Cape Town: The ‘Before You Go’ Survival Kit

Overview

I’ve not met a single tourist who has not been completely spellbound by the beauty, culture, diversity, history, tragedy and courage of South Africa’s legislative capital city, Cape Town. For a reasonably small city, it has the capacity to melt the hearts of all who travel here. Its crown jewel is Table Mountain, a natural wonder and home to the widest variety of flowers and plants in the world. Named for the flat-top plateau that can be seen from a certain angle and ascended by a cable car, it actually looks nothing like a table from other vantage points. The city sits in its shadow, on a peninsula on the South West of South Africa. Off of Cape Town’s coast is Robben Island: where Nelson Mandela was held in prison for 18 of his 27 imprisoned years.

Despite its inescapable beauty, this port city is shrouded in a plethora of dramatic current-day struggles and a history of bloodshed. Personal safety remains a concern in the present day. However, with certain self-protective measures in place, discovery of this city is sure to shape your world view and indeed provide an all-encompassing trip full of delightful surprises, incredible viewpoints, exhilirating adventures and the world’s best restaurants and wine farms. I wrote this post as an introduction to one of my favourite cities for the first time visitor. Here is my ‘Before You Go’ Survival Kit!

Cape Town was founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 and it was South Africa’s first attempt at a modern metropolis. This earned it the nickname “The Mother City” as it gave birth to civilisation. Due to its strategic position on the southwestern tip of Africa, Cape Town played an important role in global trade, of goods and people. Recovery from apartheid, which ‘ended’ in 1994, is ongoing and you’ll find many nationals who disagree that it ever truly finished.

The history of South Africa is lengthy, complex and nuanced and is well beyond the scope of this post. However, its people are quite willing to share it with visitors and I learnt many surprising, shocking and wonderfully touching things simply by engaging in conversation. I’d highly encourage tourists to do the same and have meaningful dialogue wherever possible during your time there! Respectful and non-judgemental questions are highly regarded by locals and you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of South Africa’s rich past and present.

Highlights of my Ultimate 7 Day Itinerary

It is definitely a challenge to see all that Cape Town has to offer in just 7 days! However, see my post Cape Town: Best things to do in one week for the first time visitor which features all of its iconic locations, such as:

Table Mountain
V & A Waterfront
Kirstenbosch Gardens
Bo-Kaap
District Six Museum
Lion’s Head
Neighbourgoods Market
Clifton Beach
Camp’s Bay
The Twelve Apostles
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Cape of Good Hope & Cape Point Peninsula
Boulders Beach
Simon’s Town
Constantia Valley
Robben Island
Wine Lands: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Elgin, Somerset West

Food & Drink

My ultimate 1 week Cape Town itinerary features award-winning Cape Town restaurants so that each day you will experience the exquisite culinary sensations this city and its surrounds has to offer! Note that many of these have month-long wait list minimums so be sure to book ahead. I have listed each restaurant on days which fit best with locations that you will be visiting. I will also write more comprehensively about each of these delectable restaurants in my upcoming post The Best Restaurants to visit in Cape Town!

You’ll be treated to famous names such as:

Test Kitchen, Woodstock
Chef’s Warehouse, Beau Constantia
La Colombe Restaurant, Constantia
Pot Luck Club, Woodstock
Shortmarket Club, Cape Town City Centre
Tintswalo Atlantic, Hout Bay
12 Apostles Hotel, Camps Bay
Foxcroft, Constantia
Hemelhuijs, Gardens
Zeitz MOCAA, V&A Waterfront
Kyoto Garden Japanese Restaurant, Cape Town
Grand Africa Cafe & Beach, Granger Bay
Gold Restaurant, Greenpoint

Cape Town Winelands

Do you have limited time in Cape Town and are wondering which wine region is the right one for you? Then check out my upcoming post comparing Cape Town’s nearby wine farms. I have spent many many weekends, short trips and long stays in the wine regions and can’t wait to share my favourites with you! These include:

Stellenbosch
Franschhoek
Paarl
Elgin
Somerset West

Best Sensational Hikes

My other great love in Cape Town, beside visiting wine farms, was hiking. I traversed some high peaks, low valleys, stayed on a hut overnight on Table Mountain, formed incredible friendships and even made a winter snowman balancing on a precipice in a national park! Joining an organised hiking group was one of the best things I did in South Africa and you’ll find a summary of my journeys and favourite hikes in my upcoming post Best hikes in Cape Town, South Africa. Expect to see big names such as:

Table Mountain Highest Peak Hike
Lion’s Head
Devil’s Peak
Platteklip
Pipetrack
Skeleton Gorge
The Diving Board, Kasteelspoort
India Venster
Nursery Gorge, Kirstenbosch
Woodstock Cave
Elephant’s Eye
St James to Kalk Bay
Jonkershoek National Park
Leopard’s Kloof Waterfall, Bettys Bay

Accommodation

Recommended type: AirBnB

Cape Town has some of the glitziest hotels going but for a week stay, I’d highly recommend AirBnB. You’ll find some great options, optimising space for cost. These are also highly functional, allowing greater flexibility.

Recommended areas: V&A Waterfront, Mouille Point, Seapoint, Greenmount

During my shorter trips to Cape Town, I stayed almost always in Mouille Point. This seafront boulevard road has a string of amazing AirBnBs. The suburbs listed above are all close to the iconic attractions in Cape Town, within walking distance to the (safe) tourist mecca of the V&A Waterfront and have iconic views across the Atlantic Ocean. The sunsets are out of this world.

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When to visit

While Cape Town is beautiful year round, it is HOT and DRY in the summer (December to February) and COLD, WINDY & WET in the winter (June – August). For the Australians reading, it mimics Adelaide weather almost exactly, with winters being more windy however.

I’d highly recommend the shoulder seasons for gorgeous mild and warm days but if you can handle a little heat, then visit in the summer when the city’s social calendar is packed with events and people are out and about enjoying life. The beaches of the Atlantic Ocean on Cape Town’s west coast (Clifton and Camps Bay) are notoriously cold year round. I would go so far as to call them freezing and I was unable to swim in them as I would in Australian beaches. That being said, on the False Bay side of Cape Town, I had a delectable swim at Boulder’s Beach which captures the warmer temperatures of the Indian Ocean.

Today the famous cape winds are enjoyed by kitesurfers but hundreds of years ago they were the cause of many historic shipwrecks.

Best times for specific activities

Cape Town International Jazz Festival: March
Cage diving with great white sharks: March to June
Whale watching at Hermanus: July to November
West Coast flowers: August to September
Kirstenbosch Summer Concert Series: November to January
Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival: December
Christmas carols in Kirstenbosch: December

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Currency

The official currency is the Rand (ZAR)

Tipping is greatly appreciated with many workers earning below minimum wage. Customary is 10% but check the bill because restaurants occasionally add gratuity.

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Language

Most widely spoken: English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa.

There are 11 or 12 official languages in South Africa, however.

Local lingo

South Africans have a love for slang! Some of the more common phrases/words include:

Lekker: great/nice
Braai: outdoor barbeque
Bru: friend/pal
Shame: a word that can mean virtually any emotion, not just a negative one!
Yoh: wow/awesome
Kiff: cool
Ag no man: a term of annoyance
Eish: oh wow/oh my, an exclamation of surprise, usually in a negative sense (disbelief, disapproval, regret)
Sjoe: an exclamation expressive of surprise, admiration, exhaustion
Howzit: hi/ how’s it going
Ja: yes
Yebo: yes

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Transport

As a single traveller or first-timer to Cape Town, stick to Ubers, the MyCiTi buses or the City Sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off buses.

Steer clear of trains (Metrorail) and taxis.

I exclusively used ubers (or private transport) for the entire year I lived in Cape Town. These are incredibly safe. Uber drivers salaries are almost solely derived on the ratings received by passengers and thus they must be safe and dependable. One scathing report can result in their dismissal so consider wisely any negative comments you may make about an uber driver because for many, their jobs are feeding one (or more) families. Their cars are traceable and I felt completely comfortable using ubers day and night, alone.

I’d exercise extreme caution against taxis (which look like larger vans that shuttle commuters and offer a fraction of the price) and trains. Crime rates are high and there is no need to subject yourself to the risk as a conspicuous tourist. (You’ll be spotted a mile away).

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Safety

This is high on everyone’s priority list when visiting Cape Town and it is certainly possible to navigate this city safely. I lived here for a year as a single female and will detail my suggestions and recommendations in an upcoming post.