Things to do in Cape Town, splurging
Destination dinners, design browsing, and great coffee from Bo-Kaap to Kalk Bay.
This is Cape Town for someone who eats seriously, shops deliberately, and doesn't mind spending on the right room. The three days move from the city's historic core through Woodstock's creative quarter to the southern peninsula, with a destination dinner most nights and enough breathing room between them to actually enjoy it.
Day 1: Bo-Kaap, City Bowl, Keerom Street
Start with coffee and Cape Malay history in the colourful streets above town, then work through a long Ouzeri lunch and a landmark steak on Keerom to close the night.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Bo-Kaap Museum
Compact, fascinating museum telling the story of Bo-Kaap's Cape Malay community, a five-minute walk from The Strangers Club.
Map - 12:30 PM
Ouzeri
Greek-leaning small plates in the City Bowl; share taramasalata, grilled octopus and slow-cooked lamb.
Map - 2:30 PM
Iziko Slave Lodge
Iziko Slave Lodge is one of Cape Town's most important heritage sites, powerful and unmissable for first-timers.
Map - 7:30 PM
Carne Keerom Cape Town
Giorgio Nava's steakhouse on Keerom Street, serving beef and lamb raised on his own Karoo farm.
Map - 9:30 PM
Perseverance Tavern
Perseverance Tavern is a Cape Town institution, classic late-night drink to close the evening before midnight.
Map
Day 2: Woodstock and the Old Biscuit Mill
A morning with Irma Stern's collection gives way to small plates at The Pot Luck Club, afternoon browsing at Neighbourgoods, and a low-key Italian dinner to end it.
- 10:30 AM
Irma Stern Museum
Irma Stern's Rondebosch house, hung with her portraits and the Congo and Zanzibar pieces she collected.
Map - 12:30 PM
The Pot Luck Club
Small plates on top of the Old Biscuit Mill silo; order the beef fillet with truffle café au lait sauce.
Map - 2:00 PM
The Neighbourgoods Market
Saturday-only food and design market downstairs from lunch; stalls pack up by 15:00.
Map - 7:30 PM
Villa 47
Bree Street Italian for handmade pasta, a whole grilled fish to share and a long Italian wine list.
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 3: Kalk Bay, the Mountain, the Harbour
Coffee at Olympia, antique shops along the harbour strip, lunch at the Brass Bell over the water, and a seafood dinner at Harbour House to finish the trip.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Kalk Bay
Critic-endorsed Kalk Bay strip, browse the antique shops, design boutiques and galleries lining the harbour village.
Map - 12:30 PM
The Brass Bell
Seafood lunch at the station pub that sits on the rocks, with False Bay waves breaking under the windows.
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
Glass room on the Kalk Bay breakwater; order the line fish of the day and watch the waves hit the wall.
Map
Where to stay
Kensington Place
A $$$-rated boutique on the Gardens slope: close to every City Bowl and Woodstock move, and the right size and feel for this kind of trip.
Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel
Cape Cadogan is a well-regarded Gardens boutique that puts you two minutes from Keerom Street and equally well-placed for the Woodstock days.
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