Cape Town for First Time Visitors

When you think of South Africa you immediately think of Cape Town. In January 2024 Dog and Dragon were fortunate to have an unforgettable adventure, experiencing the delights of Cape Town for the first time. Cape Town is a modern metropolis nestled between the ocean and the mountains. It is a world renowned vacation and recreation destination. The multicultural diversity of the city lends itself to a wide variety of culinary options. There are ample monuments, architectural curiosities, interesting museums, and enjoyable sights to keep you busy. The January weather was absolutely perfect every day. Four days in Cape Town gave us a great feel for the city. Cape Town for first time visitors offers a variety of fantastic experiences.

Staying Downtown

We arrived early in the morning from our adventure in the Garden Route. Our hotel, the ONOMO Hotel Inn on the Square, was located in Greenmarket Square in the heart of the city. To our surprise the entire square was setup every day as an outdoor market, akin to a farmer’s market in the United States. Greenmarket Square is a good location to explore downtown Cape Town, with plenty of museums, monuments, restaurants, and shopping all within walking distance.

The Inn on the Square was also close to the hop-on-hop-off bus stop with City Sightseeing South Africa. This is a sponsored link with this company. We utilized their services throughout our stay to explore the entire region and can’t recommend them enough. They offer a variety of tours including multi-day passes, harbor cruises, as well as entry tickets to several of the areas we’re going to tell you about in this post. We didn’t rent a car during our four day stay. City Sightseeing buses took us to each of the following locations.

What To Do Around Cape Town

Table Mountain

There is a lot to love about Cape Town. Perhaps the most obvious is the massive, iconic Table Mountain looming over the city. The top of Table Mountain is accessible via hiking or via the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. The cableway is the quickest and easiest route to the top. We were pleasantly surprised to discover it has a 360 degree rotating design that allows every passenger to take in the views from all angles.

Once you are on the top of this flat-topped mountain there are well maintained hiking paths all around the summit. You’ll enjoy amazing views that include Cape Town, Lions Head, the Twelve Apostles, and the Atlantic Ocean. Table Mountain has a bounty of flora and fauna that includes some gorgeous flowers that we really enjoyed. If there is only time for one outing in Cape Town, then Table Mountain is it.

Kirstenbosch Gardens

The eastern slopes of Table Mountain are home to one of the world’s most renowned botanical gardens, Kirstenbosch Gardens. Much like Table Mountain, this place is truly amazing. Kirstenbosch Gardens covers over 1300 acres with thousands of plant species, sculptures, works of art, and even a concert venue. Dog’s favorite feature was a winding, elevated walkway through the treetops called the Boomslang. Boomslang is the name of a deadly, venomous African tree snake. We spent an entire morning strolling through this gorgeous botanical masterpiece and we were not disappointed.

Groot Constantia

Another recommended stop conveniently located a short ride from Kirstenbosch Gardens is Groot Constantia winery. Founded in 1685 it is not only the oldest winery in South Africa, but has produced wines of such quality that they were frequently shipped to Europe at the request of King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Queen Victoria among others. Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly had their wines shipped in to St Helena during his exile. You can enjoy a wine tasting, lunch at one of the cafes, and walk among the shady trees of this picturesque estate.

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

Back in Cape Town be sure to spend some time shopping and dining along the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront district. We discovered another fun activity that came with our City Sightseeing ticket was the choice of either a harbor or canal boat cruise, both of which are accessed from the V&A Waterfront district. The waterfront area has a wide variety of retail, dining, and entertainment options. We found this part of Cape Town to be a pleasant and relaxing location for a nice change of pace. Check out the plethora of unique vendors at The Watershed.

Atlantic Ocean Beaches

Being situated along the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Town is a beach lovers paradise. Venture along the western seaside suburbs of Hout Bay, Camps Bay and Sea Point. These beach towns attract visitors from all over the world with their stunning beauty and beach life. Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles rise dramatically up above the beaches providing an epic backdrop for soaking up the sun. Curiously, Hout Bay is home to Lichtenstein Castle, a replica of the famous castle in Germany. Each of these little beach towns has their own unique character and vibe. You’ll have to explore each one to decide on your favorite. We enjoyed getting our feet wet at the beach in Camps Bay.

Cape Point

A trip to Cape Town would be incomplete without visiting Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Cape Point, formerly the Cape of Storms, is famous for multiple shipwrecks because of the treacherous seas and unpredictable weather. Remnants of some wrecks can still be spotted by keen eyed visitors. We purchased a separate City Sightseeing day trip that included Cape Point and Boulders Beach.

The bus took us to Cape Point within the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve where we had ample time to explore the sheer cliffs around the lighthouses. The old lighthouse was built at the high point, but due to its height and location it sadly resulted in further shipwrecks. A new lighthouse was built lower down and further out on the peninsula making it more effective. After taking in the amazing views at Cape Point we did a guided hike to the Cape of Good Hope. We were delighted to see a variety of animals that included eland, ostriches, seals, baboons, and lizards.

Boulders Beach

After leaving the cape we headed to Boulders Beach in Simons Town. Boulders is home to a colony of African Penguins. You can walk along the boardwalks over the white sand beaches to observe this endangered species. Keep your eyes peeled, because you may also encounter the dassie, or rock hyrax, that live in the same terrain as the penguins. After visiting the penguins you can walk along the beach, take a dip in the ocean, or enjoy a frozen treat at Penguin Beach Ice Cream. This was our first time seeing penguins in the wild and it was really cool. We were surprisingly lucky to have further penguin adventures in the upcoming weeks in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.

Where to Eat

Bo Kaap Kombuis – A family run restaurant serving Cape Malay style food with amazing views of Table Mountain. We recommend making a reservation because it fills up quickly.

Tomo Cape Town– We’re never quite sure how sushi will turn out in a new location. Being right on the ocean we were more confident about trying sushi in Cape Town. Tomo lived up to the reviews we read. Great sushi in a peaceful, clean restaurant served up by our friendly, welcoming waiter Sahid.

Mesopotamia – Located on Green Market Square with a lovely outdoor patio Mesopotamia was a perfect stop for our first meal in Cape Town and our first time trying Kurdish food. Absolutely delicious! An additional nice feature was that the patio was separated from the sidewalk with trees and plants in between that created a relaxing, shady environment.

Iron Steak & Bar – Check out Iron Steak & Bar when you are ready to splurge a little on a nice date night meal. Everything was nicely prepared and elegantly presented. Save room for the complimentary ice cream cone on your way out.

Dizzy’s Camps Bay – There are a lot of restaurant options in Camps Bay. If you feel like a burger, wings, and beer then go no further than Dizzy’s Camps Bay. You can catch a football game inside or sit outside on the patio.

Safety First

The downtown area around the hotel was safe enough for us to walk around together during the day. Like most big cities we were approached by beggars, panhandlers, and drug dealers. General tourist precautions should be taken in Cape Town: travel together, don’t flash your money about, safeguard your belongings, etc. We utilized our cross body anti-theft sling bags throughout our adventure. This area of Cape Town has many security personnel walking the streets. They are not police, but a private security firm hired by the city. We were cautioned against walking around alone or at night as it was considered too dangerous. We were also cautioned against hiking alone, even on Table Mountain. Cape Town is a modern city, but South Africa is a third world country. There are many poor, desperate people. Be aware of your surroundings, travel in groups, be smart, and behave with caution.

We Needed More Time

Cape Town is an amazing place whether you are first time visitors, returning travelers, or locals. We managed to knock out five of the big six attractions during our four days in Cape Town. Unfortunately we were only able to squeeze in so much during our time there. If you have the time you can also:

• venture out to South Africa’s famous Stellenbosch wine region
• take a boat trip to Robben Island
• picnic at the Silvermine Nature Reserve
• hike Lion’s Head for more amazing views
• discover Cape Town’s many museums

We discovered there was still much more to do and experience. We are looking forward to our next visit.