Sitting almost on the south west tip of Africa, Cape Town got its name from the term ‘Cape of Good Hope’. Set under the awe-inspiring Table Mountain, and with stunning beaches close by, it is a city of great beauty with a rich history and great diversity of cultures, from indigenous tribes to European settlers.
There is never really a bad time to go to Cape Town, however from roughly October to March it has a particularly lovely Mediterranean climate which is hard to beat.
Visitors tend to have at least 3 nights in Cape Town, but many spend much longer here as there really is so much to do in and around the city, from cultural activities such as museums, visits to different areas of the city (eg townships), visiting famous landmarks such as Table Mountain, chilling out on the beach of Camps Bay or slightly further in the Cape Peninsula, visiting the Winelands or gong whale watching. Here are some details about just some of your options:
Bo-Kaap: The Malay Quarter, around Signal Hill, is a residential area of people descended from Malay slaves and immigrants brought to the Cape during Dutch occupation. The ‘Cape Malay’ community was established by Sheikh Yusuf of Batavia in 1693, making it one of Cape Town’s oldest and most fascinating residential areas. The earliest of the houses in the Bo-Kaap were built around the end of the 18th century. The Bo-Kaap Museum, in Wale Street, is a typical example of this type of building and it portrays the lifestyle of a 19th century Malay family.
Cape Peninsula: The Cape Peninsula mountain chain runs from Signal Hill in Cape Town in the north, to Cape Point in the south (about 60km). It is flanked by the Atlantic to the west and False Bay to the east. It is a spectacular area including Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope. Read more ...
District Six: This was basically an inner city slum area home to about 50,000 mainly coloured people. It was bulldozed in 1966 under the apartheid rulings of the day. District Six Museum documents the lives of some of the people who lived here, and is a real insight into how apartheid affected ordinary people.
Robben Island: Known particularly for its famous prison inmate, Nelson Mandela, Robben Island is now one of South Africa’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Read more ...
Table Mountain: This is one of Cape Town’s (and South Africa’s) most famous landmarks. It is a sandstone plateau which is 1085m at its highest point (Maclears Beacon). Read more ...
Townships: Cape Town has various townships outside the city centre, including Khayalitsha and Langa. These are huge residential areas, which are mostly home to black people, and mostly known for being very poor districts with a lot of problems with violence. However some people are trying hard to change things, and you can now even stay in township B&B’s. The best way to get a feeling for this side of Cape Town is to take an enlightening tour.
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront: This is a working harbour which has many forms of entertainment such as shops, street musicians, museums, cinemas, restaurants and boat trips. With all this, plus its excellent views of Table Mountain, the Waterfront attracts over 20 million visitors a year.
Whale Coast: The Cape Whale Coast is a region which is roughly 65km between Cape Town and George. As the name suggests, it includes some of the country's best whale watching coastline. Read more ...
