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Visitor's Information for Cape Town

Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa and is the capital of the Western Cape Province, as well as being the legislative capital of South Africa (the Houses of Parliament are here). It is located in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope, and is the most southern city in Africa. It is a stone’s throw from South Africa’s world-famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. Cape Town is also known as the Mother City in South Africa.

The Cape Town metropolitan area covers a large area, from Durbanville and Somerset West in the east to Cape Point in the south and Atlantis in the north. The city centre itself is located in a relatively small area between Table Mountain (Table Mountain Webcam) and Table Bay. For thousands of years, Cape Town was inhabited by the Strandlooper(an ancestor of Kalahari Bushmen). Cape Town’s European history began in 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post there on behalf of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). The first European settlers were mainly Dutch and German, with some French Huguenots that had to flee from their home country. The first settlers soon explored the inland and founded the cities of Stellenbosch and Paarl in today’s Cape Winelands. The Voortrekkers (Pioneers of European descent) started from here to explore and settle the rest of South Africa’s inland.

Today Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is a world-class cosmopolitan city with numerous sites of historical significance, and a lively night-life, as well as a big gay community.

Climate

Climate	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High(°C)	25	26	25	22	20	18	17	17	18	21	23	24
Low(°C)	15	15	14	12	10	9	9	8	9	11	13	14

The summer months are from December to March or April. Days are usually very hot, but the humidity is low, so it is not uncomfortable. You should stay inside or in the shade during the midday heat and use sufficient sun block. You will fight for space on the beach around New Year’s with all the local tourists but it is still a great time to visit as there are a lot of events happening.

• The winter months of June and July tend to be rather wet, which does not mean rain every day. Often you will have one or two days of rain and a week of total sunshine, but it can rain for two weeks straight on occasion. It can also get very cold at night, with temperatures as low as 6 or 7°C (this is the temperature of the ocean so it will not get colder unless you go far inland) but 10-12°C normal. It will become warmer during the day, with temperatures between 14-20°C typical. Sunrises and sunsets are best in the winter, as is the seafood!

• Best times to visit are:
  • October and November: The weather is getting warmer. Spring is in the air, but it is not as hot as mid-summer yet. These months can be windy months. The South-Easter is known as the Cape Doctor as it blows away a great deal of pollution!
  • December to March: These are the prime summer months of long hot days. The sun sets late in the evening (it stays light up until about 8:30PM in December) and there is generally a lot going on. February is the most reliable month for weather, with week after week of hot days.
  • April and May: This can change from year to year, but generally speaking although it starts raining, it is still warm. There are far fewer visitors around, and you can get excellent deals on accommodation, food and most tourism services.

Fire

During the dry summer months (even more so when there is strong wind) fire poses a serious threat to the flora and fauna of the region, especially the National Parks. The fynbos in particular can become very dry and burn easily. Over the last couple of years a number of fires have almost devastated the slopes of Table Mountain. Please take care not to be the cause of any runaway fire and report any fires that you might see to Table Mountain National Park Fire Management on +27 (0)21 689-7438 or +27 (0)21 957-4700 outside office hours.

By plane

There are plenty of airlines offering flights to Cape town from major UK airports including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Aberdeen, Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, New Castle, London Gatwick. Cape Town International Airport is the second largest airport in South Africa (the largest being the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg). There are several flights daily to Johannesburg, Durban and all other major South African cities, as well as the Namibian cities of Windhoek, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay and other destinations, including Gaborone, Maun and Nairobi. The most used airlines for international flights from Europe, the US and Asia include South African Airways, Lufthansa, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Flights Cape Town with KLM, Singapore Airlines and Malaysian.

Further international flights arrive from Buenos Aires, Doha, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York City, Atlanta and Singapore. In the summer, (October-March) several charter airlines operate direct flights from all over Europe to Cape Town. Spare seats are sold with substantial discounts but during Christmas time and New Year prices rises significantly. Major local airlines include South African Airways, British Airways (Comair) and low-cost airlines Kulula.com and 1Time.

See also Discount airlines in Africa and Air travel in South Africa for further information.

By train

Cape Town’s main train station is located in the city centre, on the corner of Adderley Street and Strand Street.

A daily train departs for Kimberley (16.5 hours) and Johannesburg (25 hours). From Johannesburg there are onward connections north to Pretoria, Polokwane and Musina (near the border with Zimbabwe), and east to Nelspruit (near the Kruger National Park). Weekly trains leave every Monday for Durban (36.5 hours) via Kimberley (18 hours), Bloemfontein (21 hours) and Pietermaritzburg (34 hours).

Weekly trains leave every Sunday for East London (28 hours).

MetroRail commuter trains are a great way to get between Cape Town and neighbouring towns such as Stellenbosch, Strand, Paarl, Somerset West, Malmesbury, Worcester and through the Southern Suburbs (Claremont, Wynberg, Retreat) or to the beaches at Fish Hoek, Muizenberg, Glencairn and Simon’s Town. MetroRail trains are generally safe, but avoid traveling at night. If you need to use trains at night, use the most crowded first class (MetroPlus) car and don’t stay alone.

The train line from Cape Town to Simon’s Town is fabulous ; from Muizenberg south to Simon’s Town it runs right next to the sea. You can often see whales, and if it’s windy you may have sea spray hitting the train windows. For the best views make sure you sit on the east side of the train (the left side as you face away from Cape Town and towards Simon’s Town). This route also boasts a moving restaurant coach (called Biggsy’s) that does the return trip from Cape Town to Simon’s Town between 2 and 4 times a day (every day except Monday). Note that Biggsy’s restaurant car was temporarily withdrawn from service on 31 July 2007 for renovations.

Trains to Stellenbosch run every two hours (more or less), but this journey might take a while. Ask at the ticket counter if there is an earlier train you could use, as there are also trains to Stellenbosch starting in Bellville and Eerste River.

By car

The vast majority of roads in and around Cape Town are in a very good condition, making travelling by car an easy issue. However, please be aware of hijackers at night or at traffic lights. The danger is not as high as often emphasized by the media, but a good portion of precaution should be taken. Please ask your hotel staff or anyone familiar with the area about where it is safe and where it is not safe.

Several major highways start in Cape Town:

• N1 runs north-east, passing Paarl, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg on its way from Cape Town to Harare in Zimbabwe. Also a good choice if you want to go to Kimberley and the northern Drakensberg.

• N2 runs along the East Coast towards the Garden Route, George and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, through the Wild Coast up to Durban and Swaziland.

• N7 goes north along the West Coast to the Northern Cape city of Springbok and to Namibia. Also follow it to go to Upington and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Hiring a car in South Africa is not as expensive as in Europe or many other countries. Petrol is also cheap compared to Europe, but might be a bit more expensive than in the US.

By bus

All major bus companies have Intercity connections from Cape Town, taking you to all bigger cities in South Africa and to Windhoek in Namibia. There might be up to 6 buses a day to certain cities.

The starting point is next to the train station at the corner of Adderley and Strand Street, near the Golden Acre building. Please ask at the nearby tourist information or in your hotel for connections and where your bus is going to leave, as finding your bus can become difficult.

Over and above, there are a few bus services available while travelling from eastern Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya. The general route followed is Nairboi (Kenya), Dar-es-salaam (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia)and Harare(Zimbabwe)in order to reach Jo’ Berg. The journey from Nairobi takes about two to three days.

• Greyhound, voice: +27 (0)83 915-9000.
• Intercape Mainliner, voice: +27 (0)21 380-4400.
• Translux.
• SA Roadlink, voice: +27 (0)11 333-2223.

Bus tickets can also be obtained from Computicket.

Cape Town is also on the Baz Bus route.

By boat

Most of the larger cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises offer Cape Town as one of their destinations, but you can also try something different:

• RMS St Helena. This passenger/cargo ship is the last working Royal Mail Ship and stops at Cape Town on its way to St Helena.

• Bo-Kaap. This neighbourhood, located on a hill south-west of downtown is the area historically inhabited by mainly Muslim descendants of slaves from South-East Asia (hence an older term for the area - ‘Malay Quarter’. It’s a common location for film shoots, as there are some very colourful buildings, quaint streets, mosques. views over Cape Town and some great food sold on the side of the street. It’s well worth wandering around for an hour or so, as well as visiting the Bo-Kaap Museum (a view of a prosperous Muslim family from the 19th Century).
• The Castle of Good Hope, Buitenkant Street, voice: +27 (0)21 464-1260. Popularly called ‘The Castle’ by locals, it has extensive displays of historical military paraphernalia, a history of the castle, an art collection and the William Fehr Collection (including old Cape Dutch furniture). You can eat inside the Castle at the restaurant or café, as well as buy wine. R20 entrance free.
• <Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Rhodes Drive, Newlands, voice: +27 (0)21 799-8899. Open daily 8AM to 6PM (7PM September to March). View the hugely diverse and beautiful plants and flowers of the Cape flora in one of the most stunning botanical gardens in the world. Plants from all of the regions of South Africa are on display, including rare succulents from the Richtersveld, a giant baobab tree, and interesting medicinal plants. Numerous paths wander through the grounds situated on the back side of Table Mountain. Several restaurants, a gift shop and indigenous nursery are also available. At various times of the year concerts are performed in the open air amphitheatre. Art is frequently on display, including large Shona stone sculptures from Zimbabwe. The gardens are also home to the National Biodiversity Institute. R27.
• Robben Island, voice: +27 (0)21 413-4200. Robben Island is located just off the coast from Cape Town, this was the location used during the apartheid days to hold political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela and the late Walter Sisulu. Some of the tour guides were themselves political prisoners so they have plenty of insight about what went on there. Tours run several times per day, seven days a week from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront. As of December 2008, tickets can be purchased for a tour the next day, although it is advisable to make a booking as soon as you arrive in Cape Town. Tickets can be purchased online. R180.
• Rhodes Memorial, voice: +27 21 689 9151. Built in recognition of the contributions of Cecil John Rhodes to the Southern African region.
• South African Parliament. Cape Town is the legislative seat of South Africa (the Presidential seat is in Pretoria and the Supreme Court is at Bloemfontein). A tour of this compound will acquaint you with South Africa’s recent history and its political system. The tour includes visits to the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces and the old apartheid-era assembly which is now only used for caucus and committee meetings. Tours are offered a few times per day in various languages. Free entrance and tours.
• Two Oceans Aquarium, V&A Waterfront, voice: +27 (0)21 418-3823. Open 9:30AM to 6PM. An excellent modern aquarium. R80 entrance fee.
• Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, voice: +27 (0)21 408-7600. 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. The V&A Waterfront has more or less full wheelchair access.

Museums and Galleries

• Bo-Kaap Museum, 71 Wale Street, Bo-Kaap, voice: +27 (0)21 481-3939. Open 9:30AM to 4:30PM Monday to Saturday. Located in a home dating from the 1760s, the museum offers an insight into the cultural life of the Muslim community of the Bo-Kaap area in Cape Town. R5 entrance fee.
• District Six Museum, 25A Buitenkant St, voice: +27 (0)21 461-8745. District Six is an area near downtown Cape Town which remained multiracial well into the 1960s against all attempts by the government to declare it a “white only” area. Eventually the residents were all evicted and the buildings were bulldozed. The area remains uninhabited. The museum provides information about the area, the eviction, the Group Areas Act, and the people who used to live there. The director of the museum is a former resident. There is a small bookstore with an excellent selection of books on South Africa’s history, District Six and apartheid.
• Groot Constantia, Groot Constantia Estate, Constantia, voice: +27 (0)21 795-5140. Open daily 10AM to 5PM. One of the oldest wine estates in South Africa R8 entrance fee.
• Slave Lodge, cnr Adderley and Wale Streets, voice: +27 (0)21 460-8240. open 8:30AM to 4:30PM Monday to Friday and 9AM to 1PM on Sunday. One of the oldest buildings in Cape Town. R7 entrance fee.
• South African Jewish Museum, 88 Hatfield Street, voice: +27 (0)21 464-1267. Open Sunday-Thursday 10AM to 5PM and Friday 10AM to 2PM. Closed Saturday. The Museum is interactive and hi-tech, using different media to present highlights of South African history, and examining the Jewish community’s story of individual and organizational roles and contributions. R35 adults, R15 students.
• South African Maritime Museum, Union Castle Building, V&A Waterfront, voice: +27 21 465 1546.
• South African National Gallery, Government Avenue, Gardens, voice: +27 (0)21 467-4660. 10AM to 5PM Tuesday to Sunday. Located in the Gardens area of Cape Town off Government Ave (about a 20 minute walk from downtown). Contains extensive displays of South African art, as well as information on the history of censorship of art during apartheid R10 entrance fee.
• Galleria Gibello, 67 Rose Street, Bo Kaap, voice: +27 (0)21 422-1144. Open 10AM to 5PM Monday to Friday. Situated in the increasingly trendy Bo Kaap, Galleria Gibello offers visitors a brief escape from reality. Galleria Gibello is a photo gallery that is filled with visually captivating moments of life on the African continent. Admission is free.

Performing arts

• Artscape Theatre, D F Malan Street, Foreshore, Cape Town, voice: +27 (0)21 421 7695.
• Armchair Theatre, 135 Lower Main Road, Observatory, voice: +27 (0)21 447 1514.
• Baxter Theatre, Baxter Theatre Centre, Main Road, Rondebosch, voice: +27 (0)21 685 7880. Theatre performances, comedy, jazz and others
• Labia Screen, 68 Orange Street, Gardens, voice: +27 (0)21 424 5927 . Has an African Screen showing African-made and African-oriented films all year round.
• On Broadway, 88 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town, voice: +27 (0)21 424 1194

Telephone

If you have a cell phone get one of the cheap prepaid sim cards from either Vodacom, MTN, Cell C or Virgin Mobile and save money on local calls.

Internet

• m@in internet cafe, Kloof street,. They have private booths, and offer wifi access for laptops. Other internet cafes can be found all over the city and suburbs, with many coffee shops offering internet access.

  WiFi

  Always-On, +27 (0)11 575-2505, provides prepaid wifi access in a number of locations in Cape Town. Simply connect to the access point and you will be given the opportunity to pay for access by credit card. Pricing starts at around R15 for 10 minutes or R60 for 100MB.

  Coverage areas include:

  • Westin Grand Hotel at Arabella Quays.
  • The Cape Diamond Hotel.
  • Cape Town International Airport. Restaurants and Coffee shops, in Domestic and International Departures, boarding gates, airline lounges and at the Road Lodge.
  • City Lodge. GrandWest, Pinelands and V&A Waterfront.
  • Dulce Cafe. Bayside Centre, Durbanville and Gabriel Rd, Plumstead
  • Mugg&Bean. Just about all of them.
  • Sundance Coffee Co. Adderley St, Buitengragt St and Mouille Point.

  Stay Safe

  Although Cape Town has its share of violent crime, you are safe if you keep your wits about you. As a visitor, you are less likely to encounter problems while visiting the townships if you are escorted by a township resident - though you shouldn’t really venture into the townships without a fairly large group of accompaniment. Official township tours are your safest bet; revealing a very interesting lifestyle to the more curious tourists. The CBD (Central Business District)has been cleaned up over the years, but some con men and cholos do still exist, although during daylight police make themselves known. Simply put, leave everything you value - especially your papers and tickets - in your hotel room safe if you plan to stroll through Cape Town.

  Be careful if you choose to walk between the city centre and the waterfront. Try to go in a group rather than alone or as part of a couple, and beware that very annoying, persistent and occasionally threatening beggars work this area. Better to get a taxi.

  At night, make sure you stay on well-lit and crowded streets. Crime is especially high in Seapoint, Greenpoint, Salt River, Observatory, Mowbray, and the Cape Flats.

  Glue sniffing children and junkies are a minor problem, called ’strollers’ by the locals - these ragamuffins will strip you bare if you do not stay alert.

  You should try not to appear to be a tourist, and you will not be targeted. Targeted tourists are generally spotted wearing cameras, shorts and golf hats - try not to do this. Do what you can to blend in, and if anything happens - don’t try to be a hero, rather give them what they want, and keep your life.

  Important telephone numbers From a fixed line

  • 107 - Emergency.
  • 10111 - Police.
  • 10177 - Ambulance.
  • 082911 - Netcare911 and The National Sea Rescue Institute.

  From a mobile phone

  • 112 - Emergency.
  • 911 - Netcare911 and The National Sea Rescue Institute.

Flights to Cape Town

flights [at] flighttocapetown.co.uk
Telephone: 0208 150 6201
Lines are operated: Monday to Friday 7:30-20:00, Saturday 8:00-19:00, Sunday 9:00-18:00 UK time.
(For quality control and training purposes, your call may be recorded.)

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