Cape Town has one of the most dramatic natural settings of any city in the world. Table Mountain rises flat-topped and improbable above the bowl of the city, the Atlantic on one side, False Bay on the other, the Cape Peninsula stretching south toward the end of the continent. It is a city that looks spectacular from every angle, and one that delivers on its scenery when you get closer.
The food scene is exceptional — genuinely world-class in a way that surprises visitors who arrive expecting less. The wine from Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, forty minutes from the city, rivals anything France produces and costs a fraction of the price. The hiking — up Table Mountain, along the coastal paths of the Peninsula, through the fynbos of the Cape of Good Hope — is some of the best urban hiking anywhere.
Table Mountain
Take the cable car for the view and stay to walk. The summit plateau is larger than it appears from below — you can walk for hours on paths through fynbos (the unique Cape floral kingdom found nowhere else on earth) with views in every direction. The hike up Platteklip Gorge is straightforward and takes about 90 minutes; coming down by cable car is a reasonable combination. Check the mountain's cloud cover before you go — the famous "tablecloth" of cloud that sits on the summit can close the cable car for days at a time.
Recommended Stay · Cape Town · South Africa
Ellerman House
A grand 1912 mansion on the steep slopes of Bantry Bay, with panoramic views of the Atlantic and one of the finest art collections of any hotel in Africa. Intimate, private, and genuinely extraordinary — the best address in the city.
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The Winelands
Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are two of the most beautiful wine towns in the world — European in character, with Cape Dutch architecture, oak-lined streets, and estates that have been producing wine for 350 years. Spend a full day doing a self-drive wine route from Stellenbosch, with lunch at one of the estate restaurants. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc from this region are world-class.
The Cape Peninsula
The drive south from Cape Town along the peninsula is one of the great coastal drives — through Hout Bay, over Chapman's Peak (one of the most spectacular cliff roads in the world), through Noordhoek and Kommetjie to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The reserve has penguins at Boulders Beach, Cape Point's lighthouse and dramatic cliffs, and the chance to stand at the most south-western tip of Africa.
