South Africa: Cape Town

We arrived in Cape Town, the Mother City; with its picture perfect beaches, glittering ocean, Victorian architecture, delicious restaurants, excellent art galleries, buzzing nightlife and the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain. We were supposed to stay for 3 nights but ended up extending our stay to twice that and it still didn’t feel like long enough.

 

What to see and do:

Here is a recap of our favourite things to do in Cape Town:

The V&A waterfront is a hub of activity, with an array of restaurants, bars, shops and hotels. At a minimum you should take a walk around to see the architecture and soak up the atmosphere. We enjoyed the harbour cruise, where you can learn about the history of the area and will have a chance to see a few seals too. The waterfront is home to some great museums, the Cape Town aquarium and a fantastic indoor food market. We found the canal cruise tour boring and would give that a miss if you have a choice. The Ferris Wheel was included in our activities pass so we thought it would be rude not to take a ride, but we probably wouldn’t pay separately for that either.

No trip to Cape Town would be complete without a visit to the District 6 museum.  It can be easy to focus on Cape Town’s beauty and sparkle without digging into the history of its inhabitants and culture, but it was truly humbling to learn about the realities of apartheid and sobering to think that all of this happened so recently. Go there and learn for yourself, it will give you a true appreciation of the people of South Africa and what they have been through. You will understand so much more about why the country is the way it is today and we left with a feeling of hope that the wounds of the past will continue to be healed into the future.

Another Cape Town highlight for us was the new Zeitch Museum of Contemporary Art ,which is down at the V & A Waterfront. The permanent and temporary art exhibits are some of the most impressive in Africa, as well as the building that houses the museum, which is a work of art in itself. Set in a huge grain silo with incredible industrial features and spiral staircases, the architecture is as much a part of the attraction as the art contained within.

The Castle of Good Hope – offered another perspective on Cape Town’s history and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around it’s walls as well as the art exhibition they were hosting inside the castle itself.

Table Mountain is possibly Cape Town’s most iconic attraction. You can hike its steep sides, via several well marked trails or take the easy option (as we did) and use the cable car.  The views from the top have to be seen to be believed and the scale of the city can only really be appreciated from this perspective.  You should plan to spend several hours exploring here, as there are many walking trails, viewpoints and photo opportunities at top – as well as a chance to meet Cape Town’s super cute Dassies (AKA Rock Hyraxes) – just don’t feed them, they bite. The floral kingdom unique to this part of Africa is also very beautiful and completes this unmissable experience.

Take time to walk around Cape Town to take in its architecture and cosmopolitan vibe. Our favourite spots to stroll were Bree Street and Company Gardens – where you will find the National Gallery.  There are several free walking tours that you can take (you just pay a tip), if you’d prefer more structure to your wandering.

For sundowners you can’t get better than Cape Town’s beaches and seafront promenade, our favourite spot was Camps Bay but you will be spoilt for choice.

We were lucky to be in Cape Town for First Thursday – this event, which is held on the first Thursday of every month sees Cape Town’s art galleries and bars stay open late into the night and host special events producing a festival like atmosphere. It’s a great experience and the normally edgy streets of Cape Town are flowing with people walking, talking, drinking and enjoying the local artists works and the energy of the night.

Cape Point, the Constantia wine region and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are also places you should visit from Cape Town but more about these in our next post…

Where to stay:

We stayed at an AirBnB opposite Company Gardens for 5 nights, this allowed us to stay centrally and cheaply; with the comforts of home.  We also stayed at InnScape on Castle for one night as it was just around the corner from where our next tour would leave at 7am in the morning. It is a small boutique hotel close to Long Street and the city, with reasonable room rates, so you have everything you should need.

Getting around:

Uber is up and running in Cape Town and works well. Typically a ride will cost around R20 R40 so it is a cheap and safe way to travel. Walking during the day is a great way to see the city and get familiarised with your surroundings, whilst taking in some of Cape Town’s great architecture and views. We also used the hop on hop off bus. (more about this below).

Where to eat.

There are so many different types of cuisine available in Cape Town and the quality is fantastic so you should be able to find something you like. If you are a meat eater, you can’t leave without eating steak, which was some of the best we’ve ever had. We treated ourselves to a meal at a Cattle Baron Grill steakhouse on the first night. Admittedly this is a chain restaurant so maybe lacks a bit of soul but they can certainly cook a great steak. We had blue cheese snails to start, a chateaubriand to share with sides and 2 desserts plus a great bottle of wine for less than AUD$50 per person.

We discovered Woolworths and quickly saw the many similarities between it and M&S back in the UK, so we stocked up on some provisions to cook at home and save some $$ (another benefit of AirBnB!).

If you like a good burger then we would recommend the Royale Eatery on Long Street. For delicious tapas, charcuterie and cheese boards and an incredible wine list then you can’t go past the Publik Wine bar , which is in a really trendy part of Cape Town.  Our favourite brunch spot was Bacon On Bree, who make their own small goods – Bree Street is also great for a wander around with it’s pretty coloured buildings, boutique stores and eateries.  For lunch on the go, the food market at the V&A waterfront has lots of delicious options – try the pies, the biltong and the seafood. Finally Masala Dosa, is an Indian restaurant on Long Street which specialises in dosa, exotic thalis and you have to try the aloo bombs. There are lots of vegetarian and vegan options, the food was delicious and the service great too despite one person waiting on the whole restaurant.

Safety

We had heard a lot about crime in South Africa and in Cape Town so were a bit apprehensive.  This said, we had no issues whatsoever whilst we were there. You need to keep your wits about you and be sensible but we felt generally safe in the daylight hours. We didn’t carry valuables around with us and at night time we followed advice to stick to public spaces and not travel on our own.  As with many big cities, you may be approached by people asking for money. We were advised that it is best not to engage with them or to hand out money; if they persist then a polite no will suffice. There are lots of security guards and tourist police on the streets, so you should not have any real problems but apply basic common sense and you should be fine. General advice is that if you want to help, there are organisations that help the homeless who you can donate to or a gift of food is much better than giving money.

Bus and activities pass.

On Long Street there is a tour office that offers all kinds of options for you to tailor to the time and budget you have available. We opted for the 3 days bus and activity pass as it worked out cheaper than paying individually for the things we wanted to see. The hop on hop off bus has 3 different routes, including a winery bus which takes you through the beautiful Constantia region. They also offer harbour and canal cruises. The activities pass includes far more than you could ever do in 3 days so you can really tailor your trip to the things you most enjoy.

Tour offices.

• We found Detour Africa on Long Street just near our accommodation, Louise was helpful in guiding our vague ideas into a cohesive plan for an overland tour (more on that later also).