Things to do in Cape Town
City Bowl coffee, Camps Bay hikes, and Kalk Bay harbour dinners on your terms.
This is Cape Town for the traveller who wants to move like a local: strong coffee before the crowds, a proper Greek dinner on Bree Street, a sunrise hike that earns its views, and a seafood lunch eaten with sand still on your shoes. Three days cover the City Bowl, the Atlantic Seaboard and the False Bay coast without overspending, though there is one deliberate splurge each evening to make it count.
Day 1: City Bowl, Bree Street
Start with coffee and a craft market, eat your way through Ethiopian and Greek cooking, and end the night in an 1864 fire-brigade pub.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Watershed
Harbour warehouse of local designers at the V&A; ceramics, prints, leather and beadwork under one roof.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:30 PM
- 7:30 PM
Ouzeri
Greek-leaning small plates in the City Bowl; share taramasalata, grilled octopus and slow-cooked lamb.
Map - 9:30 PM
Fireman's Arms
Pub dating to 1864 on the edge of De Waterkant, hung with fire brigade memorabilia; a pint and a pizza.
Map
Day 2: Lion's Head to Camps Bay
Earn the view with an early hike, then spend the afternoon drifting between a rewarding lunch, the neighbourhood, and a seafood institution.
- 10:30 AM
Lion's Head
Hike up Lion's Head for iconic 360° views over Camps Bay and the Atlantic, the classic Cape Town morning activity.
Map - 12:30 PM
Mantra Cafe, Cape Town
Post-hike lunch on a terrace above Camps Bay, with the Twelve Apostles behind and the Atlantic below.
Map - 4:30 PM
Camps Bay Beach
Late-afternoon sand under the Twelve Apostles, a short walk from dinner; the Atlantic here is cold.
Map - 7:30 PM
Codfather Seafood & Sushi
Pick your fish from the ice counter by weight and they grill it, or take a seat at the sushi conveyor.
Map
Day 3: Kalk Bay and the harbour
Follow the False Bay coastline from a harbour-side café through antique shops and fishing boats to a proper dinner on the water.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Kalk Bay
Wander the Kalk Bay strip, harbour, antique shops, galleries and the fishing community, all in one colourful stretch.
Map - 12:30 PM
Kalky's
Fish and chips at long tables in the working harbour; order the snoek or hake and watch the boats come in.
Map - 2:30 PM
Table Mountain National Park
Walk up Echo Valley from Kalk Bay into the park's fynbos for caves and wide False Bay views; about two hours.
Map - 7:30 PM
Harbour House Kalk Bay
Memorable seafood dinner at Harbour House Kalk Bay, the one $$$ splurge of the day, right on the harbour.
Map
Where to stay
Camissa House
Sits in the City Bowl, close to Bree Street and Greenmarket Square, which puts Day 1 right outside the door.
South Beach Camps Bay
A mid-range base in Camps Bay, a walk from the beach, Codfather and the Lion's Head drive.
Make Cape Town your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Table Mountain: a few days ahead
- Cape Peninsula: a few days ahead
- Robben Island: weeks ahead
- Bo-Kaap: a few days ahead
- Cape Point: a few days ahead
- Boulders Beach: a few days ahead
Skip these
- The V&A Waterfront as a day of mall shopping. Go for Zeitz MOCAA, Pier, the ferry and the market.
- A Long Street bar crawl. Kloof Street and Bree Street are the better night out.
- Camps Bay strip sundowners at full tourist price more than once. Picnic at Clifton or Sea Point Promenade instead.
- Shark cage diving sold as a must do. It is a long day to Gansbaai and great whites are largely absent now.
The full Cape Town travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around