If You Have
2 Days
On your first day take an early morning city walk to see the sights or
take a half-day city tour. Take in the Company's Gardens, Castle of Good
Hope, District Six Museum, the Bo-Kaap, and other historical highlights.
For lunch, eat at one of the outside restaurants at the V&A Waterfront if
the weather's good, inside if it's not. Visit the various waterfront
attractions, including the Two Oceans Aquarium, especially if you have
children. Then you can dine either at the Green Dolphin, where you can
listen to terrific jazz, or go uptown to one of the city's many excellent
restaurants, followed by the theater, ballet, or opera at the Artscape or
Baxter theater complexes. For a real taste of contemporary African music,
head for pulsing marimba music at Mama Africa.
The next morning take a Robben Island tour, which takes 3½ hours. On
your return go straight to the Lower Cable Station, and ride to the summit
of Table Mountain (if you didn't do this first thing). Take some
sandwiches with you, and hike one of the trails -- for a few minutes or a
few hours -- until you find a glorious spot to sit and enjoy the view.
When you come down from the mountain, drive to Camps Bay and kick off your
shoes to stroll along the beach. To round out the evening, find a
sophisticated sea-facing bar for a drink before going on to dinner.
If You Have
5 or More Days
Spend the first day or two exploring Cape Town. Pop in to museums and
galleries, and wander around the Bo-Kaap, an old Cape Malay area with
cobblestone streets and quaint buildings. One of the best ways to
understand the city is to take a walking tour with Footsteps to Freedom.
On the afternoon of the second day head for Table Mountain.
On the morning of Day 3 explore Robben Island, and, on your return,
lunch at the Waterfront. In the afternoon you might visit the castle or
have high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. In the evening head out to the
vibey suburb of Observatory for dinner, and then wander down Lower Main
Road, perhaps popping in for a drink or late-night coffee at a café. If
you want something closer to the city, try de Waterkant, another exciting
area for a drink and dinner. Party animals will find plenty of clubs as
well.
On Day 4 drive out to the Constantia winelands. Visit the estates,
enjoy the countryside, do a little wine tasting, have lunch, and then in
the afternoon drive over Constantia Nek to Hout Bay. From the harbor, take
an early afternoon cruise to Seal Island. For a more adventurous activity,
admire the sunset from the back of a horse at Noordhoek or from a kayak
out at sea. If the conditions are right, you can do a tandem paraglider
flight off Lion's Head, landing just in time for cocktails overlooking the
beach. Even if you don't paraglide here, have dinner on this side of the
mountain, at Green Point, Sea Point, or Camps Bay.
Day 5 is penguin day. Wend your way along the False Bay coast to
Boulders Beach, in the Table Mountain National Park, where you'll find
African penguins in profusion. This is one of the few mainland sites where
these comical little creatures live and breed. Then grab your map and
follow the road to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. You can take the
steep walk to the point or take the funicular. It looks as if this is
where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet -- sometimes there is even a
line of foam stretching out to sea -- but of course it's not. No matter,
it's a dramatic spot. For a late lunch make your way back to the pretty
fishing village of Kalk Bay, where the streets are lined with antiques
shops and there are plenty of excellent restaurants to relax in. Back in
Cape Town for the last night, you can have a drink at the Bascule bar at
the Cape Grace (at the Waterfront) and watch the gulls wheel overhead
against a backdrop of Table Mountain. Chances are, you won't ever want to
leave.