Cape Town, South Africa: A Short Travel Guide

Located at the southwestern tip of South Africa, Cape Town is a diverse city known for its stunning natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant culture. Surrounded by the iconic Table Mountain and the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Town offers a unique mix of urban sophistication and outdoor adventure. In this travel guide, we share our top things to do in Cape Town as well as great places to stay, eat, and drink.

View of Cape Town from Robben Island

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Check out our video about Cape Town to see the best things to do through our camera!

Best Things To Do In Cape Town

• Explore the historic city center (Go on a free walking tour)

• Bike the Sea Point Promenade (Rent bikes at Up Cycles)

• Visit District Six Museum

• Enjoy the V&A Waterfront (shop, dine, and take a sunset cruise)

• Watch a sports game (See the sports game calendar & tickets)

• Take the scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive

• See colorful Bo-Kaap

• Tour Robben Island (Buy tickets in advance)

• Eat at one of the food markets (Oranjezicht City Farm Market and Time Out Market are great)

• Sip wine in the Cape Winelands (Visit wineries by wine tram in Fransschoek)

• Explore the Cape Peninsula highlights (Boulders Beach penguins and Cape of the Good Hope - visit as a day tour from Cape Town)

• Ascend Table Mountain (Hike the Platteklip Gorge Trail, Kasteelspoort Trail, or take a cable car to the summit)

• Stroll around Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

• Relax at the beaches (Bakoven, Camps Bay, Hout Bay, and Bloubergstrand are amongst our favorite beaches)

• Hike Lion’s Head at sunset
  

Download our Google Map with all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay here.

Lion's Head at sunset

Places To Stay In Cape Town

• Oranjehof Studios - Gardens Area ($): good and safe location close to the downtown area

• Casa on Apple Kei - Sea Point ($$): where we stayed, clean and modern apartment in a safe area, close to the beach and supermarket and mall

• Mountain Marina Luxury Apartments - V&A Waterfront ($$$): luxury apartment right at the waterfront

Bakoven area

Places To Eat And Drink In Cape Town

• Biesmiellah Restaurant: traditional Cape Malay cuisine in the heart of Bo-Kaap

• Bo-Kaap Kombuis: another traditional Cape Malay restaurant

• Burger & Lobster: originally from London (UK), this is our favorite burger restaurant in the world

• Col'Cacchio Camps Bay: great pizza place at Camps Bay

• Dapper Coffee Co: good coffee in downtown area

• Den Anker: Belgian restaurant with great breakfast, lunch, and dinner at V&A Waterfront. Also try the Belgian beers!

• Foresters Arm: local pub serving Castle beer from the tank

• GOLD Restaurant: for an authentic African experience with performances

• Groot Constantia: great wine tasting and lunch near Cape Town

• JARRYDS Brunch & Bistro: best brunch in Sea Point

• Kanéla Café: lovely coffee shop in Sea Point (great lunch too)

• Long Street: This street is known for its nightlife with lots of bars and restaurants

• Mantra Cafe: lovely, cozy restaurant in Camps Bay with a variety of delicious food and wine

• Mojo Market: great food market in Sea Point

• Oranjezicht City Farm Market: our favorite market with fresh local produce and delicious treats near the V&A waterfront, it's only open on weekend mornings until 2PM and Wednesday evenings.

• Prashad Café (Kloof Street): delicious vegan and vegetarian Indian food

• The Raj: Indian restaurant in Camps Bay that offers a wide variety of curries, biryanis, and other Indian dishes

• Scheckter's RAW Sea Point: healthy breakfast and lunch options, the vegan burgers are delicious

• Timbuktu Coffee: quiet coffee shop in heart of downtown

• Time Out Market: lots of different gourmet dishes at affordable prices

• Vivaldi Restaurant: South Africa restaurant with delicious meat and local delicacies

colorful Bo-Kaap

Map Cape Town

Find all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay in Cape Town on Google Maps. To follow and save the list, do the following:

1. Tap on the link to open it (click button below)

2. Tap Follow. This list will now be added to the group of lists you follow.

3. Optional: To unfollow a list someone shared with you, tap the list Saved.

If you follow the list we made, all our saved places of Cape Town will show up in Your Places. The places will also appear as suggested locations in Google Maps.

Save Google Maps Places

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Use These Websites To Save Money On Your Trip To Cape Town

• Booking.com for places to stay

• Skyscanner for cheap flights

• GetYourGuide for local tours

• Rentalcars.com for affordable car rentals

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Are you having a hard time planning your trip to Cape Town? Get our Interactive Travel Planner to keep it all organized.

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Need more travel inspiration? Check out our other destinations and articles about South Africa:

• Garden Route

• Panorama Route