Cape Town

A mountain, two oceans, one skyline.

Overview

“A mountain, a coast road, and nowhere you need to be.”

Cape Town sits between Table Mountain and two oceans, and every neighbourhood has a view of one or the other.

The city mixes surf beaches, vineyards, colourful Bo-Kaap streets and a serious coffee habit.

Give yourself time for the coast road, because that is where it all makes sense.

Toward the centre: calm, culture, budget, near

When to go

Choose your season.

November

Cape Town in November: weather ideal, crowds busy, prices high.

Darker means more of it. Estimates from each place's best months.

Half a day
Table Mountain
Cableway or hike to a flat summit above the city. Pick a clear morning.
Half a day
Cape Point
The dramatic southwestern tip of the peninsula, with a lighthouse viewpoint.
1.5 hours
Boulders Beach
A sheltered cove shared with a colony of African penguins.
1 hour
Bo-Kaap
Steep cobbled streets of brightly painted houses.
2 hours
Kirstenbosch Gardens
Botanical gardens on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.
1 hour
Chapman's Peak Drive
A road cut into the cliffs above the Atlantic.

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Bo-Kaap and the waterfront
Photograph Bo-Kaap's painted houses, then take in the harbour at the V&A Waterfront.
- Bo-Kaap
2
Day 2
Table Mountain
Take the cableway or hike Table Mountain, ideally on a clear morning.
- Table Mountain
3
Day 3
The Atlantic seaboard
Follow the Atlantic seaboard to Camps Bay and onto Chapman's Peak Drive.
- Chapman's Peak Drive
4
Day 4
Cape Point
Drive down the peninsula to Cape Point and its lighthouse viewpoint.
- Cape Point
5
Day 5
Penguins at Boulders
Meet the African penguins at Boulders Beach on the way back.
- Boulders Beach