6 Days in Cape Town, South Africa

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South Africa’s Mother City might be my new favorite place! Cape Town delivers on all fronts and I totally get why so many people love this city. The views are epic in Cape Town! Distinct mountains, the mighty ocean, and cliff side views make Cape Town one beautiful place. Add amazing gastronomic experiences and a rich history and culture into that mix and you got place that must make it to all bucket lists. This 6 days in Cape Town itinerary is packed with things to do not only in the city but also in the surrounding areas.

Notes on the Itinerary

• You can do this itinerary in any order (the activities listed on day 1 can be done on day 2)
• Some activities need good weather (i.e., table mountain). You may have to adjust this itinerary depending on the weather
• Even though I had planned this itinerary before I visited Cape Town, I was not able to follow this exact itinerary because of the weather and had to make some adjustments on the go
• It helps to have a car, however it is not the end of the world if you don’t
  • Uber is cheap and can be used to get around Cape Town itself and you can use tours for the rest

6 Days in Cape Town

Day 1

Bo-Kaap

Bo-Kaap is an old neighborhood in Cape Town. This colorful section of the city used to be the former Malay quarter and is steeped in history and culture. Today, it also draws lots of tourists who come in search of colorful buildings to take pictures of. Visit the Bo-Kaap museum to learn more about this neighborhood.

Old Biscuit Mill

The Old Biscuit Mill is a popular place to shop, dine and explore. They have a weekend market with food stalls that is much spoken about.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Wow! Kirstenbosch is stunning! We visited in late fall/early winter and everything was so green and lush! Unfortunately it started to rain but the mountains in the background makes for some beautiful landscapes.

You can have a late lunch at Kirstenbosch at their restaurant on-site. Try the shrimp and chicken curry! It was delicious!

Once done, head to Table Mountain for sunset.

Table Mountain

Table Mountain is said to be one of the oldest mountains in the world! It gets its name from the flat shaped top. The mountain is probably the most distinct landmarks of the entire city and on a good day, can be seen from several places.

There are 2 ways to get to Table Mountain. You can take a cable car or you can hike. You can also take the cable car up and hike down or vice versa, although you will have to make sure the weather is absolutely perfect if you are going to hike up and take the cable car down as the cable car operation can shut down if the weather is bad. This is a place where checking the weather before visiting is a must! You can buy tickets in advance and they have a very generous rescheduling and refund policy. I rescheduled my visit twice online and it was easy.

It takes several hours to hike Table Mountain. If you want to hike it, you need to adjust this itinerary and leave about half a day for it. There are different routes to get to Table Mountain. Some easier than others and some safer (from a security standpoint) than others. Make sure to look it up before you embark on a hike.

Tips for Visiting Table Mountain

If you are using the cable cars and visiting for sunset, you need to give yourself enough time to get to the top. Lines can be long even with advanced tickets, especially if the cable car was closed for several days due to bad weather. Even though I bought tickets in advance, I lost patience standing in line and ended up getting the fast track tickets. It was a little pricey but fully worth it in my opinion as we had very little wait with it both ways.

Check out the official website before you head out to visit. The landing page has weather conditions up top. Look for what visibility is like. If they say visibility is poor, you are better off rescheduling. This is why I have Table Mountain listed on day 1. If you need to reshecule this gives you 5 more days to try your luck! You can also buy your tickets at the link provided.

Day 2

Day 2 of this 6 days in Cape Town itinerary might be my favorite! Start your day early and head towards the Cape of Good Hope. Today you can stop at colorful beaches, visit a penguin colony and drive to the Cape of Good hope for some stunning vistas of mountains, cliffs and the ocean.

On your way back, drive through Chapman’s drive, one of the most scenic drives in the world before visiting a colony of fur seals in Hout Bay.

I cover the entire day in great detail in the post below.

Best road trip from Cape Town!

If you don’t have a car, you can join a tour like the ones below.

Day 3

On day 3 of this 6 days in Cape Town itinerary, you can visit the wineries close by. Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are two of the best towns for wine in all of South Africa and they are easy to get to from Cape Town. I covered the best wineries in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek in a previous post which I will link below.

While you can visit Stellenbosch and Franschhoek as a day trip from Cape Town, it’s actually nice to spend the night in one of these towns. The Cape Town airport is only 35 minutes away from Stellenbosch, so even if you stay here on your last night, you can easily get to the airport in no time if you have your own car.

Best Wineries in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek

If you don’t have a car, you can book a tour like the ones below to visit wineries.

Day 4

Robben Island

Roben Island is where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 18 of his 27 years behind bars in South Africa. The tour starts at the V&A Waterfront where you are taken on a ferry to the island. There, you are given a tour of the island followed by a tour of the prison by a former political prisoner. This was one of the most touching and emotional tours I have been on and I would say is a must do when in Cape Town. The tour with the ferry ride to and from takes about 3 hours. Advanced tickets are highly recommended as they sell out.

See HERE for tickets

V&A Waterfront

V&A Waterfront is a good place to shop, dine and walk around and enjoy all the views.

Groot Constantia

Groot Constantia is the oldest winery in South Africa and is just a few minutes from Cape Town. One callout is that the last tasting is at 4 pm. So make your way over before that. Once you buy your ticket, you can enjoy your tasting without rushing. Check out their restaurants for dinner if you are hungry.

Day 5

Gansbaai

It’s day 5 of your 6 days in Cape Town and it’s time for some adventure! South Africa is one of the best places to see great white sharks. While sharks can be found even in Simons Town closer to Cape Town, the best place to see them is in Gansbaai, which is about 2 hours away from Cape Town.

Unfortnately my tour was canceled due to bad sea conditions. I had booked the tour with Great White Shark Tours. They are highly rated and was recommended to me by a family member who had toured with them. I have also seen several other bloggers who have toured with them recommend them as well. They have 2 packages. One includes transport from Cape Town and one that does not. This company did a really good job communicating the cancelation with me.

You can see sharks either from inside the cage or even from the boat as they come up to the surface. So really anyone can see these predators even if you don’t want to get in the cage.

Not into great white sharks or don’t want to take the risk or tour got canceled due to bad weather? No problem! Hout bay in Cape Town is home to fur seals. You can spend half a day either snorkeling with seals, kayaking or taking a boat trip to seal island. See below for tours.

Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas is the southernmost tip of the African continent. It is where the Indian and Atlantic oceans come together. The southernmost tip is marked by a little monument and there is also a lighthouse that you can visit. My recommendation is to visit Cape Agulhas only if you are coming to Gansbaai. If not, I don’t think it is worth the drive from Cape Town. Furthermore, it’s a 3 hours drive back to Cape Town so it may also depend on when you get done with the shark tour in Gansbaai. The start time of the tour depends on sea conditions, so you may start late and not have time to go to cape Agulhas.

Day 6

The final day of this itinerary starts intense but is full of time to relax after!

Lion’s Head Hike

Lion’s Head is one of the most recognizable hills in Cape Town! This hill is a very popular hike amongst locals and visitors! It is a tough hike though and you will have to climb it using ladders, chains and staples in various places. There is a longer route that does not include ladders and staples but this can also be challenging. It’s totally worth it though as it is a fun hike!

You can hike Lion’s head at any time but sunset and sunrise and two of the most popular times. You can easily do this hike on any of the mornings in Cape Town. If you are more of a sunset person, you can also do it in the evening. If you go during either of these 2 times, you will need a head-lamp as the trail is dark. More to come on this hike in a future post!

Not a hiker? No problem! I recommend you drive up to the trail head for some stunning vistas of the city and Table Mountain.

Cape Town Beaches

Cape Town has some beautiful beaches! Especially in the Camps Bay area. Spend the rest of your morning and early afternoon exploring these beaches. A few I visited are listed below! They are all super close to each other!

• Maiden’s Cove
• Camps Bay beach
• Camps’s bay todal pool
• Bakoven Beach
• Clifton 4th

Afternoon Tea

If day 6 falls between Wednesday and Sunday, then make your way to Mount Nelson Belmond Hotel for their afternoon tea. This is an iconic hotel and their afternoon tea is very famous! You can enjoy some amazing savories and sweets and drink teas from all over the world.

If day 6 does not fall between Wednesday and Sunday, then adjust this itinerary accordingly. If you love a good ol’ English afternoon tea, then this is the place to do it!

Signal Hill 

Signal Hill is another distinct hill in Cape Town. It is a good place to watch the sunset. The best part is that you can drive or Uber up to Signal Hill. Bring a bottle of wine and watch the sun go down from the ocean.

Where to Eat in Cape Town

Wondering where to eat in Cape Town? Check out my blog post on the best places to eat in the city!

Where to Stay in Cape Town

I stayed at 2 hotels during my 6 days in Cape Town and loved them both!

Hotel on the Promenade

This hotel is in Sea Point. It’s in a good location and the staff are lovely! The room was very cozy and had everything we needed. The breakfast here was excellent! The hotel is very reasonably priced. Check it out HERE

Ocean View House

Talk about an epic location! Mountains in the background and the ocean in front. This Camps Bay location cannot be beat! Loved the massive spread during breakfast and the room was very comfortable and opened up to a terrace with amazing views. Cannot recommend this hotel more! Check them out HERE

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See all my posts on South Africa HERE