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Cape Town

South Africa travel guide

What to see in Cape Town

Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, penguins and vineyards close at hand.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • 5 must-see places
  • Stay in Waterfront
  • Typical food: Koeksisters
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0

Cape Town highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

  1. Table Mountain

    Go up by cable car or on foot via Platteklip Gorge; if there’s cloud (“the tablecloth”), it isn’t worth it.

  2. Good Hope

    A clifftop cape in a reserve with baboons and ostriches; the lighthouse looks out over two oceans.

  3. Bo-Kaap

    A neighbourhood of colourful houses and Cape Malay heritage, with Cape cuisine and its museum.

  4. Stellenbosch

    A university town among vineyards, 50 minutes away; a tasting route around the surrounding wineries.

  5. Boulders

    A beach with a colony of African penguins, seen from wooden boardwalks.

Where to stay in Cape Town

The handiest areas for getting around and going out.

  • Recommended areas

    Waterfront · Camps Bay

Day trips from Cape Town

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

When to travel to Cape Town

Any time of year is good to travel to Cape Town: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

Typical food of Cape Town

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Cape Town from your kitchen).

Koeksisters
Photo: User DO'Neil on en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Koeksisters

Plaits of fried dough soaked in ice-cold syrup, very crunchy and sweet. The Cape Malay version is spicier and has coconut.

  • Serves 16
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • Syrup (made the day before): 500 g sugar, 250 ml water, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 piece of ginger and 1 cinnamon stick
  • 300 g flour
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • 30 g butter
  • 1 egg
  • 150 ml milk
  • Oil for frying

How to make it at home

  1. Boil the water with the sugar, lemon and spices for 5 minutes and put the syrup in the freezer until ice-cold.
  2. Mix the flour with the baking powder and butter, add the egg and milk and knead into a soft dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Roll it out to half a centimetre, cut 8 × 3 cm rectangles, make two cuts lengthways in each and plait them.
  4. Fry them in oil at 180 °C until golden.
  5. Transfer them straight from the oil to the ice-cold syrup, leave for 30 seconds and drain.

The trick: Hot into ice-cold syrup: that’s what makes them crunchy.

Where and what to eat

To eat like a local: a bunny chow spot. The dishes you can’t miss are in the South Africa guide.

  • Harbour House

    Kalk Bay

    Recommended in Kalk Bay.

  • The Test Kitchen

    Woodstock

    Recommended in Woodstock.

Frequently asked questions about Cape Town

What to see in Cape Town?

Table Mountain, Good Hope, Bo-Kaap, Stellenbosch and Boulders.

What to see in Cape Town in one day?

Don’t miss Table Mountain, Good Hope, Bo-Kaap, Stellenbosch and Boulders. To split it into days and areas without crossing the city back and forth, the Bagintravel app plans your trip in a minute.

Where to stay in Cape Town?

The handiest areas to stay are Waterfront and Camps Bay.

What’s the best time to travel to Cape Town?

Any time of year is good to travel to Cape Town: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

What day trips can you take from Cape Town?

Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island and Stellenbosch vineyards.

What is the typical food of Cape Town?

Koeksisters. Plaits of fried dough soaked in ice-cold syrup, very crunchy and sweet. The Cape Malay version is spicier and has coconut.

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More in South Africa

Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Places, areas and seasons: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.