With its mountain ranges, clear blue (though freezing) ocean, and greenery everywhere, Cape Town (South Africa) is a place I briefly called home, so trust me when I say it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth.
The best part about visiting Cape Town is that it suits every kind of traveller, from the nature lover to the adventurous thrill-seeker looking to paraglide off Lion’s Head, to the chill vacationer who would love nothing more than to debate whether Camps Bay or the Cliffton beaches are the most beautiful.
Here’s a comprehensive, organised list of the best things to do in Cape Town, including what I skipped and why, plus an itinerary arranged by geographical order so you can make the most of your trip. I recommend renting a car for safety reasons and also for efficiency, especially because some of the best attractions require a short road trip. Get the best prices for your rental car here.
Hiking adventurers love Cape Town because of the multiple hiking trails, ranging from easy to challenging. Cape Town’s most famous landmark is Table Mountain, and you can reach the top through various hiking trails. While the views are fantastic, Table Mountain’s trails are generally challenging and time-consuming, especially compared to Lion’s Head.
You can also hike Signal Hill from the Three Anchor Bay neighbourhood, but it can be strenuous and quite challenging.
Local tip: Skip the hiking trails along Table Mountain and instead take the cable car to the top. If you’re still intent on getting some hiking cardio, do the Lion’s Head trail instead. In fact, even if you’re not interested in the workout part of it, hiking Lion’s Head is still one of the best things to do in Cape Town, simply for the view at the top. It takes about 2-3 hours total, and is a much easier trail.
Safety tip: Never hike alone, even on popular trails like Lion’s Head.
Paragliding in Cape Town is a very popular activity. It starts off on Lion’s Head mountain, landing by the SeaPoint promenade in the Three Anchor Bay neighbourhood. It’s very weather-dependent and will close if the winds are too strong. The best times to do it are in spring (September to November).
Other popular thrilling activities in and near Cape Town include quad biking along the Atlantis Dunes, which is really fun, and shark cage diving. I wouldn’t recommend shark cage diving because most of the time it’s not done in an ethical way: sharks are baited with food, making them dependent on humans. Some sharks also get quite aggressive and have been known to attack the cages.
Local tip: if you really want to see sharks without baiting them, head towards Mossel Bay and book a boat tour. Those boat tours last about 4 hours and you have to head out very early, so it’s recommended to spend the night there, and to take seasickness pills beforehand. There’s no guarantee of seeing sharks of course, but this is always a risk anyway, and this is much more ethical.
With a coastline of 307 km (about 190 miles), Cape Town is home to plenty of beautiful beaches. The most notable one is Camps Bay, due to easy access by public transport and car, but also because it’s actually incredibly beautiful. It has a tropical vibe with palm trees, direct views of Lion’s Head, and plenty of restaurants around.
But don’t be fooled: this is the Atlantic Ocean, and the water is freezing even in summer. So while you’ll be burning under the South African sun along the beach, it’s unlikely that you’ll be frolicking in the water much, because the average temperature is between 14-18°C (about 57-64°F).
Local tip: For more local spots, these are the ones locals love:
A visit to Cape Town is only complete with a bit of historical and cultural exploration. These are the main places to visit to get a better understanding of South Africa’s complicated past.
Local tip: Be mindful of your surroundings because you might encounter touts.
Local tip: the sea can get a bit rough, so have some ginger candy ready or take a seasickness pill beforehand.
Cape Town’s markets are the best places to find local crafts and sample fresh and authentic South African dishes and snacks, like koeksisters (fried syrupy dough) and biltong (cured meat), among other things.
Chapman’s Peak Drive is a scenic cliffside road offering gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean, taking you from the small towns of Noordhoek to Hout Bay. It takes about 25 minutes to drive the 9 km (5.5 miles) road, and you can stop at various places along the way too, giving you time to appreciate the scenery.
A major attraction of Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope is famous because it changed the course of maritime history. The Europeans (Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias) came around the Cape in the 15th century during the Age of Exploration, thus paving the way from Europe to Asia by boat.
The Cape of Good Hope is often thought to be the southernmost tip of the African continent but that’s actually Cape Agulhas. Cape of Good Hope is the most southwestern tip.
Local tip: The area is often windy, so be sure to bring a jacket and wear layers.
Cape Town is not known for safaris; the largest and most popular national park for safaris and wildlife sightings in South Africa is Kruger National Park, about 1625 km (1000 miles) away.
However, there are a few nature reserves like Rondevlei Nature Reserve (where you can see birds and hippos) and Addo Elephant National Park that you can do as a day trip from Cape Town. I can’t vouch for them as I’ve only been to Kruger (here’s my full breakdown of going on a safari in Kruger), but I have friends who have and they enjoyed it.
That being said, Cape Town (notably Boulder’s Beach) is one of the few places in South Africa where you can see the African penguins, known as the “jackass” penguins. Two other places near Cape Town to see penguins include Stony Point in Betty’s Bay and Dassen Island.
Eco tip: never approach or feed wildlife, including penguins.
You can also see whales in Hermanus, a town about 122 km (75 miles) southeast of Cape Town city centre. You don’t even need to take boats out, as whales come quite close to the cliffs in Hermanus.
If you’re a fan of wine, Cape Town is the best place to taste some of South Africa’s finest wines. I can’t vouch for them because I don’t consume alcohol, but I’ve visited these towns, and even for a teetotaler, it was always a lovely experience.
Here are the best towns in Cape Town for wine tasting (or even if you don’t drink):
Aside from its natural landscapes and scenic experiences, one of Cape Town’s major draws is its food. The cuisine is as diverse as it is fresh, with dishes ranging from Dutch-influenced desserts like melktert (milk tart) to South Africa’s national dish bobotie, originating from the Cape Malays, to various international cuisines.
There are a lot of green spaces in Cape Town, and the most popular ones are:
The V&A Waterfront is a hotspot for shopping, dining, photo ops (there’s an actual frame with Table Mountain in the background), and cruises. You can enjoy catamarans and book cruises for private events. This is also where you would depart from to visit Robben Island.
If you’re keen on visiting Cape Town at a somewhat leisurely pace and want to see everything, you would need at least 7 full days. Here’s the best Cape Town itinerary organised by geographically close attractions for efficiency and to maximise your time without rushing around.
You can move the days around, as the most important aspect of this itinerary is the activities and places to visit within the same day.
This will be a heavy day where you will learn about South Africa’s apartheid regime and how it affected (and still affects) the people of colour in Cape Town, who were forcefully displaced. Most of these museums wouldn’t take more than 1 hour or so, meaning if you start early enough, you’ll be able to cover everything on the list below.
Most of the shark cage diving activities are quite unethical as they bait the sharks with food, making the sharks dependent on the food. If there’s no food, sharks get aggressive.
I fully support community-led activities that directly fund local communities, but visiting townships to “see how more unfortunate people live” feels very wrong, especially when we can’t guarantee that the profits actually trickle down in the communities, that they gave consent to the township visits and photos, or that they’re even comfortable at all with tourists visiting their neighbourhood.
I did visit the beautiful towns known for wine tasting, but I just didn’t taste any of the wine because I don’t drink alcohol.
I did a safari in Kruger and didn’t feel the need or desire to visit nature reserves. I also wasn’t sure how much space the animals actually have to roam free.
Cape Town is one of the safest cities in South Africa, but the country and its people have been through a lot, notably the racist apartheid regime that was eventually abolished in 1990. Learn more about the customs and important facts about South Africa here.
I lived in Mouille Point and it was my favourite neighbourhood because it also felt the safest. I recommend staying by the sea (Mouille Point, Sea Point, Camps Bay), as it’s more relaxing, beautiful, and you can enjoy those breathtaking South African sunsets. I would avoid the city centre and the Old Town area.
An ideal Cape Town itinerary is about 7 days, allowing you to see and do a lot without rushing.
The best time to visit Cape Town is during the spring (September, October, November) or autumn (March, April, May) when it’s not too hot but also not cold or rainy.
Table Mountain is the most famous landmark in Cape Town, due to its flat-topped surface, the panoramic view at the top, and the diverse flora and fauna.
Most shark cage diving activities aren’t ethical as the sharks are baited with food, making them dependent on food and aggressive when there’s no food. The best way to see sharks is to take long boat trips far out into the sea, particularly near Mossel Bay and wait for them to appear.
While there are no “proper” safari game drives like you would experience in Kruger National Park, there are small wildlife reserves near Cape Town, such as Rondevlei Nature Reserve and Addo Elephant National Park.
Visiting townships in South Africa, or slums in India, or favelas in Brazil feels wrong, invasive, and exploitative. Most often, the local communities living there haven’t given consent to be visited or photographed, and it’s hard to track where the profits from the tours trickle down to.
The best ways to support communities when travelling are by supporting the local economy (e.g. eating at locally-owned restaurants, buying locally-made arts and souvenirs), attending community-led workshops, supporting social enterprises and grassroot organisations, and educating yourself about the country’s background and history.
