Explore the best things to do in Cape Town, the Mother City of South Africa with our list of the top tourist attractions in Cape Town. Cape Town is ranked as a Beta world city and is known for its beauty, its natural setting in the Cape Floristic region, and for it’s famous landmarks such as Table Mountain.
Check out the most Amazing Beaches
Cape Town beaches boast not only long stretches of white-gold sand, they are also set to a gorgeous natural backdrop of towering mountains and cliffs. The best beaches of Cape Town include Muizenberg, Blouberg, Clifton Beach, Hout Bay, Camps Bay, Mouille Point Beach, Long Beach, Beta Beach, Llandudno Beach, Boulders Beach, Oudekraal Beach, St. James Beach.
Summit Table Mountain
There are two ways to summit the most famous flat-topped elevation of South Africa – by foot or by cable car. Table Mountains’ rotating cable car offers incredible views of the Mother city, and takes only a few minutes to reach the summit.
Shop at the V&A Waterfront
The V&A Waterfront is a buzzing entertainment magnet and is now one of the city’s top tourist attractions. Tourists flock here to shop, visit jazz venues, restaurants, hotels, theaters, cinemas, and museums.
Explore Bo-Kaap
Located in between Cape Town city center and the foothills of Signal Hill, Bo-Kaap is one of the oldest and most historic residential areas in Cape Town. The of Bo-Kaap are famous for their eye-catching coloured homes of Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian inspired architecture. Make sure to sample its famous Cape Malay cuisine – a unique blend of Middle Eastern, South East Asian and Dutch styles.
Penguins at Boulders Bay
Visitors can enjoy close-up encounters with wild penguins surrounded by granite boulders, rock pools and calm bays. A short walk from the main beach is Foxy Beach is also great for viewing the penguins with a walkway that leads past the prime sites. Some say this is one of the best things to do in Cape Town.
Explore Cape Point
Cape Point is a very high point of land at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in South Africa. Cape Point lies within the southernmost tip of Table Mountains National Park and is part of the Cape Floral Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the richest areas of flora in the world.
Visit Stellenbosch
The second oldest town in South Africa, Stellenbosch is known for its natural beauty and oak-lined avenues, Cape Dutch architecture, history and culture – and of course its wine routes. Some of the best wine farms to visit include Lanzerac, Tokara, Delaire Graff, Kleine Zalze, Hazendal, Quoin Rock and Spier.
Dining with a Difference
Fable on Bree Street is a famous cocktail bar that offers 8 speciality cocktails, each named after a local fable. The menu encourages you to order according to flavour profiles rather than ingredients.
The Art of Duplicity is hidden 1920’s themed bar with an intimate setting, live jazz music and the waitrons dressed in Gatsby-esque glamour. While the existence of this secret Cape Town speakeasy was initially only disclosed through word of mouth, you can now make a booking. But this is no ordinary restaurant booking. Each booking comes paired with a secret password, address, and a series of prompts.
Dust and Dynamite Saloon is a rodeo-style saloon that is decorated from head to toe in all kinds of Wild West paraphernalia with cowboy hats dangling from the ceiling, swinging saloon doors, bright-red theatre curtains, an old honky-tonk piano against a wall, and wood panelling everywhere.
The Panty Bar is located at the Paternoster Hotel where regular donations of panties ensure the tradition continues to the amusement of visitors from all over the world.
The House of Machines is a motorbike workshop, café, and men’s apparel shop by day; and a cultishly cool bar by night. And, somehow, added to this eclectic mix, is a much-loved café. It doesn’t get more nonconformist than a speakeasy-themed space selling coffee, café racers, collared shirts and classic cocktails all under one dimly lit roof!
