One day in Cape Town

Day by day

1. Day 1: Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway and Robben Island

   Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway, Robben Island, Boulders Beach penguin colony and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, then V&A Waterfront in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway

      Check the cableway's live status on the morning you plan to go and take the first clear, calm day you get; the 'tablecloth' cloud can roll in by midday. Allow 3–4 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Robben Island

      Sit on the left side of the ferry heading out for the classic view back to Table Mountain. Allow About 4 hours including ferries.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bobotie

      Cape Malay restaurants in Bo-Kaap and on many traditional South African menus in the City Bowl.

   4. Afternoon

      Boulders Beach penguin colony

      Go early in the morning before tour buses arrive, and combine it with Cape Point further down the peninsula. Allow 1–2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

      Bring a picnic; the lawns below the mountain are one of the best places in the city for a long afternoon. Allow 2–3 hours.

   6. Evening

      V&A Waterfront

      Take a short harbour cruise at sunset for a view of Table Mountain from the water.

Before you go

• Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway: Buying cableway tickets online lets you skip the ticket queue, which is long in December and January.
• Robben Island: Tours sell out in summer and are cancelled in rough seas; book online several days ahead and keep a backup day free.

If it rains

• Swap in Zeitz MOCAA (V&A Waterfront): Look up from the centre of the atrium, then take the stairs rather than the lift to see the carved tubes up close.
• Swap in District Six Museum (City Bowl): Ask whether a former resident is guiding that day; their talks bring the exhibits to life.
• Swap in Two Oceans Aquarium (V&A Waterfront): Time your visit for one of the scheduled feeds listed at the entrance.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 13–17 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.9 hours in June to 14.4 hours in December, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Ride-hailing. Ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Bolt are widely used, reasonably priced and the easiest way to get around at night or between neighbourhoods.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Cape Town
• 3 days in Cape Town
• 4 days in Cape Town
• 5 days in Cape Town
• 7 days in Cape Town

Questions travellers ask