Ambulating along Sea Point’s wide, paved and grassy promenade is a pleasure shared by Capetonians from all walks of life – it’s a great place to observe the city's multiculturalism. There are kids' playgrounds, a well-maintained outdoor gym, and several public artworks that are worth taking the time to see.

The coast here is rocky and swimming is dangerous, although you can get in the water at Rocklands Beach. If you’re too thin-skinned for the frigid sea, there’s Sea Point Pavilion toward the promenade’s southern end.

Giant granite boulders break up the four beaches at Clifton, all accessible by steps from Victoria Rd. As they're almost always sheltered from the wind, they offer top sunbathing spots. Vendors hawk drinks and ice creams along the beach and sun loungers and shades are available. However, there are no public toilets.

The most northern and longest of the beaches are Clifton 1st and 2nd; Clifton 3rd is the gay beach, though plenty of straight folk frequent it, too, while Clifton 4th is popular with families. Before hopping in the sea, remember that the water comes straight from the Antarctic, so swimming here is exhilarating (ie freezing).

With soft white sand and a backdrop of the spectacular Twelve Apostles of Table Mountain, Camps Bay is one of the city’s most popular beaches. However, it has drawbacks: it's one of the windiest beaches here; it gets crowded, particularly on weekends; there are no lifeguards on duty; and the surf is strong. So please take care if you do decide to swim.

There's a strip of busy bars and restaurants here, ideal for drinks at sunset or general all-day lounging.

This particularly beautiful stretch of sandy beach is roughly a 15-minute walk to the south from the Sunset Rocks parking area at Llandudno. As Cape Town's unofficial nudist beach – though there's no pressure to take your clothes off – it's popular with nature lovers, and with the gay community as a cruising spot. There are incredible rock formations and trails through shrubby fynbos (literally ‘fine bush’; primarily proteas, heaths and ericas) to explore, too.

The exclusive real estate of Llandudno has a giant-boulder-strewn beach that’s a beauty. It’s a popular spot with families. There’s surfing here on the beach breaks (mostly rights), best at high tide with a small swell and a southeasterly wind. Bring a picnic: there are no shops here.

The name of the Twelve Apostles is said to have been coined by British governor Sir Rufane Donkin in 1820. However, there are well over 12 buttresses on the sea-facing side of Table Mountain, and none is individually named after an apostle. (The Dutch called them De Gevelbergen, which means Gable Mountains.) They’re best viewed around sunset from Camps Bay Drive.

Barbets, weavers and flamingos are among the 3000 birds and small mammals – covering some 400 different species – that can be found here. A real effort has been made to make the aviaries, which are South Africa’s largest, as natural-looking as possible, with the use of lots of tropical landscaping. In the monkey jungle you can interact with cheeky squirrel monkeys.

There’s an attractive picnic spot maintained by Table Mountain National Park on this clump of granite boulders jutting into the Atlantic. The protected coves teeming with marine life and the oldest-known wreck in South Africa (dating from 1670) also make this a prime diving location.

Escape the crowds on this sheltered stretch of sand, split off from Camps Bay's northern end by boulders. Swimming isn't advised, but if the surf's up this is a popular spot with locals for riding the waves. There's stair access from the main road.

This natural sea pool was named after the Graaff family, who owned a mansion on the Sea Point beachfront in the mid-19th century and built the walkway and protective wall (now mostly demolished) for it. In the 20th century it became a meeting spot for local gay men. The award-winning short film Behind the Wall (viewable on YouTube) reveals the pool's fascinating history.

A homage to classic, Jewish-style delis, Kleinsky's is a great addition to Sea Point's casual dining scene, serving dishes such as toasted bagels with smoked salmon or house-made chopped liver, chicken soup with matzo balls, and latkes (potato pancakes). It serves good coffee, too. The walls act as a gallery for local artists.

This place dishes up some of Cape Town’s best fish and chips in a breezy bayside location. Watch out for the dive-bombing seagulls if you eat on the rocks, though.

Sea Point is stacked with Chinese restaurants, but this inauspicious-looking hole-in-the-wall is the real deal, run by a friendly Chinese couple and frequented by Chinese expats. All of the dumplings and noodles are made by hand.

Although you can stoke up on espresso and delicious tapas and light meals during the day, La Boheme is best visited in the evening, when candles twinkle on the tables and you can take advantage of the superb-value two- or three-course menus.

This eternally stylish restaurant, with its waitstaff in white jackets, has been a fixture of Sea Point’s promenade for decades. Enjoy something from the menu of pasta, fish and meat dishes on the terrace shaded by stout palms, or retreat to the intimate bar.

They do pasta and spuntini (tapas-style small plates), but it’s the wood-fired thin-crust pizzas that are Massimo’s speciality – and very good they are, too. It’s all served up with warmth and humour by the Italian Massimo and his Liverpudlian wife Tracy. There are plenty of vegetarian options, too.

Cheyne Morrisby has gathered quite a following for his inventive Asian and Pacific Rim–inspired small plates, which combine adventurous flavours and textures. Not everything works, but when it does – such as with tiger-prawn tacos or the lush peanut-butter-and-miso butterscotch shake – it can be sublime. The presentation, service and street-art decor are all great.

Well-executed classics (such as bouillabaisse and linefish Niçoise) and inventive new dishes (like salt-and-pepper prawns with chorizo popcorn) make this a standout culinary experience. The tasting menu is a great deal. It's delightful to dine in the lush, outdoor courtyard beside the bubbling fountain.

Under the stewardship of a celebrated Johannesburg chef, the Duchess raises Sea Point’s dining bar by several notches. It serves classic French bistro food with a modern South African spin. All of the ingredients are fresh, with the only thing frozen being the house-made ice creams and sorbets.

The Kronendal, a Cape Town Dutch farmhouse with parts dating back to 1713, has been sensitively restored to house this excellent pan-Asian restaurant specialising in Thai food and sushi. Smiling Thai chefs ensure that dishes such as chicken pad Thai are authentically delicious.

Overlooking Camps Bay, this heritage-listed 18th-century building, set in wooded grounds, is perfect for the elegant restaurant it now houses. Their menu can also be configured to provide a delicious vegetarian meal.

Also consider a relaxed lunch (Tuesday to Sunday) or breakfast (Friday to Sunday only) on the lawns at their spring and summer Rumbullion restaurant, where you can snack on gourmet pizza and salads (mains R85 to R180).

Book for their Sunday Jazz brunch (11am to 2pm), where live music and a glass of bubbly will greet you on arrival in the lovely, flower-draped central courtyard. The chic sea-facing bar and bistro is also good for lunch, drinks and nibbles.

This restaurant and lounge bar with a Euro-chic vibe is a great place for beers, cocktails or a boozy meal, after which you can crash on a daybed under a billowing white awning, or dangle your feet in the tiny barside splash pool. A DJ creates a more clubby atmosphere by night. Bookings are advised.

Next to the South African Broadcasting Company’s studios, this is one of the very few places where you can have anything from breakfast to late-night cocktails within sight of the Sea Point Promenade. Lounge on the outdoor terrace and enjoy the thin-crust pizza (R50 to R100).

You can hardly get closer to the beach than this – in fact, the front courtyard is the beach. Up on the terrace or from inside the restaurant-bar you'll get a great view of Hout Bay, along with some decent pub grub and tapas. There's also a safe play area for kids.

This belle is one of the loveliest along the Camps Bay dining strip, and a whole lot more relaxed and less pretentious than some of its neighbours. Coffees, speciality teas, smoothies, shakes and a good range of cocktails are on offer – plus some extremely tempting baked goods, cakes and other light meals.

Sip excellent coffee at this rustic cafe, set in an 18th-century add-on to the original 17th-century woodcutters' cottage at Hout Bay. The outdoor area is shaded by a 150-year-old Norfolk pine, with tables and chairs made from an old fishing boat. They also bake filo-pastry chicken pies, luscious chocolate cakes and wheat-free quiche with free-range eggs.

The floor-to-ceiling windows at this minimalist restaurant and bar provide a vertigo-inducing vista over the crashing waves and rocks below. It's perfect for cocktails and nibbles on the way back from Clifton.

There's regular nightly entertainment at this convivial British-style pub and restaurant specialising in seafood platters, with karaoke on Tuesday, a pub quiz and DJs on Thursday and a beer-pong battle every Sunday at 8pm. Set back from the seafront, it's a laid-back place for a coffee or beer and to hang out with locals.

At the northern end of the Camps Bay dining strip, this place offers coffee, cocktails and light meals with a beach view – and it's a tad more relaxed than the self-consciously fashionable cafes (with booming DJ music) nearby.

With a dress-circle view over the Atlantic, the Twelve Apostles Hotel’s bar is an ideal spot to escape the hoi polloi of Camps Bay for a classy cocktail or – better yet – deliciously decadent afternoon tea (R175; served from 2pm to 4pm).

There's some shaded outdoor seating and a pleasant interior, including a lounge that occasionally hosts movie nights, at this coffee bar and crêperie. On offer are both sweet and savoury versions of the French pancakes.

There's also a branch in Muizenberg, above Gary's Surf School.

A few years ago, local musician Patrick Craig set up a members-only music club in his living room. Top local and international musicians play acoustic gigs here in very relaxed, intimate surroundings. Usually no more than 40 tickets are sold (online) – check the Facebook page for details, as it's a fantastic venue for true music lovers.

The program here sticks with conventional plays or one-person shows. Should you want to eat before curtain, there's the chic Sidedish Theatre Bistro.

At the far western end of the harbour is this imaginatively designed indoor market, one of Cape Town's best. There’s a good range of things to buy, as well as very tempting food and drink. Live music gives it a relaxed, party-like atmosphere.

Browsing the stalls at this little village-green market, a fundraiser for the Lions Club of Hout Bay, is a lovely way to while away an hour or so on a Sunday. You’ll find crafts made by locals, including impressive beadwork, colourfully printed cloths and cute guinea fowl made from pine cones.

A court order may have stopped them using the name Dolce & Banana for their bead jewellery, but otherwise it hasn’t put a dent in this long-running shop, set in an original fisherman’s cottage, that sells fun fashion items made by local craftspeople. Their products include home decor made from materials such as reclaimed wood and driftwood.

Recycled tea bags are used to produce an attractive range of greetings cards, stationery and other quality hand-made paper products; it’s a worthwhile project that employs people from the neighbouring township of Imizamo Yethu. It also has a stall in the Watershed at the V&A Waterfront.

If you’re after anything to do with ships – from scrimshaw (old carved ivory) to charts and models – then this treasure trove, with over 20,000 pieces of memorabilia salvaged from ocean-going vessels, should be on your list.

What began as an adult literacy program has morphed into a craftwork collective, producing creative recycled-paper products from (among other things) elephant, horse and camel dung! Their beaded cards are delightful.

A well-curated selection of quality imported clothing, scarves, costume jewellery, underwear, bags and other accessories are on display at this colourful boutique, a favourite of local fashionistas.

This designer children’s clothing brand has gone global, but it's based in Cape Town. This location is its factory shop.

Take your time driving, cycling or walking along ‘Chappies’, a 5km toll road linking Hout Bay with Noordhoek – it’s one of the most spectacular stretches of coastal highway in the world. There are picnic spots and viewpoints, and it’s certainly worth taking the road at least one way en route to Cape Point. The toll booth is at the Hout Bay end of the road; you're free to walk up here and along the road.

On the approach from Hout Bay look for a bronze leopard statue. It has been sitting there since 1963 and is a reminder of the wildlife that once roamed the area’s forests (which has also largely vanished).

Although it's weather-dependent (and not for those who suffer seasickness), don't miss the chance to go snorkelling or diving with some of the thousands of playful, curious Cape fur seals that live on Duiker Island, and swim in the shark-free waters around it. All necessary gear, including thick neoprene wetsuits, is provided. Trips run only from September to April.

From Hout Bay Harbour you can catch a boat to Duiker Island, also known as Seal Island for its colony of Cape fur seals (not to be confused with the official Seal Island in False Bay). Three companies run these cruises daily, usually with guaranteed sailings in the mornings: Circe Launches ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %021-790 1040; www.circelaunches.co.za; Hout Bay Harbour, Hout Bay; adult/child R60/30; gFishmarket), Drumbeat Charters ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %021-791 4441; www.drumbeatcharters.co.za; Hout Bay Harbour, Hout Bay; adult/child R75/30; gFishmarket) and Nauticat Charters ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %021-790 7278; www.nauticatcharters.co.za; Hout Bay Harbour, Hout Bay; adult/child R75/30; gFishmarket).

This huge outdoor pool complex, with its lovely art deco touches, is a Sea Point institution. It gets very busy on hot summer days – not surprisingly, since the pools are always at least 10°C warmer than the always-frigid ocean.

Conveniently located near Sea Point’s hostels and guesthouses, this operator runs courses and has regular dives on a variety of themes scheduled around the Cape, including shark-cage dives.