Cape Town is one of the worlds most beautiful cities and is firmly entrenched as South Africa's top international travel destination. Tourist attractions in this Western Cape city abound -- so many in fact, that you will need to plan your timwe carefully if you want to see them all.
There are a number of organised tours in and around Cape Town -- Tours range from winery tours and nature tours to township tours and adventure tours. These tours are good value for money and a great way to experience the diverse offerings of Cape.
Cape Town's Most Popular Tourist Attractions:
Nothing can beat Table Mountain to the top spot -- it is Cape Town's most popular tourist attraction -- and being the focal point of every view of the city, it's hard to ignore! One of the man activities not to miss in Cape Town is a trip up to the top of Table Mountain in the cable car. The cable way operates daily weather permitting. The trip takes about four minutes and offers a 360° view that takes in the city of Cape Town, Table Bay, Lion's Head, Devil's Peak and the front of Table Mountain.
The Robben Island World Heritage Site is an iconic tourist attraction situated some 11 kilometres offshore from Cape Town -- the small windswept island is now home to the world-renowned Robben Island Museum, a highlight of any visit to South Africa.
The Cape Peninsula Tourist Attractions is...
Cape Point is a landmark at the end of the Cape Peninsula located in the Good Hope Section of the Table Mountain National Park. The Park offers a rich diversity of plant species as well as a marine reserve and animals such as baboons and Cape Zebra. The peak is 249m above sea level and can be reached by foot or the funicular railway. The lighthouse at the tip of the Peninsula is the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere.
Green Market Square
Boulders Beach which is located between Simonstown and Cape Point was once a top swimming beach, today there are over 3 000 African Penguins living here! Endemic to South Africa and Namibia, these African Penguins are the main tourist attraction at this new National Park. There are even movie stars in this rowdy 'jackass' crowd -- the Penguin crowd that is -- ///!
Imax Theatre
Cape Town Beaches; Clifton; Llundudno; Camps Bay... Clifton has one of the trendiest set of beaches in the Cape and is almost always sheltered from the wind. Clifton's First and Second beaches are frequented by sunbathers and beach sport enthusiasts, Clifton's Third beach is a meeting place for gay and lesbian beach-lovers, and Fourth beach, with its International Blue Flag Status, is a family beach.
Many photographs of Cape Town with Table Mountain in the background, are photographed from Blouberg Beach -- this popular family beach is located in Bloubergstrand.
Art Galleries -- The Cape has a number of galleries that will appeal to a wide audience. Galleries in the Cape exhibit a cross section of artworks, from classical period pieces to contemporary art created by a new generation of artists.
Hout Bay ...
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is one of South Africa’s most visited destinations, and is set against an exquisite backdrop of sea and mountain views. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&A), is home to designer label stores, national retailers, boutiques and services, along with a spread of restaurants, coffee shops and fast-food outlets. There are also two cinema complexes and craft markets, offering visitors the best of everything Cape Town and the Western Cape have to offer.
The V&A is a centuries old harbour that remains fully operational. Spend a day or five trawling the Waterfront and you’ll understand why it has been a favourite destination of Capetonians and visitors since its 1992 re-awakening.
The Two Oceans Aquarium, situated at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, showcases the incredible diversity of marine flora and fauna found in the Indian and the Atlantic --the southern tip of Africa is the meeting place of these two mighty oceans.
Sunset cruises...
Cape Town's Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is a world-renowned tourist attraction -- famous for the beauty and diversity of the flora it displays and for its magnificent setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Founded in 1913, Kirstenbosch grows only indigenous South African plants. The estate covers 528 hectares and supports a diverse fynbos flora and natural forest. The cultivated garden (36 hectares) displays collections of South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country.
The Cape Winelands region is home to a superb landscape of blue mountains, steepsided valleys, sparkling streams and sweeping vineyards, dotted with a number of whitewashed old Cape Dutch homesteads and modern wineries.
Take a drive on one of the many wine routes and visit the wine farms for wine tasting, cellar tours and an opportunity to purchase some good local wines.
The best time to see the vineyards is in autumn as nature puts on a colour festival with shades of red, brown and every colour in-between.
Cape Town's Township Tours
Chapmans Peak Drive -- a Cape Town icon that is one of the most scenic drives in South Africa -- You will have no better view of Hout Bay and the Sentinel, and if you are lucky, you might even see whales playing in the ocean below. Designed and built by Thomas Bain (an engineer who is responsible for the construction of a number of mountain passes in the Western Cape – including Bainskloof Pass), it cuts into the mountain walls and winds along near vertical cliffs.
District Six Museum --
District Six was established as the sixth municipal district of Cape Town in 1867. Freed slaves, merchants and immigrants moved in and formed a bustling community with a thriving cultural life. In 1966 apartheid law declared District Six a whites-only area. By 1982 all residents had been forcibly removed and their houses demolished. The newly refurbished District Six museum pays tribute to this community.
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