You’ll see beggars here on a regular basis, as well as traders selling everything from sunglasses to reindeer antlers. More than just a place to stop (or for some drivers, to just carry on, red light be damned) and wait for the traffic, robots are a hub of human activity. These are not mechanical men, but the local term for traffic lights. You can do your shopping at the robotsĮnglish is one of South Africa’s 11 official languages, but it does come with a few idiosyncrasies. Learn to relax, Cape Town takes things slow © Lauren Mulligan/Lonely Planet 8. If you leave the city to visit smaller towns, ask locally if they drink the water, although generally, water in the Western Cape is perfectly potable. The tap water is drinkableĪlthough at many restaurants you’ll be asked whether you’d like to kick off with still or sparkling, the Cape Town tap water is perfectly safe to drink. If you see baboons around, roll up the windows and stash the snacks. Or they'll riffle through unattended bags on the Cape Point beaches, whilst the owners look on flabbergasted from the ocean. They'll happily leap into an open car of an unsuspecting tourist to whip a picnic out of their hand. But for others, the intrigue of seeing a monkey hang out on a beach or wander through a car park is too great.įeeding the baboons is strictly prohibited (not that the baboons know that). Most visitors will give these large-toothed primates a wide berth. Conceal your food around baboonsīaboons are a part of life in the Cape Peninsula. Some are safe, while others should only be attempted with larger groups or in the company of a seasoned guide. Take local advice on which route to tackle. Every year there are tales of travelers who get lost on the mountain and have to rely on local search and rescue services to bring them back down. If you’re hiking rather than taking the cable car, adopt the usual rules: don’t go alone always tell people where you’re headed stick to marked trails pre-plan your route. Most major car hire companies have desks at the airport. If you’re planning to rent a car for your stay, you’re sorted. Grab an Uber into the city from the airportīuses no longer service Cape Town International Airport, leaving fewer options for getting into the city center. You can always tackle the rest on your next visit because once you’ve become acquainted with the city, you’re guaranteed to want to come back. With four or five days in the city – ideally a week – you can see all the major sights (Cape Town’s notoriously fickle weather permitting), pick the perfect restaurant (book a few weeks ahead for big-name fine dining joints) and get a feel for the city’s general joie de vivre. Most people don’t have weeks to spare, though. But a month still wouldn’t be long enough. You should be able to shop a little, eat a lot, drink some wine and marvel at the majesty of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, too.Ī week of course would be better. It’s enough time to get to the top of Table Mountain, visit the penguins, and maybe take a surf class or a Cape Malay cooking course. Most people schedule four or five days in Cape Town. However long you plan to stay, it will never be enough There is so much to see in Cape Town that even the residents can't see it all © Westend61 / Getty Images 1. And I should know – I’ve been here for 12 years and still feel as if I haven’t seen half of what the city has to offer. It has marvelous opportunities for those whose passions lie in drinking and dining. The city has its problems of course – a wide poverty gap and a rising crime rate among them – but the good vastly outweighs any negatives.Ĭape Town’s laidback pace of life, coupled with its expansive menu of attractions, keep people exploring here for far longer than they might have originally planned. This city has an exciting art scene, plus shopping for all tastes and budgets. This includes hiking, climbing, abseiling, surfing, paragliding, and mountain biking.īut it’s not just sporty types that are well-catered for in Cape Town. A lot of it has to do with the landscape, of course – Table Mountain provides a centerpiece that’s surrounded by forest, lake and eventually, golden beach – but its diverse terrain also provides the perfect stage for all manner of outdoor adventures. There is something about this city that just enchants people. We quickly realized that 12 months wouldn’t be enough. When I moved to Cape Town more than a decade ago, the plan had been to stick around for a year.
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