In any of the world’s great travel destinations, it’s impossible to cover the best things to see and do in one trip. It becomes a matter of making tough choices from among the many possibilities to try to fit the best things you can into the limited span of time of a vacation.
Last May, when I attended Africa’s Travel Indaba, the trade show held annually in Durban, South Africa, I had the opportunity to join a tour of Cape Town organized by no less an authority on the subject than Cape Town Tourism. Over a period of a week, our group followed a packed itinerary designed to give a well-balanced overview of Cape Town. Unfortunately, a week is hopelessly insufficient for thoroughly taking in Cape Town. But it is enough for a power-packed series of experiences that will never leave you.
Americans take shorter vacations than our counterparts in most developed countries, and most Americans who travel to South Africa only allot a week or 10 days for the entire trip. The Cape Town portion of such a trip is usually only a few days. It takes some tough decision-making and careful organization to try to fit in much of the vast number of things there are to do.
I wish I could tell you how to pack all the must-see and must-do adventures of Cape Town into a single trip, but it’s not possible. I would recommend making the Cape Town segment longer than a few days, but few will follow that advice. Then, when you get there, you will wish you had more time, and maybe you will be able to extend your trip or book a return trip.
I have had the good fortune, while covering Africa as a reporter for the travel trade for 25 years, of being able to make many trips to Cape Town. In those many trips, I’ve been able to experience a lot of what can be done there. But even after many trips, I always feel a twinge of regret having to leave knowing I left so many things undone.
So, I can’t give you a list that will show you how to “do” Cape Town in a few days. But I can give you some recommendations of things you can do if you can fit them into your time there.
The first impression when you arrive in Cape Town will probably be the stunning landscape. It’s hard to find a way to enter Cape Town without encountering the fantastic Table Mountain, a giant presence that is almost always with you in Cape Town. The city is built onto its slopes, between the mountain and the ocean, which is only a couple of miles distance—depending on how you measure it.
Table Mountain’s north face overlooks Table Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The city is between the flat-topped mountain and the seashore. The mountain essentially rises up from the ocean. Cape Town is built onto its base. The indigenous Khoi people called the mountain “Hoerikwaggo,” which means “mountain in the sea.” That’s pretty accurate.
Table Mountain dwarfs everything else, so it’s almost always part of the view wherever you are in Cape Town. A cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain is a thrilling experience and would have to be on any list of essential things to do in Cape Town. It is usually tacked on near the end of an itinerary because it is hard to top (forgive the pun), a hard act to follow, and makes a perfect climax for the trip.
However, the flat top of Table Mountain is so high it’s like another planet, and it has its own weather. So, if you leave it to the end, there’s always a chance the weather will turn against you, with too much fog or rain. That’s a chance you have to take. I’ve had a couple of times when the weather detracted from the experience, but only a couple, and never a time when it was canceled altogether.
While Table Mountain is the unchallenged champion, there are many other mountains and geographical features that are stunning, such as Lion’s Head, a pointy peak in the shadow of Table Mountain, and The Lion’s Rump, or Signal Hill. Extending southward from Table Mountain are the Twelve Apostles, a series of peaks and buttresses that form the spine of the Table Mountain Massif.
The city glittering on the mountainside, Table Bay, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the mountains, the Atlantic Ocean—all of this creates dramatic scenic beauty.
On my trip in May, I took a helicopter trip over Cape Town with NAC Helicopters Cape Town. That is one of the most exhilarating 15-minute experiences you are likely to ever have. The constantly shifting views of Cape Town from the perspective of a moving helicopter are guaranteed to blow your mind. It’s one of the ways to pack away some indelible, concentrated memories in a short time.
Another thing you’ll want to do in Cape Town is visit the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Touristy? Yes, because everyone who visits Cape Town from anywhere in the world wants to see it. It’s a center of activity at the waterfront with its picturesque sailboats, yachts, and fishing boats. There’s a giant mall there and hundreds of stores, restaurants and concessions of various kinds, as well as live music and dance performances. There are people from everywhere, enjoying the scenery and becoming part of the scenery. It’s a feast of people watching.
Wine Country. Most visitors to Cape Town set aside most of one day for a trip to the wine country. There are several wine districts within easy access of Cape Town. Constantia is a 20-minute drive, and Durbanville is 30 minutes away. Stellenbosch is 45 minutes and Franschhoek and Paarl are an hour’s drive away.
Exploring the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point and Boulders Beach, where the African penguins live, is fun to experience when visiting Cape Town.
The Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary African Art) in Cape Town at the waterfront is also a phenomenal experience showing the dynamism of African art.
Robben Island
Many people will want to take the ferry ride across the bay to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of his 27 years as a political prisoner. If you are interested in that history, it’s an unforgettable glimpse into one of the most heroic lives of the 20th century. When I was there, my tour was led by a former inmate, who was able to relate riveting stories based on his experience as a prisoner. There are still about 15 guides who were formerly prisoners. They really bring the story to life.
Cape Town Cuisine
It requires a history tutorial to begin to understand how rich the multicultural tapestry of Cape Town is. The Cape has been drawing people for hundreds of years, since the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape in 1488 while looking for a spice route that avoided the overland route through the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire, where they would be hit with taxes and tariffs.
During successive phases of history, people have been drawn to the Cape from practically everywhere and they have all left their imprints on the culture of South Africa. One of the best ways to experience that multicultural richness is through the great variety of restaurants in Cape Town.
Time Out, which has called Cape Town the Best City in the World for 2025, has a list of recommended restaurants in Cape Town to help you explore the culinary cultural diversity of Cape Town.
Visiting the Bo-Kaap neighborhood is a priceless experience. It’s the place that is world-famous for pictures of its super colorful houses. It’s also the center of well-preserved Malay Muslim culture in the Cape.
Adventure and Nightlife
There are also opportunities for shark cage diving in Gansbaai, hiking and paragliding, surfing and water sports. And there’s great nightlife in Cape Town, especially on Long Street, and live theater and jazz clubs. Other streets to explore for nightlife are Kloof Street, Bree Street, Camps Bay Strip, District Six, East City, and Claremont.
That’s enough to think about for an introductory trip, and more than would be possible in a week or 10 days, but plenty of things to consider.
