Cape Town in 5 days
Five days of which one is deliberately empty — because you climb Table Mountain on the clear morning, not the planned one.
- How long
- 5 days
- Getting around
- A car from day three
- Rhythm
- Mountain and island in the morning
Five days in Cape Town run on one rule: the mountain and Robben Island are not scheduled items but opportunities. Wind cancels both, so the plan is built to check the forecast each morning and take whatever the day allows.
The centre on foot, and the first weather check
The forecast and the cableway website, before breakfast. Clear and still — the whole plan shifts and you go up Table Mountain today. If not, follow the plan below and ask again tomorrow.
The Company's Garden and the museum block: the South African Museum, the National Gallery and parliament in one park.
Bo-Kaap, along Wale Street. The houses are private — photograph from the street, not from the yards.
Lunch on Bree Street, or at the Oranjezicht market if it is Saturday.
The V&A Waterfront — thoroughly touristy, but the Robben Island boat leaves from here and this is where you check tomorrow's sailing.
Sunset from Signal Hill, by car or cab; there is no entry fee.
Robben Island and Woodstock
Robben Island, the first boat from the Waterfront; the next leave at 11:00 and 13:00. Three and a half hours in all: the crossing, a bus around the island and the prison tour with a former political prisoner as the guide. Book days ahead.
Lunch in Woodstock; on Saturdays and Sundays there is a market in the old biscuit factory, on other days galleries and murals.
Zeitz MOCAA at the Waterfront — contemporary African art in a grain silo cut open inside like a honeycomb. The building is reason enough for people who do not care about the art.
Dinner in De Waterkant or on Bree Street; come back by cab, not on foot.
The peninsula, a full day by car
Pick up the car. Start early: this is the day with the most kilometres and the most light.
Chapman's Peak, a road cut into the cliff above the ocean. There is a toll and it closes in high wind — the alternative is Ou Kaapse Weg over the hill.
Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, one reserve with a €27 entry fee, card only. Lock the car: the baboons in the car park open doors and take food.
Boulders — a beach with an African penguin colony and boardwalks above it. Entry is €13, separate from the reserve; half an hour is enough.
Simon's Town for lunch, then back through Kalk Bay — a fishing harbour with bookshops.
The winelands
Stellenbosch — a university town with Dutch architecture. A tasting is not planned without a driver.
Lunch at a winery, booked ahead.
Franschhoek and the wine tram — a hop-on-hop-off that solves the problem of driving after a tasting. One ticket for the day, running a loop.
Back; with a driver or on a tour, never on your own.
The spare day — mountain or sea
The forecast. If it is clear: Table Mountain, by cableway or up the Platteklip gorge — two to three hours uphill, no shade and no water on the way.
If the mountain happened earlier in the week: Kirstenbosch, the botanical garden at the mountain's eastern foot, with its canopy walkway.
Camps Bay or Clifton for an afternoon by the water; for a swim, False Bay on the other side of the peninsula is warmer.
The last sunset, from the beach or from Lion's Head if you have an hour of climb left.
Two things that wreck the plan
- The peninsula without a car. A coach tour runs to its own timetable; with a car you stop where you like and end the day in Kalk Bay.
- A tasting with your own car. A driver or the tram; there is no third option.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How many days does Cape Town need?
Five, one of them deliberately empty. The mountain and Robben Island depend on wind and are cancelled in the morning, so a schedule with no slack means missing one of them. With four days you drop the winelands, not the peninsula.
Is Table Mountain worth the cableway, or do you walk?
Both work. The Platteklip gorge path is two to three hours almost straight up with no shade. If you want both, walk up and ride down on a one-way ticket; a return bought online is €25.
Do you need a car?
Not for the first two days — the centre walks and MyCiTi buses work. For the peninsula and the winelands yes, because there is no public transport there. You drive on the left.
Ready for Cape Town?
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