We did the research so you don’t have to, this is how you can make the most of your stay, and squeeze in Cape Town’s main tourist attractions in the space of 5 (ish) days. This city only took a day to claim the top spot as my favourite city I’ve ever visited. After 2000 miles of weaving our way through Namibia and South Africa we arrived in Cape Town here’s what we got up to.
Day 1: The beach and arriving in Cape Town
Top spots:
Bloubergstrand Beach
Budget: £10
On your journey to Cape Town city centre make sure to stop off at Bloubergstrand beach, where you will get an uninterrupted panoramic view of Devils Peak, Table Mountain and Lions Head, showing the scale of the mountain range that encompasses the city. We arrived at the hostel ‘Once’ for our final night of our G Adventures tour, after checking in we had some time to relax, before heading off for our final group meal.
Day 2: Lions Head and Robben Island
Top spots:
Lions Head
Truth Coffee
Robben Island (pre book)
V&A Food Market
Budget: £100
The tour may have finished, but 12 of us got up the next day at 4am to hike up Lions Head for sunrise. Cape Town weather is unpredictable, so we were super lucky that as we arrived at the trailhead there was no cloud insight. Several people warned us that areas can be dangerous at night and even during the day, yet we all felt completely safe. Perhaps that was due to the large number of us, but we definitely felt more safe than we had initially thought. Please still be careful, never wander off alone, remain vigilant, just like you would travelling to other major cities across the world, for more information on this hike and safety please visit our Cape Town hiking guide.
We then headed back to our hostel for breakfast, said goodbye to our g adventures group and 4 of us headed over to an Airbnb, which had an amazing view of Table Mountain, a great spot for watching cloud cover for our next hike. We’d read about Truth Coffee being world renowned as one of the world best coffee shops, so that’s where we headed for lunch. It would be a true test of how good it was, as 3 out of 4 of us aren’t keen coffee drinkers. 2 out of 4 of us left and decided that we could never really be the biggest coffee fans as one of the worlds best couldn’t even win us over.
Next up we had pre booked a tour of Robben Island. It costs around £29 (this is variable depending on the time of year). Pre booking is essential as it does sell out, and make sure you remember to bring a form of ID with you to board the ferry. It was an incredible humbling and interesting experience. The experience consists of a prison and island tour, tour guides are former prisoners, allowing stories to be told in their truest form. At first there was little mention of Nelson Mandela, being sure that other heroes of the anti apartheid movement are given equal respect. Before moving onto section B, where the focus became Mandela.
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite”
- Nelson Mandela
After we arrived back, we headed to some of the markets for some souvenir shopping, then onto the V&A food market for tea. We tried various food stalls including; Stackthat (Hungarian flatbread), Lucy’s tea and confectionery (cookie dough brownie) and Unframed (White chocolate ice cream). A day of great food but I expected no less from Cape Town.
Day 3: Cape Peninsula
Top spots:
Hout Bay
Chapmans Peak Drive
Boulders Beach
Cape Point Conservation Area
Cape of Good Hope
Budget: £60
Today we had an excursion booked with Baz Bus who were recommended to us. We picked breakfast up from Shift Cafe near our pick up point. We paid 800RAND each the equivalent of roughly £40. (Note: This day tour does not run everyday of the week, so make sure your plans coincide.) They provide you with breakfast, so that was a second breakfast for us. We set off with a drive past the 12 apostles along the coast to Hout Bay. The first optional activity on the tour is a boat trip to Seal Island from Hout Bay. We opted not to do this and instead opted to explore Hout Bay. (Along the harbour there is often a man who offers you a photo with a seal- do not do this). You then drive along the famous Chapman's Peak, passing via Cape Town's stunning beaches as you head towards Simonstown. The next optional activity is Boulders Beach Conservation Area, costing 160RAND and worth every penny, despite how crowded it is. All proceeds go towards the continued conservation efforts. Alternatively, you can take the boardwalk on the right and walk down to the beach, where you will see some penguins and can go in the sea. Remember, they are still wild animals, even if one does happen to swim past you or waddle towards you.
After that, we jumped back in the bus and drove to Cape Point conservation area (the entrance fee is included in the tour), look out for; baboons, zebra, eland and ostrich, and don’t carry food whilst you’re walking about! We stopped off for lunch, Baz Bus includes a light buffet style lunch on the tour. Next up, Cape Point, commonly mistaken as the most southerly point of the African continent, and thought to be where the two oceans meet, both of these facts are wrong. You’ll find the most southerly point a further three and a half hours down the coast- Cape Agulhas. You can opt to hike up to the lighthouse at Cape Point, with some great photo opportunities on the way up, then hike back down and either jump back on the bus or hike to the Cape of Good Hope. Would highly recommend hiking between the two. The rugged coast line has a boardwalk that runs along the cliff top, and overlooks some stunning secluded beaches with crystal clear waters, before you descend to the Cape of Good Hope - the most south westerly point of the African continent.
Our lovely Airbnb host gave us a list of recommended restaurants and cafes including her favourite place for dimsum; South China Dimsum so we decided to check that out for tea. Our host was not wrong, it was delicious and affordable.
Day 4: Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Top spots:
Table Mountain
Oranjezicht City Farm
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Sea point
Mojo Market
Budget: £30
It was the last day as a group of 4 of in Cape Town together. So it was our last chance to hike Table Mountain, no matter the cloud cover, unlike our luck hiking up Lions Head, it was entirely covered in cloud, we decided to set off anyway. The cloud cover did not let up, in fact, I think it got worse, this did not dampen our spirits. We were thankful we got the views from Lions Head, and all got a cup of tea from the cafe at the top, to warm up. Then caught the spinning cable car (£8.50) back down as we watched the city emerge again. (If you’re a student- remember your student card, it gets you a great discount on the cable car). Be prepared to walk the whole way back down though, as the cable car can close for several hours if the weather takes a bad turn. Like we mentioned before you’ll hear it a lot, Cape Town weather is unpredictable, especially on the mountain.
After a quick pit stop at our Airbnb, we headed over to Oranjezicht city farm market. It was extremely busy, and you could immediately see why, we wanted to buy everything. There was everything from sustainably made clothing stalls, to craft, to bakeries, fresh produce, soaps, fragrances, candles, plants, flowers, all organic or homemade or artisan. We tried the Korean food stall, Acai bowl and picked up a few other bits. After that we took a last stroll along the V&A waterfront and headed back to the Airbnb, so we could send a friend off to get her flight.
That left 3 of us for our last 24 hours in Cape Town. We headed to the world famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where all plants are indigenous to South Africa. It is located on the slopes of Table Mountain, making for a very grand setting. Not only that, over the summer season they host concerts, we heard them warming up as it echoed around, and wished we’d got tickets. I’ve never been to a Botanical garden quite like it. Before leaving we obviously had to sit down for a pitstop of cake.
For our final night we got an uber down to the seapoint for a walk along the beach, this is where we stopped to watch the sunset and meet up with another friend from our tour. For food we strolled back to Mojo Market, which is also a live music venue and bustling with people. I always crave curry whilst travelling so headed straight for the curry stall in the corner, which sorted out the craving nicely.
Day 5: Bo-Kaap and Woodstock
Top spots:
Jason’s Bakery
Bo-Kaap
The Old Biscuit Mill
Budget: £10
Our final day, we opened the curtains and there was Table Mountain with no cloud in sight. A great view for our last morning, we packed up and headed out. For our last breakfast we walked to Jason’s Bakery. Note - only some Jason’s Bakery’s do breakfast others just do takeaway. They are known for their egg tarts and weekly doughsants, we didn’t get a chance to try these as they were sold out, but breakfast and the carrot cake cookie were still delicious.
After that we headed to Bo-Kaap, the rainbow district in the rainbow nation. One of the most distinct neighbourhoods in Cape Town, known for its colourful buildings. It is also known as the Malay Quarter and is a former township. Unfortunately, it is an area also known for its crime, just like we had been during our time travelling, we remained vigilant. You can get guided tours around the area, however, we were short on time so opted to wander ourselves. We were approached by one of the city’s travel wise guides, they have official badges and are there to help you, still obviously keep your wits about you. She offered to walk with us, take photos and told us which roads were no go, as there were only 3 of us. Lastly, we caught an uber over to Wookstock, a short 10 minute drive away. Known for being one of Cape Town's oldest suburbs, gentrified to become one of Cape Town’s most trendy suburbs. Full of street art, boutiques and hipster cafes. Make sure to visit The Old Biscuit Mill.
Sadly, after that we headed back to our Airbnb, collected our bags, and headed to the airport, where we arrived the next day to a very cold and Christmassy Heathrow Airport. Cape Town; a city with beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise waters and penguins one side. Mountains for hiking, rock climbing, cable cars and tea at the top on the other side. Great food, artisan markets, neighbourhoods bursting with colour and views both ways in between, it now holds top spot as my favourite city in the world.
Got more time? Head out to Cape Town's famous beaches or kayak out to sea to catch a glimpse of whales and dolphins (depending on time of year)!
Socks and Sandals