Cape Town Travel Guide: Africa's Most Beautiful City
Cape Town is the kind of city that makes you want to move there by the second day. Table Mountain as a backdrop, two oceans meeting at the Cape, a wine region 30 minutes from the city centre, and a food scene that has quietly become one of the best in the Southern Hemisphere. The combination is almost unreasonable.
I took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain on my first morning in Cape Town and stood on the flat summit looking at the city below — the Atlantic on one side, False Bay on the other, the Cape Peninsula stretching south toward the end of the continent. A dassie (rock hyrax) sat on a boulder nearby, apparently unimpressed. I stayed for two hours and felt, for the first time in years, completely oriented.
Table Mountain is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature and the claim is justified. The flat-topped mountain that dominates Cape Town's skyline is not just visually extraordinary but ecologically remarkable — the Cape Floral Kingdom on its slopes contains more plant species per square kilometre than the Amazon. The cloud that regularly pours over the edge — known as the "tablecloth" — is a weather phenomenon with its own mythology.
Below the mountain, Cape Town is a city of extraordinary contrasts. The Atlantic Seaboard — Sea Point, Clifton, Camps Bay — is wealthy, beautiful, and cosmopolitan. The Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, built on the hillside above the city centre, is painted in colours so saturated they look photoshopped. The Winelands towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are 45 minutes away and produce wines that compete with the best in the world.
The city's history is complicated and present. The apartheid era is recent enough that its geography is still visible in the city's spatial organisation. Understanding this is part of understanding Cape Town.
Where to Eat in Cape Town
The Test Kitchen in Woodstock is the best restaurant in Africa — a tasting menu experience that has held the top spot on Africa's 50 Best Restaurants list repeatedly. Book 3-4 months ahead. Around R2,500-3,500 / $135-190 per person. Worth every rand for a special occasion.
La Colombe on the Constantia wine estate is the most beautiful restaurant setting in the Cape — a terrace overlooking vineyards and the mountain. The French-influenced tasting menu uses Cape ingredients with extraordinary technique. Around R2,000-2,800 / $108-151 per person.
The Pot Luck Club in the Old Biscuit Mill (Woodstock) serves sharing plates designed for groups — the best casual fine dining in the city. Around R400-600 / $22-32 per person.
Biesmiellah in the Bo-Kaap is the definitive Cape Malay restaurant — bobotie, denningvleis, and koesisters in a 1950s-style dining room. Around R150-200 / $8-11 per person. One of the great value lunches in the city.
Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill on Saturday mornings is the best food market in South Africa — artisan bread, fresh oysters, braai, and the entire Cape Town food community in one building. Budget R150-250 / $8-14.
Where to Stay in Cape Town
Budget (under R800 / $43/night): Ashanti Lodge in Gardens is the best-established backpacker in Cape Town — a beautiful Victorian house with a pool, lively bar, and excellent location below the mountain. Dorms from R280/night, private rooms from R650.
Mid-range (R2,000-4,000 / $108-216/night): The Gorgeous George in the city centre is a design hotel with a rooftop pool and some of the best city views available at this price point. Around R2,500-3,200/night. The Kloof Street House in Gardens has boutique rooms in a Victorian house with exceptional service.
Splurge (R8,000+ / $432+/night): Ellerman House in Bantry Bay is the finest hotel in Cape Town — a cliff-edge Edwardian mansion with an extraordinary art collection, a private wine cellar with 8,000 bottles, and a heated pool overlooking the Atlantic. From R12,000/night.
Top Things to Do in Cape Town
Take the cable car up Table Mountain. Book tickets online ($25 USD / R460) and go first thing in the morning — clouds build from midday and the cable car closes when visibility drops. The summit walk takes 1-2 hours and covers some of the most biodiverse fynbos habitat on Earth.
Drive the Cape Peninsula. The circular route from Cape Town through Hout Bay, the Chapman's Peak coastal road, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve ($20 USD / R370 entry), and back via Simon's Town is one of the world's great scenic drives. Allow a full day.
Visit Boulders Beach penguin colony. The 3,000-strong African penguin colony at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town is the most accessible in South Africa. Entry R220 / $12. Penguins wander among the visitors with complete indifference.
Spend a day in the Winelands. Stellenbosch (45 min) and Franschhoek (1 hour) are the two essential wine towns. The Franschhoek Wine Tram ($25 USD / R460) visits six estates in a hop-on-hop-off format — the most enjoyable wine touring option.
Explore the Bo-Kaap at morning. The Malay quarter's brightly coloured houses are at their most photogenic in the early light. The Bo-Kaap Museum explains the neighbourhood's Cape Malay history and the legacy of the spice trade.
Getting There & Around
Flights: Cape Town International Airport (CPT) has direct flights from London Heathrow (11 hours) and Amsterdam. From the US, connect through Johannesburg (JNB) or London. Return flights from New York from $900-1,400. South African Airways and British Airways operate the main routes.
Getting around: A rental car is the best option for the Cape Peninsula drive and the Winelands. Uber works well within Cape Town and is very affordable by US standards ($3-8 for most city journeys). The MyCiti bus connects the city centre to the V&A Waterfront and Camps Bay.
Currency: South African Rand (ZAR). Current rate approximately R18.5 per USD. South Africa is excellent value for US visitors — a good restaurant dinner costs $15-30 USD. ATMs are widely available.
Daily budget: Budget $50-80 USD/day. Mid-range $120-200 USD/day. Comfortable $250-400 USD/day.
Safety: Cape Town requires more awareness than European cities. Use Uber rather than street taxis, avoid walking alone at night in the city centre and townships, and keep valuables out of sight in cars. The tourist areas — Waterfront, Sea Point, Gardens, Camps Bay — are generally safe.
Best Time to Visit Cape Town
Summer — Recommended (November — March)
The Cape summer is the best time to visit — warm, dry, and with long evenings. December and January are peak season with the best beach weather. February and March are equally good with fewer crowds.
Shoulder Season (October and April)
October brings the wildflowers of the West Coast into bloom — extraordinary if you drive north to the Cederberg. April is the harvest season in the Winelands — the most beautiful time to visit the wine estates.
Winter (May — August)
The Cape winter is mild but wet — temperatures rarely below 10°C / 50°F but grey and rainy. Table Mountain is often obscured for days at a time. Compensated by dramatically lower prices and the whale watching season at Hermanus (July-November).
On my last afternoon I drove to Cape Point and walked to the lighthouse above the cliffs at the end of the peninsula. The Atlantic on one side, the Indian Ocean on the other, the continent behind me. A Cape gannet hung on the wind above the cliff face without moving, effortlessly finding its position between two oceans.
I thought about the dassie on Table Mountain on my first morning and the penguin at Boulders Beach who had waddled directly over my feet without apology. Cape Town accumulates these moments faster than most cities. You arrive with a list of things to see and leave with a different list entirely — things you didn't know existed and now can't stop thinking about.
A former backpacker turned travel writer, James specializes in off-the-beaten-path destinations across Asia and South America. He has lived out of a carry-on for the better part of five years.