Cape Town Travel Guide
Weather, best time to visit, and the best food, culture, nature and activities.
Typical prices
- Budget mealZAR 120.00≈ $7.35
- Mid-range mealZAR 350.00≈ $21.45
- CappuccinoZAR 35.00≈ $2.14
- Domestic beerZAR 40.00≈ $2.45
- Taxi (per km)ZAR 12.00≈ $0.74
- Public transport ticketZAR 20.00≈ $1.23
- Museum entryZAR 180.00≈ $11.03
- Mid-range hotel (night)ZAR 1,800.00≈ $110.30
Food & Drink
- The Test KitchenContemporary South African · $$$$
Woodstock restaurant long ranked among Africa's best, known for playful tasting menus from chef Luke Dale-Roberts.
- Kloof Street HouseModern South African · $$$
Victorian house restaurant on Kloof Street with a garden terrace, known for its extensive gin selection and modern bistro menu.
- Gold RestaurantPan-African · $$$
African-themed restaurant offering a pan-African tasting menu with live marimba and drumming performances.
- Kalky'sSeafood · $
Kalk Bay harbor-side fish-and-chips shack serving catch straight off the fishing boats.
- La ColombeFine Dining · $$$$
Constantia winelands restaurant set among vineyards, celebrated for its tuna tataki and French-Asian fusion tasting menu.
- Mama Africa
Long Street restaurant and live-music venue with nightly marimba bands and African cuisine.
- The Waiting Room
Intimate Long Street cocktail bar above Royale Eatery, known for its rooftop terrace.
- Truth Coffee HQ
Steampunk-styled cafe by day, though the building and roastery draw visitors for its striking industrial design as much as its coffee.
Culture & History
- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA)
V&A Waterfront museum inside a converted 1920s grain silo, the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world.
- District Six Museum
Museum documenting the forced removals of District Six residents under apartheid, housed in a former Methodist church.
- Robben Island Museum
Former prison island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years, reached by ferry with tours often led by former political prisoners.
- Iziko South African Museum
Natural and cultural history museum in the Company's Garden, known for its fossil and dinosaur exhibits.
- The Labia Theatre
Independent arthouse cinema on Orange Street, one of the oldest independent cinemas in South Africa.
- Cape Town Minstrel Carnival (Kaapse Klopse)
Colorful New Year's street parade of minstrel troupes in bright costumes, singing and dancing through the city.
Nature & Outdoors
- Camps Bay Beach
Palm-lined beach backed by the Twelve Apostles mountain range, popular for sunset drinks at the strip's cafes.
- Muizenberg Beach
Beach famous for its colorful Victorian bathing huts and gentle waves suited to learning to surf.
- Table Mountain
Flat-topped iconic mountain overlooking the city, reachable by a rotating cable car or hiking trails like Platteklip Gorge.
- Lion's Head
Cone-shaped peak between Table Mountain and Signal Hill, popular for sunrise and full-moon hikes with chain-assisted sections.
Active & Fun
- Sea Point Pavilion
Outdoor seafront pool complex on Sea Point promenade with heated and unheated pools facing the Atlantic.