ANEESH & SHABANA
Things To Do in Cape Town
Table Mountain
A trip up this iconic landmark is absolutely worth your time. The energetic might like to hike, but nobody’s judging if you plump for the cable car. The Table Mountain aerial cableway has been ferrying passengers to the top of Table Mountain for almost 90 years, and with its 360* rotating floor and epic views its definitely worth taking the ride.
Boulders Beach
Sandy stretch of shoreline on the Cape Peninsula with rocky outcrops and wild waves. Not so good for lounging on or swimming in, but makes for a wonderful coastal walk. Particularly as it’s home to a load of African penguins.
Robben Island
This World Heritage Site in Table Bay is where you'll find the prison that held Nelson Mandela during apartheid, along with hundreds of other political detainees. Now a living museum, Robben Island Prison is a site of major – if horrific – historical importance. Just shy of 7km from the Cape Town coast, visitors are welcome on pre-booked tours, which are led by former inmates.
Cape Winelands
South Africa knows how to do wine, and if you’re a person who enjoys places that do wine well (we like you already!) - you need to get yourself to the Cape Winelands. Only a scenic hour’s drive from Cape Town and home to many of South Africa’s famous wine estates, the wine region is all rolling vineyards, towering mountains, and historic colonial architecture. The most famous town of the Cape Winelands, Stellenbosch, is beautiful and definitely worth a visit - but for an equally delicious day trip with as much eye-candy, we recommend spending more time in Franschhoek. One of South Africa’s oldest towns, it’s got splendid wines, delicious food, epic scenery - and all minus the crowds of Stelly.
Kalk Bay
Kalk Bay might be a little fishing village at heart, but it’s also one of Cape Town’s trendiest seaside villages. The pace of life is slower here, and beats with a chilled out, bohemian atmosphere and quirky street scene. Hip cafes serve amazing coffee, interesting antique shops sell you bargains you didn’t even know you wanted, and chilled beach bars whisper to you to come enjoy that sundowner you’ve been craving all day.
Camps Bay
Skirting the western edge of Table Mountain is Camps Bay, a vast stretch of soft sand flanked by cute cafés and bustling bars. Also, the beach-side restaurants provide a great atmosphere for evening cocktails and people-watching. The beach is truly beautiful and very close to many superb restaurants. Sipping cocktails while watching the sun set is amazing on this beach.
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
The Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront buzzes with activity at all hours of the day. This bustling harbor—built in the late 19th century by Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred—has acted as the stopover point for European ships for centuries. Today, the waterfront caters to tourists and residents alike, boasting beautiful views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean, a wide array of shopping venues, restaurants, and notable attractions, like the Two Oceans Aquarium. This is also the jumping off point for whale-watching tours and excursions to Robben Island. When the sun sets, the V&A Waterfront comes alive with music flowing out over the ships as steadily as cocktails are poured into glasses at the neighborhood's many bars.
Bo-Kaap
You probably won’t have ever visited a suburb quite like Bo Kaap before. Nestled under Signal Hill on the edge of the Cape Town CBD, the Malay Quarter of Cape Town could also be confused for a gigantic bag of exploded skittles. Really. Each house is cheerily painted in vivid colours - pinks, blues, purples, green - transforming the suburb into one of the most instagrammable places in the city. It’s also a melting pot of muslim culture, and with that comes scrumptious food! Enjoy the aromatic spices that waft through the air, join a cooking class with Lekka Kombuis and learn more about the distinct Malay culture - while mastering the delicious Cape Malay cuisine!
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Cape Town is extremely rich in biodiversity, and there’s no better place to check some of this out than at one of the greatest botanical gardens of the world, Kirstenbosch. Now home to over 7,000 plant species (many endangered) these gardens have been around since 1913, and are the only botanical garden to be housed within a UNESCO World Heritage Zone.