As I mentioned in my last post, Cape Town was the first stop on my trip to Africa and it quickly became one of my favourite cities! I had four days in Cape Town, plus a morning on my overland tour, so I got to see most of the highlights. In this post, I’ll be telling you how to spend four days in Cape Town!
Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town and get over your jetlag!
I’ve set aside your first of four days in Cape Town for getting over any jetlag and exploring the local area. Obviously this will depend on where you’re coming from but when I arrived in Cape Town I didn’t really feel like doing anything major. I’d landed at 9am local time after over 18 HOURS of flying and in that time I’d barely slept. Unfortunately I’m not one of those people who can sleep on planes…
Just because you’re getting over your jetlag doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing! You should have a look into what you want to do for the rest of your time in Cape Town and organise a few things. I wandered down to the shops to buy some lunches and dinners, booked a two-day pass for the Hop-on Hop-off bus and made sure my tour was sorted for the next day.
You can also check out some of the local sites around your hostel. I stayed at Ashanti Gardens in Cape Town because it was the start point for my Acacia Africa overland tour. Behind the hostel, there was a park where you could see some of Table Mountain, so I spent some time wandering around there checking out the view (and the squirrels???). I was also lucky because my room was ready for me when I arrived at 10 am! But even if your room isn’t ready your hostel or hotel should have some nice communal areas.
Day 2: Cape Peninsula Tour
You can’t spend four days in Cape Town without visiting the Cape Peninsula, so this is how I recommend you spend your second day! I chose to go on a tour with Baz Bus which you can read about here. I think a tour is a great way to start your trip because you get to explore areas you might not make it to on your own and you’ll meet some cool people! If you have hired a car, you could visit all of these destinations in your own time.
Day 3: Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens and (insert your own choice here)
Days 3 and 4 in Cape Town are for exploring closer to the city. I decided that the best way for me to get around would be the City Sightseeing Hop on Hop off bus. I’d really recommend it because there’s lots of different stops and a few different routes you can take depending on what you want to see. You can check out the map of routes here.
I bought a two day pass, and on the first day I took the blue line (mini peninsula tour) around to Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens and a small zoo called World of Birds. The hostel I stayed at was a short walk from stop 15 on the blue line so it was really convenient for me to get to these places.
If you go anywhere in Cape Town (aside from Table Mountain, of course!), it should be Kirstenbosch. The gardens were definitely a highlight of my trip because they are situated right underneath Table Mountain, making for some spectacular views! Not going to lie, I’m totally proud of the photos I took with my little point-and-shoot camera. There is a small fee to enter the gardens but it is definitely worth the trip, especially if you’re keen for a relatively relaxing morning.
I won’t talk too much about World of Birds, because it’s probably not most people’s thing. But it is a cute little zoo full of rescue birds and a few other species. I especially loved the monkeys; there was an enclosure where you could sit down and the monkeys would come and climb on your lap! If you ARE into wildlife like me, it is a cool place to visit.
Some alternatives to Bird World…
Here are a few other cool things you could do in Cape Town instead of go to the zoo:
Head out to Robben Island
A lot of tourists make the trip out to Robben Island, but I think you’d need a whole day. You have to book a tour, which generally include transport to the island and a tour of the museum including talks from former inmates. It wasn’t something I personally considered doing because I’m not super into history, and prisons creep me out. Port Arthur in Tasmania was the scariest place I’ve ever been, I swear. But I did go to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg so I think Robben Island could be really interesting too.
Relax on the beach!
You could also check out some of the beaches around Cape Town! Camps Bay was highly recommended to me as somewhere you can chill on the beach and have lunch at one of the restaurants or cafes. If you take the City Sightseeing bus, you’ll notice there’s lots of stops along the coast, all with nice-looking beaches! So there’s plenty of options.
Check out Lions Head and Signal Hill
Sunset from Signal Hill near Lions Head is also supposed to be really nice. I’ve included a photo of Lions Head below – can you see why it gets its name? Honestly I couldn’t from most angles but in that picture I kind of do see it. If you’re into hiking but not up to going up Table Mountain, Lions Head is a good alternative. It’s not safe to walk up alone so make sure you find a hiking buddy. The City Sightseeing bus doesn’t service these areas but they do a sunset tour to Signal Hill.
Explore the Bo-Kaap Area
I really wish I had made it to Bo-Kaap in Cape Town. I hadn’t really heard of it before I left but I’ve since seen some incredible photos of the colourful buildings! Apparently it’s a 20 minute walk from the waterfront area or a five minute walk from the city centre. It’s meant to be a very safe area so I’ll definitely check it out if I make it back to Cape Town!
Try some local wines
I hear the wine tasting is really good in South Africa. I don’t actually like wine, though, so I can’t really vouch for it. The City Sightseeing bus has a separate route going to three different wineries in the Cape Town area! So if you like wine, definitely check it out. On my overland tour we also had the option of doing a wine tasting in the Cederberg area. Again, I didn’t take part, but my friends can vouch for the wines – apparently they are quite good!
Go on a Township Tour
On the first day of my overland tour, we went on a township tour in District 6, Cape Town. It was super interesting and is definitely something you should consider doing. We learnt about the townships and saw three different housing types, visited a community centre where we could buy local crafts, and we had the most delicious lunch: a traditional South African Braai. The meal consisted of meat with spices (which was delicious!), pup (like mashed potato but maize) and some kind of vegetable salsa to go on top. I definitely recommend having a meal such as this in Cape Town, however there was no vegetarian or plant-based option.
Day 4: Hike up Table Mountain and go on a harbour cruise
Hiking Platteklip Gorge
On your fourth and final full day in Cape Town, you HAVE to head up to Table Mountain! If you just want to take the cable car up, you should go on the first clear day you have! Since I wanted to hike up I waited for my last day because every Tuesday and Friday, Baz Bus runs a free guided hike up Table Mountain! Looking at the website I’m not sure it’s free anymore… But I’d recommend it regardless because the guide I had was awesome! She was super supportive of me even though I was the slowest person ever and we made it to the top before the hottest part of the day.
Tips for hiking Table Mountain
You’ll need to be fairly fit to hike up Table Mountain because even the easiest route, Platteklip Gorge, is super steep gaining 700m in only 3km!!!!! I like to think I’m fairly fit and used to hiking but I REALLY struggled. I am glad I did it though, because I’m sure it made the view at the top 100 times sweeter knowing I’d hiked all the way up! Plus now every time I walk uphill I can tell myself “it’s not as bad as Table Mountain!”.
If you’re planning to hike up you need to have someone to go with, whether that’s with a hiking buddy or preferably a guide. I was told DO NOT walk up Table Mountain alone under any circumstances, just in case something happens. I’m talking about armed muggings, not just your usual hiking injuries.
Regardless of how you get up, Table Mountain is a must do in Cape Town. The view was incredible and there was lots of cool wildlife, like Dassies (Rock Hyrax) and even a cool lizard!
Alternatively… take the cable car!
The cable car is a great option for anyone not wanting to hike up though it is fairly expensive. It cost me about $30 AUD for a one way ticket (no, I did not walk back down as well). It was really cool, though, because inside the car there was a rotating platform which everyone stood on so you could see the entire 360 degree view on the way down. I was one of the first in the car and got a spot by the window, but I imagine if you were squashed in the middle you wouldn’t be able to see much.
Time to relax!!! Enjoy a cruise on the Harbour
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be feeling pretty tired after your hike so I recommend heading back to the waterfront area, grabbing some lunch and going on a harbour cruise. The harbour cruise I went on is run by City Sightseeing and was included in my two day bus ticket. It was a perfect relaxing end to my day and I got to see lots of cute seals. I also walked around the waterfront area for a little while before catching the bus back to my hostel. It’s a really nice area and I would like to explore it more if I ever return to Cape Town.
For dinner, if you have a group of friends, head to Long Street. There’s lots of options for where to eat, and I got some fish and chips at one of the pubs (yay for non-microwaved food!).
Final tips for travelling in Cape Town
If I could give one tip about the hop-on hop-off bus it would be to check the times for the last bus! I thought I had plenty of time to get back from World of Birds but once I got back to the waterfront I found out the bus wasn’t going to be continuing back around to my stop! In the end I managed to catch two other buses back to where I wanted to get off but with the traffic and timings it was added stress I didn’t really need to end my day.
People often ask if I felt safe there, but I had no issues at all. It’s pretty safe to walk around during the day and I generally stayed in my hostel at night. I only had dinner out one night when I could go with my new tour-mates. I was told it’s not safe to walk alone at night. If you are going out, make sure you have a friend to bring with you!
Where to stay
The hostel I stayed at, Ashanti Gardens, was awesome! I only chose it because it was where my tour would be departing from. Turns out it was really lovely and in quite a good location that was out of the centre of town (so quiet) but not so far away that it was inconvenient. My parents shouted me a private room and breakfast was included every morning.
So there you have it: my suggested itinerary for four days in Cape Town! At the end of my four days, I didn’t want to leave Cape Town! I thought it was a really nice city and I feel like there’s so much more to see. I’ll definitely be heading back sometime in the future!
Did you know that you can subscribe to my blog newsletter? If you love travel and wildlife just like me, I recommend you sign up below! Each month, you’ll get a little update from me containing my latest blog posts, a wildlife fact feature and secret travel and blogging tips that I will share ONLY with my subscribers! Interested? Just enter your first name and email below! I’d absolutely love to have you.