurant on site or afternoon tea in its tearoom. If you fancy a picnic, both the restaurant and tearoom can prepare hampers for you to take out in the gardens.
My highlight in the garden was the Tree Canopy Walkway, a 130m steel and timber bridge that snakes through the trees and provides some stunning 360 views of the gardens.
We just explored the gardens on our own, but there are some guided walking tours if you want to learn a bit more. We spent a long leisurely afternoon here as our last stop in Cape Town before an early evening flight home. Not a bad way to squeeze one more thing in before you go!
Visits to the gardens are 220 Rand (£9.50, €11, $12).
10. Paragliding off Signal Hill
This was by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and not something I thought I would do when I was planning this trip to South Africa.
A friend who had been to Cape Town recommended this to me, saying it was the highlight of her trip, so we felt obliged to give it a go too.
Take off is from the top of Signal Hill and the gliding was done in tandem with qualified paragliders. When we arrived we watched several people go before us, and I won’t lie I was somewhat apprehensive as they were literally running off the side of a mountain.
We had to wait about 30 minutes for the winds to pick up before we could go, but understandably as the chutes can’t glide without the required wind.
You get strapped into a harness affixed to the chute with the guide behind you. A few words of instruction, and before I knew it, I was off up in the air with Cape Town below me. It all happened so fast. I honestly had no time to be scared and once we were up in the air gliding it was all so amazing my fears vanished.
It was an incredible 20-minute glide down, even going over the the ocean for a bit before landing, which was so much easier than I thought it would be. I can’t say enough about how truly cool this experience was and if you are not deathly afraid of heights then do yourself a favor and book this – I promise it will be a once in a lifetime experience to remember, and not as scary as you might think!!
To shark dive or not to shark dive?
Shark diving was one of the things we had planned to do in South Africa, and you’ll see plenty of tours promoting it in Cape Town. There’s a few destinations for shark diving, the most popular being Gansbaai.
However, after researching this and speaking to locals and friends with experience, we decided against it. The main reason being you are extremely unlikely to see a Great White Shark, as they are no longer common in the area (you will probably see smaller sharks, though there’s no guarantee). On top of this visibility is usually very poor and the water is very very cold!
You will also be looking at a 3 hour drive from Cape Town to Gansbaai, making it a very long day for a short amount of time in the water. Exact timings of the dive will be weather dependent, so you need to be flexible and have nothing else planned for the day.
If you want to do a shark dive, I’d recommend doing it as part of a longer trip along the coastline or garden route – perhaps when staying in Mossel Bay or Gansbaai so you can maximise your time. But a day trip from Cape Town didn’t sound like much fun!
We chose to do paragliding instead (see above), and I couldnt recommend that enough.
Time for a safari?
If you have enough holiday and budget, South Africa is a great place for adding in a safari too.
However, we actually decided to stop in Botswana on the way for a 4 day safari. If you’re interested in doing something similar check out my 4 Day Botswana Safari post.
For more photos of all my trips check out my instagram. Any questions just drop a comment on my YouTube Channel.
