It’s a fact: Cape Town is one of the most beautiful urban sites in the world. Of course, you can reach its summit by cable car, but since you only live once and the route is magnificent, to start the day off right, we go there on foot!
Young woman climbing to the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town
There are plenty of routes to do this, from the most family-friendly (Platteklip Gorge) to the most demanding (India Fenster). But whatever you choose, the reward is guaranteed with, at the top, an exceptional view of the city, the ocean, the vineyards and the Twelve Apostles mountain range . But yes, you can do it! And if you doubt your abilities, remember what Nelson Mandela said: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
West Coast Treasures: From Cape Town to Johannesburg Off the Beaten Track
Lucky break: there is a hiking trail (Skeleton Gorge) that will take you directly from the top of the Table to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, a fabulous space of more than 500 hectares where the fynbos , this scrub plant so specific to the Cape region, lives alongside thousands of plant species from all over southern Africa. You can admire the whole thing by taking the Canopy walkway, which runs in an arc above the treetops!
And don’t forget to visit the botanical stars of the place, from the emblematic Strelitzia reginae (bird-of-paradise) to the equally famous royal protea and the graceful avenue of camphor trees. An ideal place for a family picnic (even if the garden has several places to eat, including the very delicate Moyo African cuisine restaurant ). Another tip: if you’re visiting Kirstenbosch between December and March, don’t forget to check out the festival programme! The garden frequently hosts jazz or classical music concerts, in a setting that couldn’t be more serene.
Late afternoon: Zeitz MOCAA, the pearl of the Waterfront
Cape Town’s former docklands have been converted since the turn of the millennium into a gigantic living space where shops, restaurants and cinemas combine on the waterfront. The facelift has been so successful that the V&A Waterfront has become the country’s main tourist attraction , with almost 25 million visitors per year! Put like that, it might not make you want to go there… And yet, you should definitely go there, if only to visit the Zeitz MOCAA, a fabulous museum On the menu: unique collections and fabulous architecture, all openings and bold curves pierced into the concrete of the silos. You can top off this stopover by going to admire the view of the Waterfront (and the sunset) over a cocktail at the very elegant Silo Rooftop . Or you can choose to move on to the next stop straight away.
Evening: Kloof Street or Bree Street?
It’s up to you: these two streets of the City Bowl are fiercely competing for the title of Cape Town’s hypest street . We’ll be careful not to pick a winner and you’ll have no trouble finding your place to stay as you wander through these colorful streets where visitors blend in seamlessly with the local population in search of fun. With, as a bonus, a sublime view of the Table.