Have you ever wanted to visit a one-stop-destination for diverse cultures, cuisines, and landscapes? Cape Town is the answer.
Table Mountain:
Table Mountain is considered one of the most iconic and prestigious tourist attractions. You simply can’t miss Table Mountain: its famous flat-topped silhouette is the first thing you’ll see when flying into Cape Town and since this iconic landmark sits at the heart of the city, it’s easy to access as well.
Most visitors take the leisurely approach and catch the cable car straight to the top of this Natural Wonder of the World, but consider hiring a mountain guide and setting out to climb Table Mountain on foot. With a huge network of hiking trails, secret forests, dams, waterfalls, isolated valleys and phenomenal views to discover, a day spent climbing Table Mountain is sure to be a highlight of your Cape Town holiday.
District Six Museum:
This nostalgic museum stands today to celebrate the non-racial community that resided here between 1960- 1970s which were asked to vacate the area. The museum was initially Methodist Mission Church which now holds old photographs, recordings, testimonials and the last of the memories of the broken community.
Victoria and Albert Waterfront
The V&A Waterfront is a huge shopping and entertainment area at the slopes of Table Mountain, next to the harbour. It is very popular with tourists, because of the high density of shops, restaurants and amusement possibilities, like the Aquarium or the Marine Museum. Harbour tours and trips to Robben Island start from here, as well as helicopter flights to the Cape Peninsula.
Robben Island
Robben Island is located just off the coast from Cape Town – this was the location used during the apartheid days to hold political prisoners, most famously Nelson Mandela. The tour consists of a guided bus tour around the island, before meeting a former political prisoner for a tour of the prison area. The island itself is quite scenic, with African penguins usually seen on the tour. Tours run several times per day, seven days a week from the Nelson Mandela Gateway near the clock tower at the V&A Waterfront.
Vineyards
Cape Town has some of the worlds best wine producing vineyards and arguably the worlds most scenically stunning on its doorstep. The wine regions of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl are all with in an easy hours drive; these historic and lush regions offer stunning views and world class wine tastings. The safest way to see the winelands is to trust your day to a dedicated wine tour company.
Restaurants in Cape Town:
There are a variety of restaurants and cafes in Cape Town. You can get all sorts of cuisines including Cape Malay, African (of course), Indian, Italian and Japanese. There are many gourmet cafes too, where you can have freshly cooked breakfast while looking out on the beach and the beautiful sunrise.
Safety in Cape Town
Cape Town is less safe than you will be led to believe. As a first-time visitor, you may not know the bad areas. Always take a taxi from the central bus station after dark. Better still, take one in the day time too, until you are more familiar of where you should and should not go. The police keep a fairly high profile during daylight hours, but less so at night.
Getting to Cape Town
Cape Town International Airport is the main airport of Cape Town and the second largest airport in South Africa. Flights from all over the world land in Cape Town, with Emirates, Qatar, Lufthansa, British Airways and South African Airways offering daily flights from their respective hubs.
Bottom line
These are just a few things to get you started when you land at the beautiful airport of Cape Town. Cape Town is like a heaven for visitors due to its various catchy and charming locations. From beaches to mountains, Cape Town is an idealistic place for naturalistic and scenic view lovers.
