Table Mountain & the city bowl
The cable car and several hiking routes reach the top of Table Mountain, with the city, both oceans and the Peninsula visible on a clear day. The City Bowl neighbourhoods sit in its shadow.
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Cape Town& the Cape Peninsula.
A city beneath a mountain, with two oceans meeting near its southern tip — the obvious place to begin, or end, a South African journey.
Overview
A city built around a mountain and the sea.
Cape Town sits at the foot of Table Mountain, on a peninsula where the city bowl, the Atlantic seaboard suburbs and the quieter False Bay side each have a different character. It is South Africa's most visited city, and for most itineraries the natural start or finish point of a longer journey.
The city centre, the V&A Waterfront, and neighbourhoods like Gardens, Tamboerskloof and Green Point sit close together beneath the mountain, while Camps Bay and the rest of the Atlantic seaboard face the ocean on the city's western flank. Further around the Peninsula, the False Bay coast — Simon's Town, Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay and Gordon's Bay — has a slower, more maritime feel, within reach of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.
Most visitors combine a few nights in the city with day trips — Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Peninsula drive to Cape Point, and a day in the Winelands — before continuing on to the Garden Route or a Kruger safari.
The V&A Waterfront
A working harbour turned shopping, dining and entertainment precinct, with the Two Oceans Aquarium and regular boat departures, including the ferry to Robben Island.
Robben Island
The former prison island where Nelson Mandela was held, reached by ferry from the Waterfront and run as a museum and heritage site.
The Cape Peninsula drive
A scenic road down the Atlantic side and back up the False Bay side, taking in Chapman's Peak, the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, and Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip.
Where to stay
The City Bowl & the Atlantic seaboard.
Close to Table Mountain, the Waterfront and the city's restaurants and galleries — a practical base for a first few nights in Cape Town.
Green Point
Cheviot Place Guest House
A boutique guesthouse in Green Point, close to the Waterfront and the stadium precinct.
GardensTintagel Guest House
A restored 19th-century Victorian townhouse on New Church Street, Gardens, within walking distance of the city centre.
De Waterkant / Green PointCape Finest Guesthouse
Part of a small group of city and Camps Bay properties, between De Waterkant and Green Point.
TamboerskloofParker Cottage Guesthouse
A long-established guesthouse on Carstens Street, Tamboerskloof, on the lower slopes of Table Mountain.
False Bay & the Peninsula
The quieter side of the Peninsula.
Around the mountain from the Atlantic seaboard, the False Bay coast runs from Muizenberg through Fish Hoek and Simon's Town to Cape Point, with Gordon's Bay on the bay's eastern arm — generally quieter and more maritime than the city side, and a good base for visiting the penguins at Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope.
Simon's Town
Simon's Town Guest House
On Bennett Close in Cairnside, close to the naval harbour and Boulders Beach penguin colony.
Simon's TownA Boat House
On Dolphin Way in Simonskloof — a good alternative to staying in central Cape Town for a Peninsula-focused stay.
Fish HoekSunny Cove Manor Guesthouse
A well-priced Peninsula base in Fish Hoek, between Muizenberg and Simon's Town.
Gordon's BayManor on the Bay
On the eastern arm of False Bay, a convenient stop for clients travelling between Cape Town and the Winelands or Garden Route.
When to go
An opposite calendar to the safari regions.
Cape Town has a Mediterranean-style climate, with the dry season running through the southern-hemisphere summer. This is the opposite pattern to Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, whose peak safari season falls in the drier winter months — worth factoring in when combining Cape Town with a safari in the same trip.
For the detail on how South Africa's seasons line up against Botswana and Zimbabwe, see the FAQ on our client planning reference. Seasons FAQ →
Combine it
Cape Town with the Winelands, the coast, or a safari.
Cape Town works best as one chapter of a longer South African journey — a few nights in the city, then on to the Winelands, the Garden Route, or a Kruger safari.
The Winelands
Stellenbosch and the wine estates are under an hour from the city — an easy day trip or a short stay of their own.
The Garden Route
A scenic drive east along the southern coast towards Mossel Bay, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
Cape Town & Winelands Classic
5 nights, 2 camps, from US$1,950 per person sharing — indicative pricing, confirm before quoting.
City, mountain, two oceans.
Tell us how many nights you have in Cape Town, and a consultant will put together the right base and itinerary.