Travel Guide to Cape Town, South Africa

Region: Africa · Budget: Mid-range · Flight from UK: 11.5 hours · Best months: October to March

Cape Town has one of the most dramatic settings of any city on earth — a flat-topped 1,000m mountain dropping straight into a cold blue ocean, with the city wedged in between. It's also a city of stark contrast: world-class restaurants and wine farms a 30-minute drive from townships of corrugated-iron shacks, the legacy of apartheid still very visible. From the UK you're 11–12 hours direct overnight to land bright and early. The Cape Peninsula offers more variety per square kilometre than almost anywhere — beaches, vineyards, penguin colonies, mountain hikes, whale watching, all within an hour's drive of the city centre. Five days is a sensible minimum; ten lets you add the Garden Route. Tipping is expected (10–15%), the rand makes it excellent value (a tasting menu under £40, a great bottle of local wine in a restaurant for £15), and you'll want a hire car — public transport is limited and Uber is reliable but distances are big.

Budget breakdown (per day, GBP)

Stay £42–£77 · Food £18–£31 · Activities £11–£25 · Total £70–£133

Best time to visit

December–March is high summer — 22–28°C, dry, perfect beach weather but very busy and pricey through Christmas and New Year. October–November and March–May are the sweet spot: warm days, lower crowds, and the wine harvest in February–March. June–August is the rainy 'green' season, cooler (10–18°C), and brilliant for whale-watching at Hermanus.

Weather overview

Mediterranean climate — hot dry summers, mild wet winters. The famous 'Cape Doctor' south-easter wind blows hard from November–February, can shut down the Table Mountain cable car for days. Sea temperature is cold year-round (12–18°C) — Atlantic-side beaches like Camps Bay are for sunbathing more than swimming.

Suggested trip length

1 Week or 2 Weeks

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town, drop bags at your accommodation and take a slow orientation walk through the centre to get your bearings before the jet lag hits. Grab an early dinner near your hotel — somewhere you can walk back from in five minutes — and have an early night to reset your body clock. If you've still got energy in the evening: Table Mountain.
Day 2: Cape of Good Hope in the morning while you're fresh and the light is good for photos, followed by a long local lunch somewhere off the main tourist drag. Afternoon: explore a neighbourhood you haven't seen yet on foot, stopping for a coffee or a drink whenever you find a spot that looks right.
Day 3: Boulders Beach penguins — book any tickets in advance online to skip the queues, which can easily eat 90 minutes in peak season. Afternoon: a slower café-and-shops loop in a different part of town, then dinner somewhere recommended by your accommodation hosts rather than a top-10 list.
Day 4: Wine tasting in Stellenbosch. Use the second half of the day for any souvenirs or gifts to take home, and try a restaurant outside the main tourist strip — typically 30–40% cheaper for noticeably better food. End the day somewhere with a view, sunset is usually the best free attraction in any city.
Day 5: Day trip out of Cape Town — a coastal town, mountain village, vineyard region or nearby city is usually under an hour by train, bus or ferry and gives you a completely different angle on South Africa. Pack light, leave early, and aim to be back for a relaxed dinner.
Day 6–7: Revisit your favourite spot from earlier in the week now that you know your way around, slow down with a long lunch, and pick up anything you missed on the first pass. Use the final morning for a quiet breakfast and a final wander before heading to the airport — leave at least 3 hours' buffer for international flights.

Things to do in Cape Town

Cable car or hike up Table Mountain — go early to avoid afternoon clouds and wind, check 'tablemountain.net' the morning of for cable car status.
Drive Chapman's Peak Drive — one of the most spectacular coastal roads in the world, then continue to Cape Point at the southern tip of the peninsula.
See the African penguins at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town — protected colony, you can swim with them just along the beach.
Spend a full day in the Winelands — Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Constantia. Book a wine-tour driver rather than driving yourself.
Walk through Bo-Kaap — the Cape Malay neighbourhood with rainbow-painted houses, then a Cape Malay cooking class with a local family.
Robben Island ferry from V&A Waterfront — Mandela's prison cell, with former inmates as guides. Book a week ahead.
Sundowners at Camps Bay or Llandudno beach — west-facing for the best Atlantic sunsets.
Day trip to Cape Point (1.5 hours from the city) — Cape of Good Hope, the meeting of two oceans, plus baboons (do not feed them).

Best areas to stay in Cape Town

V&A Waterfront — safe, walkable, restaurants and the Robben Island ferry on your doorstep. Excellent for first-timers.
Sea Point — long promenade along the Atlantic, mid-range hotels, brilliant restaurants on Main Road, easy access to the city.
Camps Bay — the iconic beach strip with Twelve Apostles backdrop; pricey but unbeatable views.
City Bowl (around Kloof Street) — central, edgy, brilliant restaurants and bars, but stick to busy streets at night.
Constantia or Hout Bay — leafy and quieter, ideal if you have a hire car and want a calmer base.

Transport tips

From Cape Town International: pre-book a transfer (£15–20) or use Uber — taxis are metered but pricier.
MyCiti bus is the only reliable public transport — fine between the airport, V&A and Sea Point but limited elsewhere.
Hire a car for any beach, peninsula or Winelands days — distances are big and Ubers add up.
Use Uber within the city — extremely cheap, safe, and avoids the parking issue.
Don't drive at night in unfamiliar areas — stick to main routes and use GPS.

Safety tips

Cape Town has high crime rates but tourists who follow basic precautions rarely have problems — the issues are mostly in townships, not tourist areas.
Don't walk anywhere alone after dark — Uber even short distances at night.
Don't show phones, jewellery or wallets at traffic lights — keep windows up and doors locked when driving.
Don't hike alone or in small groups on the mountain — muggings have happened on quiet trails. Use a guide for Lion's Head dawn hikes or stick to busy routes.
Tap water is safe and excellent in the Western Cape — refill rather than buy bottled.

Visa & entry requirements (UK travellers)

Visa-free up to 90 days.