Adding a few days in Cape Town and Winelands

Yes, I know – this is supposed to be a safari site. But friends constantly ask my tips for Africa’s prettiest city, as I used to live here. So here’s my quick overview…

How long to stay? Cape Town ideally needs a week; if you’re short on time, 4 nights. And I’d recommend adding at least 2 nights in the winelands.

My favourite places to stay

The City Bowl (including Oranjezicht, the de Waterkant gay village and the city) is my favorite, with its walkable city centre and great dining & nightlife along Kloof & Bree Streets.

If you’d like a sea view, then opt for the nearby Atlantic Seaboard – Clifton, Camps Bay and Bantry Bay have many boutique hotels. Sea Point & Green Point are more urban, but on the sea too.

The V&A Waterfront has some of the best large hotels – Cape Grace, Table Bay, One&Only and the dramatic new Silo – surrounded by a working harbor and lots of shopping.

In the winelands, the best wineries and restaurants are around the towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, and there are loads of gorgeous places to stay around there. If wine is your thing, you may want to explore other wine routes too – I can advise if you need.

Dining tips:

  • Cape Town: Test Kitchen, Mulberry & Prince, Shortmarket Club, Pot Luck Club, Savoy Cabbage, Duchess of Wisbeach, Chef’s Warehouse, La Colombe.
  • Winelands: Delaire Graff, Foliage, Makaron, Bosman’s, Terroir, Babel at Babylonstoren, The Kitchen at Maison, Tokara, Overture, Jordan.
  • www.drizzleanddip.com/2017/06/29/my-guide-to-eating-out-in-cape-town/ is one of the best local restaurant guides.

What to do in 1-5 days, in order…

  1. Take in the scenery by driving around the peninsula on your first day – Chapman’s Peak Drive, the Penguins at Boulders, Cape Point, and Kirstenbosch. Stop in quirky Kalk Bay for eats and coffee.
  2. A day walking the city centre & Woodstock – there are tons of museums and art galleries, and great coffee abounds – Deluxe, Rosetta, Origin, Truth, FlatMountain & Jason are my best. Add the new Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art – it’s housed in a building so sensational you just have to visit.
  3. An outdoors day – stretch your legs with a walk up Lion’s Head or take the cable car up Table Mountain. For a lunch treat, head to the restaurants of the Constantia winelands, and then chill on the beach (Clifton, Camps Bay or Llandudno) as the heat softens – they’re most beautiful later in the afternoon.
  4. Visit the amazing projects run in Cape Town’s poor communities by my friend James Fernie’s Uthando.
  5. A Robben Island tour takes a good few hours; combine it with shopping and exploring the V&A Waterfront.