Cape Town
A flat-topped mountain, two bays, vineyards and penguins on the beach.
Cape Town sits at the foot of Table Mountain where the Atlantic meets the Cape peninsula, with beaches on one side, the harbour and the city bowl on the other and the winelands an hour inland. The peninsula runs south to the Cape of Good Hope through fishing villages, penguin colonies and coastal roads.
Why go
For a setting that few cities can match: the mountain from every street, the cable car to its top, the sunset from Signal Hill, the drive along Chapman's Peak, the swim at Clifton. And for the history at Robben Island and the District Six museum, which give the beauty its context.
And for the eating and drinking: the vineyards of Constantia, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the markets and restaurants of Woodstock and the city bowl, and seafood on the harbour.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01Table Mountain
Up by rotating cable car or on foot by Platteklip gorge, with the city, the peninsula and both bays below. Go when the cloud 'tablecloth' is off the top; it can close the cableway in wind.
02The Cape peninsula
The drive south along Chapman's Peak to the Cape of Good Hope, with the penguins at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town and the lighthouse at Cape Point at the end.
03The Atlantic seaboard
Clifton's four beaches, Camps Bay's palm-lined strip below the Twelve Apostles and the sunset from Lion's Head or Signal Hill above them.
04Robben Island and the V&A Waterfront
The ferry from the harbour to the island prison where Nelson Mandela was held, with a guided tour of the prison, and the working harbour of restaurants, the aquarium and the Zeitz museum of contemporary African art.
05The winelands
Constantia's estates inside the city, and Stellenbosch and Franschhoek's oak-lined streets, Cape Dutch farms and tasting rooms an hour away.
06Bo-Kaap, the city bowl and Woodstock
The painted houses and Cape Malay kitchens of Bo-Kaap, the Company's Garden and museums in the centre, and the Saturday market and studios of Woodstock.
07Kirstenbosch and the whales
The botanical garden on the mountain's eastern slope with its summer concerts, and the whales that come into False Bay and to Hermanus along the coast in the southern winter.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
The V&A Waterfront
Hotels on the harbour with the mountain behind, restaurants and the island ferry. Central and simple for a first visit.
The city bowl and Gardens
The centre below the mountain: guesthouses, cafés, the museums and Kloof Street's restaurants.
Camps Bay and the Atlantic seaboard
Beach-side villas and hotels with sunsets, a short drive from the centre.
Constantia and the southern suburbs
Vineyards, Kirstenbosch and leafy calm, on the way to the peninsula.
When to go: Cape Town
- SummerNovember – March
- Warm, dry and windy, with long beach evenings and the harvest in the winelands. The high season; the south-easter can blow hard.
- AutumnApril and May
- Calm, warm and clear, with the wind dropped and the crowds gone. Many locals' favourite.
- WinterJune – August
- Cool and wet in spells, with green mountains, whales in the bay and fireside tastings in the winelands.
- SpringSeptember and October
- Wildflowers on the west coast, warming days and the return of the sun to the beaches.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Cape Town. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- CPTCape Town International
Distance from
- JNBJohannesburg1,280 km
- DXBDubai7,650 km
- BOMMumbai8,240 km
- CDGParis9,360 km
- LHRLondon9,670 km
- SINSingapore9,680 km
- SYDSydney11,000 km
- JFKNew York12,540 km
Getting around: Cape Town
A hire car is the practical way to see the peninsula and the winelands; ride-hailing is reliable within the city and to the airport. The hop-on bus loops the main sights for those without a car.
The city bowl and the waterfront are walkable; the mountain and the coast road are drives. Allow a full day for the peninsula and another for the winelands.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- South Africa
- Currency
- ZAR · South African Rand
- Languages
- English, Afrikaans and Xhosa
- Time zone
- South Africa Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +27
The atlas
Cape Town in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Cape Town, month by month
- Jan22°
- Feb22°
- Mar21°
- Apr19°
- May18°
- Jun16°
- Jul16°
- Aug16°
- Sept17°
- Oct18°
- Nov19°
- Dec21°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: October to May.
Mean highs run from 16°C in August to 22°C in February, with about 489 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for Cape TownModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBCape Town
7,650 km
9 hrs 45 mins · Estimate
From AUHCape Town
7,530 km
9 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Cape Town
In pictures: Cape Town
Plan this trip: Cape Town
Open the trip builder with Cape Town already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
