Cape Town 10-day itinerary

1. Stop 1

   Bo-Kaap

   This neighbourhood, on a hilly area southwest of the city centre, is where historically Malay Muslim descendants of slaves had lived. It is a popular location to shoot films, since there are bright and colourful buildings, mosques, quaint streets, stunning views of Cape Town, and delicious street food sold along the side. It is worth exploring the quarter for about an hour, and then visiting the Bo-Kaap Museum, showing how a wealthy Malay family lived during the 19th century.

2. Stop 2 · 20 min walk

   Castle of Good Hope

   Popularly called 'The Castle' by locals, it is the oldest surviving building in South Africa, having been built from 1666 to 1679. The castle displays a vast range of historical military equipment and tools, an art collection and the William Fehr Collection, which includes antique Cape Dutch furniture. Visitors can buy wine and eat at the café or restaurant within the Castle .

3. Stop 3 · 593 min walk

   City Hall

   This beautiful Edwardian building, completed in 1905, is where Nelson Mandela made his first speech after his release from prison in 1990. It no longer hosts municipal offices, but instead functions as a venue for exhibitions and performances, including those of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

4. Stop 4 · 683 min walk

   Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

   See the beautiful and highly diverse flowers and plants of the Cape in one of the most stunning botanical gardens in the world. Plants from every South African bioregion are displayed. These include a huge baobab tree, rare succulents from the Richtersveld, as well as fascinating medicinal species. Several paths meander throughout the garden. There are also many restaurants, an indigenous nursery and a gift shop located here.

Eat · Eastern Food Bazaar: South Asian food court offering high quality meals for a fair price. 100% Halal.

1. Stop 1

   Rhodes Memorial

   Built on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak, the memorial was designed in recognition of imperialist politician and business magnate Cecil Rhodes. The wooden bench that Rhodes used is placed under the memorial. This memorial is a wonderful spot to have a picnic. It is a starting point for the bike and hiking trails that head towards Devil's Peak, which have now become very popular. If you are eager to explore the nature and beauty in the area, make sure you are never alone and never carry valuables with you.

2. Stop 2 · 62 min walk

   South African Houses of Parliament

   Cape Town is the legislative seat of South Africa (the presidential seat is in Pretoria while the judicial seat is in Bloemfontein). A tour of the Houses of Parliament will acquaint you with South Africa's modern history and political system. The tour includes visits to the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces and the old apartheid-era assembly now only used for caucus and committee meetings. Tours are offered a few times per day in various languages.

3. Stop 3 · 31 min walk

   Two Oceans Aquarium

   A decent-sized aquarium showcasing the biodiversity within the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Displays include clownfish, seahorses, turtles, sharks and even the local penguins. Features a live kelp forest and microscope exhibit. There is an extensive series of events calendar for each month, and a daily event schedule including live feedings as well. Scuba diving with the sharks is also offered. A walk around the aquarium takes about an hour.

4. Stop 4 · 8 min walk

   Victoria and Alfred Waterfront

   A huge shopping and entertainment area in the harbour. It is very popular with tourists, because of the high density of shops, restaurants and amusement possibilities, like the Aquarium or the Marine Museum. Harbour tours and trips to Robben Island start from here, as well as helicopter flights to the Cape Peninsula. The V&A Waterfront has more or less full wheelchair access.

Eat · Best Of Asia Green Point: Best Of Asia Green Point is a listed stop in this neighborhood.

1. Stop 1

   Cape Town Science Centre

   A world of discovery under one roof! Expect a wide variety of interactive displays and exciting activities for your enjoyment. Build a house in the exclusive 'kids only' Building Site, challenge your mind with Puzzling Things, experience weightlessness similar to that of space with a spin on the Human Gyroscope, play Mindball - the game where you control the ball with your brain waves and see and hear science in the Audio Kinetic Sculpture.

2. Stop 2 · 72 min walk

   Nobel Square

   Along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Features sculptures of South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize winners including Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.

3. Stop 3 · 23 min walk

   Bo-Kaap Museum

   Located in a home dating from the 1760s, the museum offers an insight into the cultural life of the Muslim community of the Bo-Kaap area in Cape Town.

4. Stop 4 · 14 min walk

   District Six Museum

   District Six is an area near downtown Cape Town which remained multiracial well into the 1960s against all attempts by the government to declare it a "white only" area. Eventually the residents were all evicted and the buildings were bulldozed. The area remains uninhabited. The museum provides information about the area, the eviction, the Group Areas Act, and the people who used to live there. The director of the museum is a former resident.

Eat · Randy Warthog Bar & Grill: Randy Warthog Bar & Grill is a listed stop in this neighborhood.

1. Stop 1

   Groot Constantia

   One of the oldest wine estates in South Africa and well worth the fee for the internal tour and wine tasting.

2. Stop 2 · 157 min walk

   Slave Lodge

   One of the oldest buildings in Cape Town which houses a social history museum.

3. Stop 3 · 8 min walk

   South African Jewish Museum

   The museum about this small community that has made large contributions in South African society and bringing down Apartheid. The museum is about Jews but non-Jews will find it very interesting and informative.

4. Stop 4 · 36 min walk

   Maritime Centre

   The museum documents the lives of the early seafarers voyaging around the Cape of Good Hope. Small craft, locally made and various maritime artifacts are also showcased. The huge model ships are the highlight of the museum.

Eat · Vasco da Gama Taverna: Vasco da Gama Taverna is a listed stop in this neighborhood.

1. Stop 1

   South African National Gallery

   Located in the Gardens area of Cape Town off Government Ave (about a 20-minute walk from downtown). Contains extensive displays of South African art, and information on the history of censorship of art during apartheid.

2. Stop 2 · 14 min walk

   Galleria Gibello

   Galleria Gibello is a photo gallery that is filled with visually captivating moments of life on the African continent.

3. Stop 3 · 44 min walk

   Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art

   Established in 2017 as the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world. Built out of an old grain silo that was decommissioned in 2001.

4. Stop 4 · 20 min walk

   Artscape Theatre

   Artscape Theatre Centre is the main performing arts centre in Cape Town, South Africa. It was opened in 1971 and is located on reclaimed land in the Foreshore area of Cape Town CBD.

Eat · Lusitania Fisheries: Lusitania Fisheries is a listed stop in this neighborhood.

1. Stop 1

   Baxter Theatre

   The Baxter Theatre Centre is a performing arts complex in Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa. The Baxter, as it is often referred to, is part of the University of Cape Town (UCT). It is a popular venue for theatre performers and artists in the Western Cape.

2. Stop 2 · 82 min walk

   Labia Theatre

   Has an African screen showing African-made and African-oriented films all year round.

Eat · Meeting Point-Tanzanian East African Cuisine: Meeting Point-Tanzanian East African Cuisine is a listed stop in this neighborhood.

1. Stop 1

   File:SafrikaIMG 8414.JPG

   Listed as a next stop from Cape Town. Check the regional train or bus the night before.

2. Stop 2

   Robben Island

   Listed as a next stop from Cape Town. Check the regional train or bus the night before.

3. Stop 3

   File:Penguins on boulders beach.jpg

   Listed as a next stop from Cape Town. Check the regional train or bus the night before.

Eat · Pack snacks from town. Do not count on a full menu at a small station.

1. Stop 1

   Robben Island

   Listed as a next stop from Cape Town. Book the earliest practical train or bus.

2. Stop 2

   File:Penguins on boulders beach.jpg

   Listed as a next stop from Cape Town. Book the earliest practical train or bus.

3. Stop 3

   Boulders

   Listed as a next stop from Cape Town. Book the earliest practical train or bus.

Eat · Eat near the station before you leave. Plan dinner back in Cape Town.

1. Stop 1

   Cable Car to the top of Table Mountain

   One-way and return cable car ticket available. Wheelchair accessible throughout, with a separate lift entrance and friendly staff will help accessibility visitors. Weather conditions at the top of the mountain are not the same as at the bottom so always take something warm to wear when going up the mountain, even if it is a nice toasty 30˚C at the bottom of the mountain. Wear sunblock and carry a water bottle (there is also a free drinking fountain at the top near the cable station).

2. Stop 2

   Climbing Table Mountain

   Platteklip Gorge is the most accessible and therefore the most popular route for climbing up Table Mountain. You start from Tafelberg Road and proceed up a steep gully to the top of Table Mountain. It's a steep two hours but well worth the effort and you can jump in the cable car back down to spare your knees. The cable car does not operate in strong winds so you need to check before departing. Remember to take water, sunblock, a hat and jacket. Climbing the mountain in the heat is a grueling task.

3. Stop 3

   Cape Peninsula

   Go to the Cape of Good Hope via Simon's Town and the African penguin colony at Boulders. Visit Cape Point in the Table Mountain National Park, maybe have lunch there before taking a hike in a quieter part of the reserve to immerse yourself in the essence of the landscape. Then take a scenic drive along Chapman's Peak Drive (if it is open) through Hout Bay and along the Atlantic seaboard via Llandudno and Camps Bay, stopping off at one of Clifton's famous four beaches.

4. Stop 4

   Winelands

   Tour the beautiful Constantia Valley wine estates Groot Constantia, Buitenverwagting, Klein Constantia and Constantia Uitsig before checking out the Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. Stellenbosch has the added attraction of being an historical university town and Franschhoek, well established as the food capital of the Cape, is home to three of the country's top ten restaurants. The views are extraordinary.

Eat · Go back to a place that already worked.

1. Stop 1

   Nobel Square

   Along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Features sculptures of South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize winners including Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.

Eat · Eat near the hotel.