Salaam’sCAPE TOWN

Things to do

Plan a day at the V&A Waterfront ↗ · Opening days and times appear with each place.

Showing 1 to 10 of 16 places

The Table Mountain cableway station below rocky mountain slopes.

Tafelberg Road

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

Five minutes in a rotating cabin, then the whole peninsula at your feet. Go early, before the cloud and the queues, and book online.

Opening: Daily, weather permitting. September and October: first ascent 8.30am, last ascent 6pm, last descent 7pm.

Paths and planting at Kirstenbosch.

Newlands

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

The Boomslang walkway through the tree canopy, proteas in flower in spring, and lawns made for a long picnic under the mountain.

Opening: Daily 8am to 7pm in September to March; 8am to 6pm in April to August.

Paths and planting in the Babylonstoren garden.

Simondium, Winelands

Babylonstoren

A working farm garden an hour from town: fruit trees, prickly pears and clipped hedges under the Simonsberg. Come for the garden and the farm shop. Under-18s go free.

Opening: Daily in summer 9am to 6pm, last entry 5pm; winter 9am to 5pm, last entry 4pm.

Fish and coral in a blue-lit tank at Two Oceans Aquarium.

V&A Waterfront

Two Oceans Aquarium

The kelp forest tank alone is worth the ticket. Ragged-tooth sharks, a penguin colony, and enough to hold a six-year-old for two hours.

Opening: Daily 9.30am to 6pm.

Fischer’s lovebirds at World of Birds in Hout Bay.

Hout Bay

World of Birds

Walk-through aviaries in Hout Bay with flamingos, ibis and a monkey enclosure the children will not leave. Pay at the gate; no booking needed.

Opening: Daily 9am to 5pm; last entry 4pm.

African penguins beside the boulders at Boulders Beach.

Simon's Town

Boulders Beach penguins

A colony of African penguins on a sheltered beach an hour down the peninsula. Boardwalks take you within a metre of them. Pair it with Cape Point.

Opening: Daily: April to September 8am to 5pm; February, March, October and November 8am to 6.30pm; December and January 7am to 7.30pm.

The cliffs and sea at Cape Point.

Cape Peninsula

Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope

The end of the peninsula, the Atlantic on one side and False Bay on the other, baboons on the road and a lighthouse you climb to. Drive one way via Chapman's Peak: a detour, and worth every minute.

Opening: Daily entry: October to March 6am to 6pm; April to September 7am to 5pm.

An elephant on a track at Aquila Private Game Reserve.

Touws River, 2 hours by road

Aquila safari day trip

The Big Five two hours from the city, with a salah room and wudhu facilities on the reserve and halal-certified suppliers in the kitchen. A long day, and worth it once.

Opening: Full-day safari bookings typically arrive at 9am, with the game drive at 10.15am.

Signal Hill and the surrounding Cape Town landscape.

Signal Hill Road

Signal Hill, the Noon Gun and the kramats

Free, and the best sunset in the city. The Noon Gun fires at twelve, Monday to Saturday. Four kramats sit on the hill, the start of the circle that rings the peninsula.

Opening: Plan your visit in daylight and check conditions before leaving.

Chapman's Peak Drive following the Atlantic cliffs.

Hout Bay to Noordhoek

Chapman's Peak Drive

Follow the cliff road from Hout Bay to Noordhoek, stopping at the picnic areas and viewpoints when the road is open.

Opening: Plan your visit in daylight and check conditions before leaving.

Check access and confirm on the day.