I dare say that safari is the first activity that crosses people's minds when they talk about traveling to South Africa. No wonder, as the African continent is known for its animal experience.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I went to put together my itinerary, and discovered that Cape Town offers options that go far beyond this type of tourism, with tours to please all the types of travelers.
With countless trails, breathtaking landscapes, neighborhoods hipsters, beaches, renowned restaurants, shopping malls, bars and cultural activities, there is no shortage of things to do in the region's most beloved city.
With so many options, I took advantage of my days to put together an itinerary around Cape Town, with what you can't miss. It includes the main tourist attractions, such as the famous Table Mountain, as well as places recommended by locals.
I separated the tours into five different days, with plenty of time to enjoy everything calmly. If you are going to spend a shorter period of time in the city, at the end of the post there is an itinerary Express of three days.
Car or public transport in Cape Town?
First of all, I wanted to explain that you not You need a car to do this route around Cape Town. If you stay in Downtown or near the Waterfront, you can do most of the tours on foot or using the bus or uber, which is very cheap.
The only day that accurate by car is what the trip to the Cape of Good Hope involves. At this point, I suggest renting a car to have more freedom and stop wherever you want along the way. I always rent with Rentcars, which in addition to allowing you to pay in reais, without IOF and in installments, also has a guaranteed best price. If you don't want to drive, I also left a suggestion for tour which follows the same script.
Where to stay in Cape Town
My suggestion for staying close to the main tourist attractions is to stay in Downtown or in Green Point, near the Waterfront. These are the neighborhoods with the largest number of international visitors, and which have several shops and restaurants.
My choice during the trip was see the official website. The ideal is to climb to the top as soon as the conditions are favorable, as the weather may not be good on your other days in the city.
Morning and early afternoon
Table Mountain is the city's main postcard and one of the most visited tourist attractions. Currently, it is considered one of the 7 wonders of nature, and there are yellow frames scattered around different neighborhoods so you can take photos with the mountain in the background.
Therefore, there is nothing more fitting than starting your visit to Cape Town by climbing Table Mountain. There are two ways to get to the top: via trails or using the cable car, a kind of cable car.
The fastest trail is Platteklip Gorge, which takes around two to three hours depending on your fitness. Despite being only 3 km long, the path is steep most of the time, which makes it more difficult than expected. The entrance is almost 2km after the train station. cable car, so if you are uber ask him to drop you off at the entrance instead of doing that extra walk, hehe!
You don't need to pay to go up, and it's best to start early to avoid the midday sun. We arrived a little before eight on the day we hiked and it was great!
Already from cable car the climb takes a few minutes, but while the trail is free, cableway It costs ZAR330 return or ZAR190 one way. If you want, you can take the trail to go up and down cable car (that's what I did), or vice versa.
As it is one of the most popular tourist attractions, the queue to buy tickets and even to climb the mountain via cable car is usually huge. When we arrived, the estimate was already two hours at the box office. Therefore, I recommend going early (even to avoid the crowded place) and buy the ticket in advance on the official website. If you want to save money and buy another one tour, I recommend 
Afternoon and night
In the afternoon it's time to visit one of the most famous street fairs and one of the highlights of the Cape Town itinerary: the Greenmarket Square. It takes place every day until 17pm (almost all stores close at this time), and is the perfect place to buy souvenirs, decoration and other objects that can only be found at street markets. Remember to haggle, as you can often get it for half the price.
If you want to have lunch before starting shopping, a cheap option is the Eastern Food Bazaar, on Long Street. It's just a few minutes' walk away, has several options of dishes for an affordable price, and the amount of food is absurd! Two people can easily share a dish. If you want something more traditional, the region also has KFC, McDonalds and cafes that serve lunch.
After visiting the fair, the suggestion is to walk along Long Street, heading towards the M3 highway. It is on this street that there are several hostels, bars, restaurants, local shops and even clubs, and where you will find a little more excitement as night falls. The block between Bloem St. and Buiten St. is the liveliest.
Day 2 – Old Biscuit Mill Market and Camps Bay
This day needs to be on a Saturday, as that is when the Neighborgoods Market takes place.
Morning and lunch
In the Woodstock neighborhood, the Old Biscuit Mill is a small shopping mall in the city that comes to life on Saturday mornings. On that day, several local traders set up a fair, where you can find handmade products at a great price. It gets quite crowded as it is a popular attraction, but it only starts at nine so you don't need to arrive So early.
This shopping mall also houses one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the country, the The Test Kitchen, a unique gastronomic experience for those on a budget.
The big draw of Saturdays at the Old Biscuit Mill, however, is the Neighborgoods Market, food fair with all kinds of products. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sold, as well as several kiosks with bread, sweets, typical dishes, smoothies and whatever else you can imagine.
I remember seeing Peruvian, Chinese, Vietnamese food, Donut, tapioca, bruschetta, glasses of wine, drinks, waffles Belgians, fudge, traditional dishes from other African countries… And that was just what I considered eating. My suggestion is to have lunch here, and get different dishes to try as much as possible. I ate one ceviche Peruvian and a waffle with ice cream which were divine!
Afternoon and night
Set aside the afternoon to visit Cape Town's beaches. The most famous are Clifton, divided into four parts and Camps Bay. I can tell you that, even in summer when it is over 30ºC, the waters are freezing and you will hardly be able to enter the sea. Even so, it's worth a visit to catch some sun, observe the sites and see stunning landscapes.
Start in Clifton – in general, the hottest part is 4th. That's where the most people are hipster, as well as families and groups of friends, and where there is greater structure for those who are going to spend the day. It is also the best option on windy days, as this part of the coast is normally protected.
Before sunset, take the 20-minute walk to Camps Bay. The best places to watch the show are on the rocks, on the side of the beach near Clifton, or at the other end where the pool with sea water is located. The view is breathtaking!
At night there are several restaurants close to the beach for dinner or a more lively night out – many of them have live music and stay open until later. O Cafe Caprice It is the most famous and attracts a large audience on weekends.
Day 3 – Bo-Kaap and Waterfront
Morning
Time for a cultural moment, since until now the Cape Town itinerary has practically only been nature attractions or shopping, rs. My suggestion for the morning of that day is to visit the District Six Museum and the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.
O District Six Museum is dedicated to the effects of Apartheid in this neighborhood of the city, which for years was home to families from the region. At timeline provided we see the residents being expelled to the outskirts, and it is impossible not to be moved by the story and the messages left by the former owners of the houses. The price is ZAR45 per person.
From there you can walk to the Bo-Kaap neighborhood, where the main attraction is the colorful houses. There is a whole story behind the vibrant colors – which represent the freedom of the residents who settled there – and to better understand the ideal is to make a walking tour or visit the Bo-Kaap Museum.
If your intention is just to take photos in Bo-Kaap, reverse the order of the tours. Despite Although the District Six Museum isn't very big, you'll end up arriving in the colorful neighborhood around noon, a time when the sun isn't helpful for photographs.
Afternoon and night
Finally, head to Cape Town's famous Waterfront. This area close to the sea combines countless attractions, such as a huge shopping mall, museums, restaurants, an aquarium and even a ferris wheel!
The suggestion is to have lunch there and then start exploring the region. For a quick meal, I recommend the Simple Asia with a wonderful Pad Thai. If you want to sit down and eat calmly, the Ocean Basketball It has a great price and an incredible view of The Cape Wheel.
In the afternoon you can explore the mall and visit the other attractions around. Ride the Ferris wheel, take a photo in the yellow frame with Table Mountain in the background, visit the aquarium and the countless museums (they say the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa it's great) and wait for another magnificent sunset. If you want, you can even 
Day 4 – Cape Point and Boulders Beach
As I mentioned before, every day up until now could be done with uber or public transport, no need for a car. Day 4, however, is further away from the city center and is impossible to do without your own transport. We rented a car that day, to have a little more freedom. If you want to do the same, I recommend getting a quote from Rentcars, where you are guaranteed the best price.
If you don't want or can't drive, there are several guided tour who do this same itinerary! here on the blog there is a post explaining how to use the app during your travels. If possible, choose the route along the M6 motorway passing through Chapman's Peak Drive, scenic route.
Leave your hotel EARLY, we left at eight thirty, arrived around ten and managed to be ahead of the buses by doing guided tour.
Upon arriving at Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve you will need to pay the booking fee of ZAR303 for international tourists (can be cash or card), and then proceed to Cape Point. There is a funicular to take you to the top where the lighthouse is and a half-hour trail that takes you to the Cape of Good Hope. Even in summer I recommend wearing warm clothes as it is very windy there!
To avoid wasting time, I recommend eating an individual pizza at a local restaurant. This way you can drive to the next stop without worrying about whether it will be So crowded with other tourists.
Afternoon
Drive to what, in my opinion, is the coolest part of the tour: Boulders Beach, the penguin beach! There is parking on site, and a path that goes around the beach from where you can see the animals from afar.
To get closer you need to pay the preservation fee of ZAR152, which lets you reach platforms that are very close to the penguins. It is forbidden to touch them, but you can watch them entering the water, caring for their young (depending on the season) and sleeping in the sun.
From there you can drive straight back to Cape Town via the M3, or take the M4 route and discover Fish Hook, a small coastal town famous for its wine.
This was one of the days when I came back tired the most, so my recommendation for dinner would be a restaurant close to your accommodation. If you want to go out, there are several restaurants and cafes in the Long, Loop and Bree Street area (but remember that the kitchen closes early).
Day 5 – Robben Island and Lion's Head or Winery
I created two different options for day 5, one more cultural with a trail to see the sunset and the other at a winery. Choose the one that suits you best or, if you have more days to spare, take the opportunity to do both!
Option 1 – Robben Island and Lion's Head
To start the day I suggest taking the tour to Robben Island, which leaves from the Waterfront. After 45 minutes of ferry, you arrive at the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. O tour includes a bus tour of the island and a visit to the prison. In the meantime, you are accompanied by one of the former prisoners, who tells the sad story of South Africa during the Apartheid period.
As this is a busy tour, try buy your tickets in advance through the official website.
The tour has three times during the day, and the ideal is to do the 9 am one to have the rest of the day free. As it ends at the Waterfront, I suggest you walk around the place again and have lunch there.
In the late afternoon, the suggestion is to take the Lion's Head trail to see the sunset. We took this path with the guide hostel, however many locals and tourists were unaccompanied, as it was quite crowded due to it being summer and the full moon. I don't recommend doing it alone out of season. Another suggestion is to go by car (or uber, but then arrange a return as it is difficult to find drivers there) until Signal Hill and watch the sunset from there.
Option 2 – Winery
South Africa is famous for its wines, and Cape Town is one of the regions with a large number of wineries. If you like wine tourism, a good trip is to visit one of them. Like you, they are a little far from the center and you not If you want to drive to taste the wines, it’s best to book a tour.
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Congratulations! Fine tips! I'm thinking about spending 6 days with my wife in July. Some doubts:
Do I need a visa? Is it possible to go on your own without speaking English fluently?
Thank you
Hi, Roberto!
For trips of up to 90 days, Brazilians do not need a visa. If you're good at English, you'll be fine, you'll be able to communicate and enjoy the trip 🙂
Good afternoon!
Is the Platteklip Gorge trail well signposted? Do you hire a local guide?
Thank you!
It's well signposted and is what most people do, so it's very easy to follow 🙂 We went without a guide!