Cape Town, South Africa: A Short Travel Guide

Updated: 2 days ago

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.

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.

lions head cape town south africa — 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 cape town south africa — 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

bo kaap cape town south africa — 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:

Tap on the link to open it (click button below)
Tap Follow. This list will now be added to the group of lists you follow.
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