Take a look at our list of the top 20 best things to do in Cape Town
Cape Town is an important coastal city in the country of South Africa. The country is a bit unique in the way that there are three capitals, with Pretoria being the executive capital, Bloemfontein being the judicial capital, and finally Cape Town being the legislative capital, as the Parliament of South Africa is located here. The city is famous for its harbour, as it was first used by European ships sailing to India and the Far East, going around Africa. Today, it’s still just as important, and has since been developed alongside with the country and the city itself. Due to its original purpose, it’s a very multicultural city as many immigrants came here. Nowadays people still come here to live here or just be a tourist, and for good reason, as there are quite a lot of popular attractions here, not to mention the setting of the city itself. We have collected a list of the top 20 things to do in Cape Town to make your travels easier for you.
- Table Mountain
Table Mountain is possibly the most well-known landmark of Cape Town. It got its name for its flat shape, which is easily recognizable from the distance. Travelers have numerous ways of going up the mountain, but the two most popular is either hiking when the whether is good, or using the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, which can offer spectacular views, not to mention when you finally arrive at the top. Climbing the mountain is easily one of the best things to do in Cape Town. The mountain is also part of a national park of the same name, which encompasses other popular attractions and sites as well.
2. Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach got its name from the massive boulders that are scattered across the sands and separate the shoreline into smaller, private coves. The sunny beach is quite popular here, but even more popular are the locals, the African penguins. These cute little animals are usually found on the sandy beaches sunbathing or swimming. They are quite accustomed to people, but please try not to disturb them too much.
3. Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point
The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point are rocky headlands on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, as they divide the Atlantic Ocean and False Bay. They are encompassed by the Table Mountain National Park and feature miles of peaceful walking trails lined with fynbos, a local colorful shrub-like plant, and with many ostriches and baboons. It is often said that these two are the southernmost tips of Africa, but that is in fact Cape Agulhas, around 150 km to the east-southeast. Nevertheless, this place is just as beautiful, and makes you feel like you are standing on the edge of the world.
4. Camps Bay
Camps Bay is a vast stretch of soft sand flanked by great cafés and bustling bars. Due to the climate here, the water is probably too cold for swimming for most people, but sunbathing, strolling around the beach and going to the cafés, restaurants and bars are still popular choices, Coming here during the day or night doesn’t matter, as life doesn’t stop for a while, and the atmosphere is always great.
5. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens rest on the eastern slope of Table Mountain, and it’s a good choice to visit it on your way up or when you are leaving the mountain. The gardens feature more than 7,000 species of indigenous plants, many of them rare or threatened. The gardens together with the sculptures scattered around provide a beautiful view on the side of the mountain.
6. Kirstenbosch Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway
One part of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens deserves a special mention, as it can be both counted as a part of the garden, and an entirely seperate attraction for those who are not interested in the plants themselves. The Kirstenbosch Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway is a 130 m long curved steel and timber bridge that literally goes through and above the tree canopies. It is a narrow walkway with some wider, more open areas to enjoy the scenery. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that shouldn’t be missed on the list of things to do in Cape Town.
7. Constantia Valley
South Africa has a flourishing wine industry and has numerous wineries throughout the country. One of which is located near Cape Town, the Constantia Valley. The region is characterized by oak-lined streets and wonderful historical mansions next to the wineries. Guided tours and tastings are of course available in most of these.
8. Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront
The Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront is a popular harbour that has acted as the stopover point for European ships for centuries. Today it is mostly famous for being a great place to just enjoy a drink at a local bar during the day or at night when the place gets even more lively, with wonderful music playing in the background.
9. Two Oceans Aquarium
The Two Oceans Aquarium is located at the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront, and just like its name suggests, it’s an aquarium dedicated to the wildlife of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, seeing as how Cape Town is almost at the intersection of the two. The aquarium houses more than 3000 creatures with a wide variety of species. The place is especially good if you come with children, as it’s even more educational for them.
10. Robben Island
Located a few kilometres off the coast of Cape Town, Robben Island is famous for its interesting albeit sad history. It has acted as a military base, a home for a leper colony, a mental institution, and, most famously, a prison. It was here that Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, was held captive. Nowadays a museum stands here showing the history of the island, with guided tours with some of the former inmates of the prison.
11. District Six Museum
The District Six Museum is dedicated to the forced movement of 60,000 inhabitants of various races to District Six during Apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s, declaring it a “white neighborhood”. The exhibits recount the stories of the citizens, while the floor of the museum is covered with a big map of the district on which hand written notes of former inhabitants indicate where their houses were located.
12. Clifton Beach
Clifton Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Cape Town. Located at the western edge of Table Mountain, the beach stays protected from the chilly winds of the city, although the water is often still quite cold for a lot of people. Nevertheless, sunbathing and eating at a local restaurant is still quite enjoyable.
13. Greenmarket Square
Over the years, the Greenmarket Square has served as a slave market, a fruits and vegetable market, a parking lot and more recently, a flea market trading mainly African souvenirs, crafts and other goods. While you are checking out the wares of the market, street musicians and dancers make the place even livelier.
14. Bo-Kaap
Bo-Kaap is a muslim neighborhood of Cape Town which is easily recognizable by its countless peculiar colorful buildings. Although there isn’t much to do at the place, the buildings themselves and the museum dedicated to the history of the neighborhood are worth a visit.
15. Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is a unique star-shaped fortress that served both as an administrative and military center in South Africa. While it’s still the region’s military stronghold, the Castle of Good Hope also houses a several museums which offer guided tours. If you arrive at a good time, you can even see and hear the firing of the Signal Cannon.
16. Macassar Beach Pavilion
The Macassar Beach Pavilion was once a waterpark and part of the Macassar Dunes Reserve. It has been abandoned for quite a while and now it is slowly overtaken by the sands and dunes brought by the wind and the water. Today it’s like a giant sandbox.
17. Seal Island
The Seal Island is a small land mass located a few kilometres off the coast of Cape Town that is famous for being home to at least 60 thousand cape fur seals that go there to breed. Fortunately they are left alone by humans, though people wanted to claim the land in the past. Another curious albeit scary feature of the island is that sharks also like the place because of the number of preys there. They surround the island in a “ring of death” waiting for any seal to swim too far from the land.
18. South African Astronomical Observatory
Cape Town is also home to the headquarters of the South African Astronomical Observatory, although the main telescopes are located much further inland. Most of these were originally here, but were later moved there to make us of the clearer sky, farther away from the cities. Some parts are still left here though, which visitors can check out.
19. Cape Town City Hall
Located in front of the the Grand Parade square, the Cape Town City Hall housed the offices of the city, which later moved somewhere else. Nelson Mandela also made his first public speech here after his release from prison. Today the buildings is used for cultural and creative events.
20. Long Street
Long Street is a popular road for tourists as there are numerous restaurants, cafés, shops and bars through the whole street. These are all local or ethnic, so you can try many different types of food while you are here. Coming here day or night doesn’t matter, as life doesn’t stop for a while.
