Things to Do in Cape Town by a Capetonian

The V&A Waterfront

As a born and bred Capetonian and since it is almost time for hol­i­days I thought I would sug­gest my own list of activ­it­ies that I think every­one would enjoy while they’re in Cape Town. So if you plan to be in Cape Town dur­ing the hol­i­days (or at any other time of the year) give some of these a try ...

Top of my list would be a visit to Table Mountain. As one of Cape Town’s prom­in­ent fea­tures and also nature's GPS for the city (whenever I am lost my dad’s words come back to me “which side of the moun­tain are you look­ing at” and then it’s easy enough to find my way). There are numer­ous ways of get­ting to the top of the moun­tain, take walk up the steep Platteklip Gorge, or start in the Kirstenbosch Gardens and make your way up Skeleton’s Gorge or walk along the con­tour path if you’re feel­ing energetic ...

The Top of the Table

Or you can take the cable car to the top ... it revolves, it’s great and it’s the non-strenuous way to get to the top. What I enjoy doing is hik­ing up to the top, work­ing  my way up to Maclears Beacon (the highest point on the moun­tain) and then tak­ing the cable car down. (If you are walk­ing up then just be aware of the weather, it can change very quickly, so don’t for­get a warm wind proof jacket).

The second thing on my list would be to make you way to one of Cape Town’s fab­ulous beaches. Muizenberg is a great place to learn how to surf and Gary and his team from Gary’s surf school can help you do this. Or you can head over to the Atlantic Seaboard to either Camps Bay, Llandudno or Clifton where it is easy to spend a lazy day catch­ing some sun. When the sun starts to go down you can hop over to one of the trendy bars in the area for some cock­tails and din­ner and good times with friends.

Surfing in Muizenberg

Gather your friends and get ready for a night out on the town — I will def­in­itely be spend­ing a few nights on Long Street. There are so many clubs, pubs and bars where you can meet new people and have a lot of fun. And don’t for­get that Cape Town has been voted by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s top 10 party des­tin­a­tions. But what you need to remem­ber if you’re plan­ning on hav­ing a few drinks is to make use of a taxi ser­vice. I’d recom­mend Rikkis (http://www.rikkis.co.za/) or if you’d like to be driven in your own car Scoota Express (http://www.scootaexpress.co.za/) has the answer.

If you’re feel­ing a little bit cul­ture hungry then why not head into one of the many art gal­ler­ies and museums in the city. My favour­ites are the Iziko museums. Visit the SA National gal­lery, the Planetarium, Slave Lodge, the Bo-Kaap museum and many more. It will cer­tainly give you a new per­spect­ive on the city (http://www.iziko.org.za/).

La Colombe

And if you’re someone who enjoys good food, as I am, then try out one of Cape Town’s fab­ulous res­taur­ants. There are so many to choose from and you will find some­thing for every­one, from fab­ulous sea­food, to clas­sic piz­zas and gour­met meals, it’s a feast on everyone’s table.

And while you’re out explor­ing why not take a trip to one of the fant­astic vine­yards. Two of my favour­ites to visit because they offer great food and deli­cious wine are Constantia Uitsig (with the River Cafe and La Colombe being 2 of my favour­ite places to eat) and Groot Constantia (the res­taur­ant Simon’s is also a fant­astic space and great for watch­ing sports events).

I will most def­in­itely be spend­ing my hol­i­days enjoy­ing these activities.

What will you be doing? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

Other Suggestions not to miss:
Visit the Green Point Stadium Visitors Centre
V&A Waterfront (shop­ping, din­ing out, har­bour cruises and more)
Kayaking on the Atlantic Seaboard
Township Tours (Try Mozolis Restaurant for a great party!)
Penguins at Boulders Beach
Hundreds more ... see things to do in Cape Town

Useful Links:
Cape Town Attractions
Cape Town Hotels
Find Accommodation in Cape Town