With kids · Cape Town · South Africa
Cape Town with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jim.henderson, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cape Town works well with children: penguins at Boulders, the aquarium and seals at the Waterfront, the cableway, Kirstenbosch's canopy walkway and calm tidal pools. Plan beach days on the warmer False Bay side and keep afternoons flexible for wind. Top picks: Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway, Boulders Beach penguin colony and Two Oceans Aquarium. Families usually base themselves in V&A Waterfront.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- V&A Waterfront
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- December–January
Best things to do with kids
Nature · Table Mountain National Park
1.Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway
The flat-topped mountain rises about 1,085 metres above the City Bowl. A rotating cable car climbs to the summit plateau in about five minutes, where paths lead to viewpoints over Robben Island, Lion's Head and the Twelve Apostles. Fit walkers can hike up Platteklip Gorge in about two to three hours. The cableway stops in high wind or cloud and closes for annual maintenance for a few weeks, usually in winter.
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.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Buying cableway tickets online lets you skip the ticket queue, which is long in December and January.
- Iconic
- Views
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Beach · Simon's Town
2.Boulders Beach penguin colony
A colony of endangered African penguins lives among the granite boulders near Simon's Town, about 45 minutes south of the city. Boardwalks lead to viewing platforms over Foxy Beach, and a separate sheltered cove lets you swim with penguins wandering nearby. It is part of Table Mountain National Park and charges a conservation fee.
Go early in the morning before tour buses arrive, and combine it with Cape Point further down the peninsula.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Aquarium · V&A Waterfront
3.Two Oceans Aquarium
The aquarium shows the marine life of the cold Atlantic and warmer Indian Ocean currents that meet off the Cape, including a kelp forest tank, rays, turtles and a large predator exhibit. Touch pools and daily feeds make it one of the best wet-weather options for children.
Time your visit for one of the scheduled feeds listed at the entrance.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Garden · Newlands
4.Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Set on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch grows plants native to southern Africa, including proteas, cycads and fynbos. The curving Boomslang canopy walkway runs through the treetops of the arboretum, and the Skeleton Gorge trail climbs from the garden to the top of the mountain. On summer Sundays it hosts open-air sunset concerts on the lawns.
Bring a picnic; the lawns below the mountain are one of the best places in the city for a long afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Waterfront · V&A Waterfront
5.V&A Waterfront
Cape Town's working harbour is also its busiest leisure district, with restaurants, the Victoria Wharf mall, the Watershed design and craft market, harbour cruises and street performers. Seals often bask on the platforms by the Ferryman's quay, and the Cape Wheel gives an overview of the harbour and mountain.
Take a short harbour cruise at sunset for a view of Table Mountain from the water.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Shopping
- Food
- After dark
Waterfront · Sea Point
6.Sea Point Promenade
A paved seafront path of several kilometres runs from Mouille Point lighthouse past Sea Point to Bantry Bay, with lawns, outdoor gyms, playgrounds and public art. At the southern end, the Sea Point Pavilion has large saltwater pools that are warmer than the Atlantic beside them.
Walk or cycle it in the early evening and stop for an ice cream as the sun sets over the ocean.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
Beach · Muizenberg
7.Muizenberg Beach
Muizenberg's long sandy beach is lined with colourful Victorian-style bathing huts and has gentle, consistent waves that make it the city's main beginner surf spot. Surf schools along Beach Road rent boards and wetsuits. Shark spotters monitor the beach and fly flags to show conditions.
Book a surf lesson in the morning before the wind picks up, and check the shark-spotter flag before swimming.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Active
- Outdoors
- Free
Rainy-day ideas
- Two Oceans Aquarium — Time your visit for one of the scheduled feeds listed at the entrance.
- Iziko South African Museum — Combine it with a planetarium show on a rainy afternoon with children.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, luxury, first-timers and shopping
V&A Waterfront
The redeveloped Victoria & Alfred harbour is the city's most polished and patrolled area, with large hotels, a shopping mall, the Two Oceans Aquarium, the Watershed craft market and Zeitz MOCAA in a converted grain silo. Robben Island ferries leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway. It is convenient for families and first-time visitors but feels more like a resort than a neighbourhood.
- Good
- Easy to walk around at night; Robben Island departures on site; Plenty of family attractions
- Watch out
- Expensive hotels and restaurants; Tourist-focused rather than local
- Nearby
- Robben Island ferry, Two Oceans Aquarium, Zeitz MOCAA, Green Point Park
Family travel tips
- Use high-factor sunscreen and hats; the southern sun is strong even on cool, windy days.
- Tidal pools at St James, Kalk Bay and the Sea Point Pavilion offer calmer, warmer swimming for children than the open Atlantic.
- Book child seats with your hire car in advance.
- Rainy-day options include the Two Oceans Aquarium, the South African Museum and its planetarium.
- Shark spotters fly coloured flags at Muizenberg and other False Bay beaches; explain them to older children.
Day trips for families
- Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — The southern tip of the Cape Peninsula is part of Table Mountain National Park, with the Flying Dutchman funicular up to the old lighthouse at Cape Point, sea cliffs, fynbos, ostriches and baboons.
- Hermanus (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — From roughly June to November, southern right whales come close to the cliffs of Walker Bay, and the cliff path through Hermanus is one of the best places in the world for land-based whale watching.
- West Coast National Park (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — The Langebaan Lagoon park has turquoise water, birdlife and white beaches, and in August and September the Postberg section bursts with wildflowers.
When to go with children
The best months overall are February–April and November. December–January are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Cape Town good for kids?
Cape Town works well with children: penguins at Boulders, the aquarium and seals at the Waterfront, the cableway, Kirstenbosch's canopy walkway and calm tidal pools. Plan beach days on the warmer False Bay side and keep afternoons flexible for wind.
+What can kids do in Cape Town?
Table Mountain and the Aerial Cableway, Boulders Beach penguin colony, Two Oceans Aquarium, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and V&A Waterfront.
+Where should families stay in Cape Town?
V&A Waterfront: Working harbour with hotels, the aquarium, Zeitz MOCAA and the Robben Island ferry.