Cape Town - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Cape Town

travel wonder in South Africa

Why
Cape Town
is special

Travelers quickly fall in love with Cape Town, a harbor city with a picturesque location and a cosmopolitan air.

Top 3
attractions in and
around Cape Town

Table Mountain viewpoint

See the city, sea, and landscapes from the top of Table Mountain, which you reach by trail or cable car.

Click the button below for my descriptive web page on Table Mountain, Signal Hill, Cape Point, Silvermine, Boulder Beach, and Chapman's Peak Drive:

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

It's a working port and the tourism epi-center of Cape Town. Draws include restaurants, bars, nightlife, shops, tour operators, and people watching. V&A (as locals simply call this district) also has an aquarium and a marine museum.

Robben Island

Nelson Mandela and other political activists were imprisoned here during the Apartheid days. Half-day guided tours via boats leave from V&A.

Other Cape Town
tips & insights

Other Attractions

They include:

Wine country
Tour the nearby Stellenbosch and Franschhoek wine-growing districts. The first produces the country's best wines, the second has some of its best restaurants.

Camps Bay
Its beach and ocean-view restaurants are favored by the rich and trendy.

When to go

There is no one perfect season. You face trade offs.

Summer
It's generally warm and dry from mid-November to mid-March. However, you will likely encounter crowds and scarce bookings.

Winter
Cape Town is seldom overrun with visitors, but you risk wet and cold weather from mid-June to mid-September.

Shoulder seasons
These periods are unpredictable weather wise, but your odds of having beautiful sunny days are much higher than in the winter period. And, except during a school holiday, you won't face a summer-tourist crunch.

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bronze medal winners

in South Africa

Each Hillman Wonder has its own web page, with candid tips and insights:

View my South African

cuisine guide