Cape Town: The City

You cannot help but be impressed by the splendour of Cape Town’s location, with the cloud-capped crag of Table Mountain overlooking the skyscrapers and historic buildings of the compact city centre. For many visitors, the cable-car trip to the top and the view from the summit is the high point of a Cape Town holiday. For others, the focal point of the city is the V&A Waterfront, a rejuvenated area of docklands that is now home to some of Cape Town’s best hotels, restaurants, bars and shopping. Here you can see families of seals sunbathe within a few feet of smart café terraces. The city rises from the waterfront to the slopes of Table Mountain, with posh residential suburbs — including the ultra-exclusive enclave of Constantia — overlooking the downtown area. Cape Town has much more to offer than city life. There are excellent beaches just a short distance from the city centre, at spots such as Clifton, Camps Bay and Hout Bay south of the centre and Milnerton and Sunset Beach to the north. Only a short distance to the south lie the wilds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve — home to a range of wildlife — culminating in the dramatic scenery of Cape Point. Meanwhile, just a short drive from the city and its airport lie the lush vineyards and pretty colonial-era towns of the Winelands region, where some of South Africa’s finest vintages are produced. Cape Town also has a mellow climate that makes it attractive all year, with plenty of sunshine during the winter months making it particularly attractive to visitors from the Northern Hemisphere.