Need to Know
When to Go
Summer (December to February) brings warm, dry weather and lively festivals. Winter (June to August) is wet, cool and windy. Neither season has extremes of temperature.
Daily Costs
Budget less than R500
ADorm bed: R160
AGourmet burger: R60
ALocal beer: R20
AHiking in Table Mountain National Park: free
AMyCiTi bus from City Bowl to Camps Bay: R9.80
Midrange R500–2500
AHotel room: R1000–1500
ATownship/cultural tour: R450
AKirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert ticket: R135
AMeal with wine at Waterfront restaurant: R350–450
Top End more than R2500
AHotel room: R3000–5000
AMeal at Aubergine: R700–1000
AFull-day gourmet wine tour: R2000
AThirty-minute helicopter flight: R2700
AThree-hour cruise on luxury yacht: R34,600
Advance Planning
Three months before Book Robben Island tour; reserve table at the Test Kitchen; train for hiking in Table Mountain National Park.
Three weeks before Book township/cultural tour; check listings for theatre shows and for Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts.
One week before See what gigs and club events are coming up; buy online tickets for Table Mountain Cableway.
Useful Websites
Cape Town Magazine (www.capetownmagazine.com) Online magazine with its finger on Cape Town’s pulse.
Cape Town Tourism (www.capetown.travel) The city's official tourism site is stacked with info.
Lonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com/cape-town) Destination information, hotel bookings, travellers forum and more.
Arriving in Cape Town
Cape Town International Airport MyCiTi bus to Cape Town Train Station is R75; the Backpacker Bus shared minivan taxi is R180 to city-centre hotels and hostels; a private taxi is around R250.
Cape Town Train Station Long-distance trains and buses arrive at this centrally located terminal; a taxi ride to most central locations will be under R50.
V&A Waterfront Jetty 2 or Duncan Dock Where international cruise ships dock.
Getting Around
Contact the Transport Information Centre (0800 656 463) for timetables.
ACar hire Budget around R300 per day and R400 for a tank of petrol.
ACity Sightseeing Cape Town Hop-on, hop-off routes good for orientation of the city.
AMyCiTi buses For city-centre and Atlantic Coast routes.
ACape Metro Rail For trips to Southern Suburbs, False Bay and Stellenbosch.
AShared minibus taxis Useful from City Bowl along Atlantic Coast to Sea Point or townships.
APrivate taxis Many with rates from R10 per kilometre. Book to ensure a pick-up.
Sleeping
There are plenty of budget backpackers, charming guesthouses and five-star pamper palaces, but reserve well in advance, especially if visiting during school holidays (from mid-December to the end of January). All places will slash their rates from May to October in the quiet winter season. Rates usually include a value-added tax (VAT) of 14% and, often, the 1% tourism promotion levy. Also check whether secure parking is included in your hotel rate, otherwise you could be charged anything up to R100 extra per day to park your car.
Useful Websites
ASA-Venues.com (www.sa-venues.com) Directory of accommodation in Cape Town & Western Cape.
ACape Town Tourism (www.capetown.travel) Accommodation bookings through member hotels.
APortfolio Collection (www.portfoliocollection.com) Curated listings of top hotels, guesthouses and boutique rental properties.
ALonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/cape-town/hotels) Hotel and hostel bookings.
Cape Town’s Microclimates
Pack a raincoat and umbrella for Cape Town's ‘four seasons in one day’. The peninsula’s geography creates microclimates, so you can be basking in the sun on one side of the mountain and sheltering from chilly rain and winds on the other. It's no accident that Newlands is so lush in comparison to Cape Point – it receives four times as much rain annually.