After traveling to Cape Town for the second time it just re-confirmed that this is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. With Table Mountain hugging the city on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, it’s never short of a beautiful view. Then in between that is a city full of life, culture, history & delicious food. Travel to Cape Town is definitely something you need to add to your list!

I was traveling through Africa with my friend Bianca when we headed back to South Africa to visit Cape Town. The main reason we wanted to travel to Cape Town again was that during our first trip (which was in August) the weather was so bad, most of the things we wanted to do got canceled. Including climbing Table Mountain and visiting Robben Island. So we thought surly visiting in March would solve that problem?

During this trip to Cape Town, we booked an Airbnb apartment instead of a hotel. We wanted our accommodation to have more of a  local feel to it. We had a two-bedroom apartment on Harrington Street in the city center and this was very reasonably priced. The apartment was in a great area and I always felt very safe & comfortable. I loved having our own little ‘home’ in the city. 

The local currency is South African Rand & 100R is worth approximately 10USD. 

Travel to Cape Town; These are 9 of the reasons why I love this city!

(in no particular order, except Table Mountain really is my number 1)

#1 Hiking:

No travel to Cape Town would be complete without a hike. Table Mountain is right on the city’s doorstep and offering some of the world’s most beautiful climbs. So it’s hard to resist! We did two hikes and I would highly recommend them both. 

Table Mountain

Climbing Table Mountain was by far the best thing I did in Cape Town. I felt like making it to the top was such an achievement and there’s no better way to experience the incredible views of the city & the sea. 

To reach the top of Table Mountain there are a number of different routes that can be taken. There are some full & half-day routes and some of these are only recommended for people with climbing experience. We looked into two half-day routes, Indian Venster & Platteklip Gorge! We decided to go with the Indian Venster route, although this way is said to be much more challenging than Platteklip, it offers better views from both sides of the table. If we were going to do it, why not get the best view possible. 

Do you need a guide?

This would all depend on your experience and skill level! Along the way, there are a few signs and yellow footprints painted on rocks to lead the way. I personally don’t think the path was overly clear in a lot of places though.

We had a guide and loved it; it made the experience more enjoyable and relaxing. We never had to worry about where we were going and it was great having a local to answer any of our questions. 

Our guide’s name was Pete and he was fantastic. Pete had so much experience and knowledge of the mountain and of the city of Cape Town. Also, he was more than happy to stop along the way, a million times, while we took photos.  

I think we were lucky enough to have one of the best guides around so if you’d like to contact Pete to take you up the mountain his phone number is +27 (0) 822 234 822. 

Guides generally start from 750R

This price is per person & will depend on the route. It can be quite an expensive day, but to explore one of the ‘7 wonders of nature’, I think it was well worth the money.

Our day started at 05:30 am when Pete picked us up from our apartment. During the drive, we discussed some of the different routes and that’s when we decided on Indian Venster. Pete said this was the ‘hard’ route and not suitable for anyone who had a fear of heights. We were excited and up for the challenge.

Along the way there are 4 phases of climbing (without ropes), there’s staples & chains, and also the natural rocks for you to use to pull yourself up with. This route is about 7km long and at some points, it could be very difficult. We were thankful we had Pete there as we’d pass him our bags over the climbing sections. I’m no athlete and I managed fine. If you’re considering this route you definitely need some upper body strength and not have a fear of heights. 

The things I would recommend having when climbing Table Mountain are, plenty of food and water, hat, a warm jacket because to begin with it’ll be very cold and long pants to avoid getting scratched by blister bush.

After our hours of walking, we were ready to get the cable car down the mountain. You should always prepare yourself to possibly have to walk back down because the weather in Cape Town is very unpredictable and the cable car closes if the weather turns bad.

A one way trip on the cable car cost 150R per person. 

Lion’s Head

This wasn’t originally in our plan but after having such a great time with Pete climbing Table Mountain, we thought we needed to squeeze Lion’s Head in as well. Plus we didn’t know when we would travel to Cape Town again, so for our last morning, we saw the most amazing sunrise from the peak of Lion’s Head. 

This hike is approximately 5.5km round trip and is much easier than Table Mountain. There’s a lot of steps & uneven ground and also there’s only one climbing section (with chains). Pete picked us up at 4 am which gave us plenty of time to reach the top before sunrise at 06:40. Although we were tired it was great starting early as the paths weren’t full of other hikers. And we made it to the top before anyone else! It was so busy by the time the sun came up. I underestimated how cold it would be up there though so I was freezing waiting for sunrise, I could only imagine how cold it would be in winter. 

We spent a couple of hours at the peak, enjoying the sunrise and the 360 degrees views of Cape Town. It was amazing seeing Table Mountain from that point as well. It was breathtaking and the perfect way to end our trip. We’d taken plenty of food but the only thing that was missing was hot coffee!! 

The way down was pretty easy but full of people (and a few dogs) so we just took our time and enjoyed the views.

#2 V&A Waterfront:

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is one of the most visited destinations in South Africa. A working harbor surrounded by shops and restaurants. It’s a beautiful area to spend the day and there’s always live local music being performed somewhere. This is definitely tourist central, it’s always busy and one of the only places in the city I’d comfortably walk around late at night. This is one of the main stops for the Hop On & Hop Off bus and it’s always very easy to get a taxi or Uber from here.  

#3 Shopping: 

There are some beautiful shops throughout Cape Town but I wouldn’t say the shopping is at all cheap. These are my two favorite places to go shopping in Cape Town; 

• The Watershed at the V & A Waterfront. This is a massive shed filled with stores selling locally designed homewares, jewelry, and clothing. You can find the most beautiful things in here that aren’t sold everywhere. The Watershed is opened daily. 
• Greenmarket Square. This is an outdoor market set up in a historical square in the city center. I did most of my shopping here, there are so many paintings and local craft items. A lot of the stalls sell the same thing, so barter with them until you’re both happy with the price. The market is open daily from 8 am-4 pm.  

#4 Food:

I would travel to Cape Town just to eat! I’m obsessed with the food here. There’s such a wide variety and it’s all so cheap (compared with Australia). With so many cultures influencing the menus, it really is a food lover’s paradise. I believe the main reason the food is so good is because of all the fresh ingredients.

Everything I ate was delicious, including any pre-made meals from Woolworths. Sometimes I wasn’t even hungry, I just knew it would taste so good & I didn’t know if I’d get this opportunity again!

Some of my favorite places to eat were; 

• Food Lovers Market. There’s one next to Greenmarket Square, this is an inside food hall selling everything from sweet, savory & healthy. Food Lovers Market was awesome if you didn’t want to spend much time getting a meal or wanted something on the go. Everything was so fresh and you could also build your own salads and its charged by weight.
• V&A Food Market. Walk around and look at all your options before you make a decision, there was so much good food to choose from. They even have a fudge store selling every flavor you can think of.
• Nourish’d Café & Juicery. I found this little cafe on Instagram before I arrived in Cape Town and was super keen to pay them a visit. They’re environmentally friendly and have an organic, plant-based menu. Also, they sell unicorn lattes… So I had to go! 
• New York Bagels. We stopped here after our hike up Lion’s Head for a coffee and bagel. It was super busy, so I knew it would be good. My bagel was amazing and just as good as NYC. 

#5 Camps Bay Beach:

Camps Bay is about a 15-minute drive from the city center. The setting is so beautiful, with the Atlantic Ocean in front of you and Table Mountain behind, towering over. The water was rough but really blue and clear. Our Uber dropped us off at one end and we planned on walking along the beach to the other. That’s until the wind came and the sand blowing against us, feeling like tiny needles stabbing our bodies. Apparently March is generally very windy & as expected even on a hot day the ocean was still freezing. 

Across the road from the beach is a line of shops, markets, bars & restaurants. We walked along the street, stopping at a number of places for food and cocktails. Everything we ate was beautiful but the best place was Cafe Caprice, great cocktails, food & music. 

Camps Bay is also the perfect place to watch the sunset on the beach. 

#6 Road Trips:

A road trip is a must when you travel to Cape Town. The Cape Peninsula isn’t far from the city so you could even just hire a car for 1 day. That’s what we did and we had so much fun. The drive is so beautiful and easy to navigate. We started by passing through Camps Bay area towards Chapman’s Peak Drive. Which was a stunning scenic drive along the coast, but before you leave check online if the Chapman’s Peak Drive is open! The road is often closed when weather conditions are poor. There’s also a toll to use this road but it was only R30. Going this way means you’ll pass through Hout Bay, which is really pretty and worth stopping at. Only negative was it stank like fish! 

The main reason we hired a car was to visit Boulders Beach and see the penguins. This was about an hour’s drive from the city. Close by boulders is Simons Town, which is the biggest town in the area. If you plan on continuing south I recommend eating here first, it was a cute little town with plenty of restaurants and shops. 

Right at the end of the peninsula is a lighthouse and if you wanted to drive down, the road toll is R145 per person. But we didn’t bother going down there. 

On the way back we took the coast road along False Bay, I was really hoping to see sharks but no luck! Driving north of Simone’s town towards Muizenberg, there are a number of beaches and little towns to stop at. This area really didn’t feel like Africa, the Dutch influence there was very clear.

Cape Town Car Hire

There is plenty of car hire companies in Cape Town, so easy to shop around for a price you’re happy with. We were after an automatic car and noticed there was a massive price difference between them and the manual cars. Be careful of hidden fees as well, we found there to be more extra fees than anywhere else in the world we’d hired a car before! 

#7 Boulders Beach:  

Cutest day ever…. You couldn’t travel to Cape Town & not see the penguins! Boulders Beach is part of Table Mountain National Park and is famous for its colony of African penguins. It’s hard to believe these penguins are endangered because there were so many of them. They are also the only breed of penguins found on the African continent. 

Entry to the national park cost R75 and it’s worth checking the tide times before you go. Visiting at low-tide will allow you to see a lot more penguins. Entry is through the visitors center and just behind are two wooden viewing platforms overlooking Foxy’s beach. This beach had the largest amount of penguins that we saw.

Afterward, you can walk about 5-10 minutes along the path to actual Boulders Beach. You’ll have to do a bit of rock climbing on the beach to get to the best areas but it’s not difficult. Here you can swim and sit with penguins on the sand. There are signs advising it’s an R500 fine if you feed or touch the penguins. Although, we never saw any rangers. As an animal lover, I was never concerned about anyone trying to touch or pick up the penguins. They had so much such sass about them, we saw people who were getting to close and the penguins would try to bite them. 😂

#8 Museums:

With South Africa having such a heartbreaking history I think it’s important to visit at least one museum during your travels to Cape Town. You’ll learn about what happened, not so long ago, and how the city has bounced back from such oppression. 

District 6

This was once a lively inner-city, residential area. Until the apartheid regime took over and residents were forcibly removed from their homes to make way for the white community. 

The museum opened in 1994 by the District Six Foundation, the doors are open every day except Sunday, and it cost R40 to enter or R55 with a guide. I highly recommend getting a guide, it makes the information much easier to follow and understand. All the guides are ex-residents, who all have their own stories to share. Our guide’s name was Ruth and she happily answered any questions we had. I had to hold back my tears when Ruth was telling the story of how her family was removed from their home. It’s hard to believe it all really happened.  

Bo-Kaap

Cape Town’s most colorful area is Bo-Kaap. You’ll want to visit during the day to appreciate the beauty of the houses. Sitting below signal hill are the homes of former slaves and an area that was once one of Cape Town’s most multicultural spots. It was also formerly known as the Malay Quarter and when we were there I was lucky enough to get some Malay street food. There’s also a museum there, but either way, it’s worth passing through to see the houses. 

#9 Robben Island:

This is the location of the infamous prison, that held Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27-year jail term. Nelson Mandela is someone I will always admire and believe that he’s one of history’s great heroes.   

I was really interested in doing this tour and learning more about this great man. We attempted to do it on our first trip to Cape Town but with the bad weather, all the ferries were canceled so unfortunately never made it over. This time we purchased our tickets early & planned to go on our second day in the city. The tours depart 3 times a day, you can buy your tickets online, one adult cost R340. 

We arrived at the Nelson Mandela Gateway, at the V & A Waterfront just before 9 am. It was a beautiful day, sunny, no wind, so had no doubt we’d be going. Then I walked in and the lady behind the desk said “No, no ferries today. Bad weather” huh? Bianca didn’t believe me when I walked out to tell her!

Luckily we could reschedule for Thursday!!! If we weren’t able to go any other time we would have gotten a full refund.

Anyway, so Thursday came along & thankfully we actually went (third time lucky).

Robben Island is a 30-minute ferry ride from the V & A Waterfront.

It was a beautiful day but still, the boat was rocking… I was starting to see why these tours get canceled so often. Along the way, we saw seals & whales swimming around. Once on the island, we hopped on a bus for a 45 minute guided tour of the Island. Then we visited the prison, guided by a former political prisoner, and finished the tour in Nelson Mandela’s cell. 

Before we went on this tour I had heard some negative reviews and can now see why! The tour wasn’t terrible but I feel I didn’t take much away from it apart from saying I’ve been in Nelson Mandela’s cell. Both of our guides didn’t offer much history, didn’t talk about why the political prisoners were there & how long for, etc. They more so just spoke about what they ate in prison & how they’d spend their days. Also, a lot of the information we received in prison, we had already been told about on the bus. From a former prisoner, I was hoping to hear more of a personal experience. Like what Ruth had shared with us at the District 6 museum.

If this is something you plan on doing, I suggest booking the 9 am tour, as the later ones cancel more often. 

…..Something else I recommend if you travel to Cape Town;

During my visit in 2013, I did the cage dive with Great White Sharks! It was an incredible experience. I booked through Sharklady cage diving and I remember them being really good. Most of these trips leave from Gansbaai but our tour included pick up from Cape Town. If I did this again though I’d look for a company that offered more than just a snorkel mask. I wish we had actual oxygen tanks so I could stay underwater for longer. The cage was knocking about with the waves and it was difficult at times to get under before the shark swam away. Also, this trip was in August so the water was bloody freezing, even with a full wetsuit! Keep that in mind if you’re planning to go in winter. 

When planning to travel to Cape Town, don’t expect much to be happening on Sundays. To our surprise the city was dead, the streets were quiet and nearly everything was closed, even most supermarkets. The only area we found to be busy was the V & A Waterfront.

I absolutely love this city and could easily travel to Cape Town again and again. The food, the culture, the history, and the hiking, I just love everything the city has to offer.

I’ve been asked a few times if I found it safe, I don’t exactly know what the crime rate is in Cape Town, but personally I always felt safe. I did choose to very rarely walk the streets after dark, there’s a lot of homelessness in the city and I noticed at night there were often people just hanging around, so that made me slightly uneasy. But avoiding walking was easy enough, there are so many Ubers in the city and it’s such a cheap way to get around. 

Have I convinced you to travel to Cape Town? The city really is amazing! Start by booking a beautiful city apartment here.

Thanks for reading, 

Happy Travels.