Stories · South Africa
5 days in Cape Town
The story I wish I had read before going.
Cape Town is the most beautiful city I know, and I weigh my words: a flat mountain set above a bay, two oceans meeting at the end of a cape, penguins on a beach and vineyards twenty minutes away. Plan on a car, a windbreaker, and days that start early.
Day 1 · Fresh air
To start, it’s Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The botanical garden on the mountain slopes, the canopy walkway, and the Sunday concerts in summer. A picnic on the grass. Travellers give it 4.8 out of 5 (34,703 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise go through Tiqets.
Around noon, I make my way to Run Cape Town - Sightseeing on the Run. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
At lunchtime, stay around Cape Town: a noisy room, a dish of the day, and you’ve understood everything.
Later, meet me at Deer Park. Go late in the afternoon: the heat drops, the light softens and the photos take themselves. 4.7 out of 5 across 969 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or compare on Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Cape Town is a city that tells itself better at night.
Day 2 · The icons
In the morning, head to Cape Point Nature Reserve. The kids will still be talking about it weeks later. So will the adults, though they admit it less. Everyone goes; everyone is right. 4.7 out of 5 across 11,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Late morning, head to V&A Waterfront. The harbour, the seals, the museums, the restaurants: touristy but pleasant, especially in the evening, with the mountain turning red behind. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (111,000 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: how to get there · travellers’ reviews.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
After lunch, I make my way to Cape of Good Hope. Chapman’s Peak Drive, the lighthouse, the baboons, and a wind that makes you stand sideways. The most spectacular day of the trip. 4.7 out of 5 across 14,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Cape Town does the rest.
Day 3 · Day trip
Early in the morning, head to Boulders Beach. On the road to Simon’s Town, a colony of African penguins on a beach of white sand and round boulders. Children cannot believe it. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (29,190 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise also check Tiqets.
Day 4 · The icons
Early in the morning, meet me at Two Oceans Aquarium. The kids will still be talking about it weeks later. So will the adults, though they admit it less. Unmissable, and for good reason. 4.6 out of 5 across 25,469 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or also check Tiqets.
Then, head to HintHunt Cape Town. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. 4.9 out of 5 across 3,223 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or compare on Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
In the afternoon, I make my way to Nobel Square. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. 4.6 out of 5 across 662 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise also check Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Cape Town does the rest.
Day 5 · Museums and culture
In the morning, it’s Cape Town Diamond Museum. Give it a good two hours, and leave before you are full: that is the secret to wanting to come back. Everyone goes; everyone is right. Travellers give it 4.8 out of 5 (1,187 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or compare on Tiqets.
Around noon, meet me at The Nelson Mandela Gateway To Robben Island. The ferry from the Waterfront, then a tour guided by a former prisoner and Mandela’s cell. You stay quiet for a long time afterwards. Book weeks ahead. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or go through Tiqets.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
Later, meet me at Clock Tower Waterfront. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (875 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Cape Town does the rest.
If you’re still hungry
I still have a few up my sleeve: Muizenberg Beach, Canal Walk Shopping Centre, Castle of Good Hope, Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa and District Six Museum. Your call.
My advice
A car is almost essential; ride-hailing is reliable in town and cheap.
The south-easterly wind, the “Cape Doctor”, can close the cable car: keep the mountain for the first clear day.
A braai, fish and chips in Kalk Bay, a white wine from Constantia: Cape Town’s table is as beautiful as its landscapes.
There. The rest is yours: the detours, the encounters, the café that becomes your own.
A Triovol story · written by someone who would go back tomorrow
Opening hours, prices and closures change: a quick look at the venue’s website before you go avoids bad surprises.