View of central Cape Town and the bay from Table Mountain
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Cape Town in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 6.1 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days is the pace Cape Town asks for: a route each morning, afternoons outdoors and plenty of time to eat well. You'll ride up Table Mountain, watch the sun go down from Signal Hill, cross to Robben Island and wander Kirstenbosch without watching the clock. It's the plan for a thorough first visit without leaving the city.

Day 1Colours and summits

Kick off with "From the Company's Vegetable Patch to the Painted Houses": the Company's Garden under the oaks, Long Street, Greenmarket Square and the climb into the Bo-Kaap past the Auwal Mosque. Have bobotie at Biesmiellah, then Uber up to the Table Mountain cableway; if you'd rather hike Platteklip Gorge, swap the order and do it first thing. Up top, take your time on the paths across the plateau. Finish on Signal Hill, a few minutes' drive away, to watch the sun sink into the Atlantic.

  1. Morning

    From the Company's Vegetable Patch to the Painted Houses

    Mixed · 1.7 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Company's GardenThe vegetable garden the Dutch East India Company planted in 1652 to supply its ships is now the great green heart of the city, with Table Mountain as a backdrop.
    2. Long Street and the Palm Tree MosqueWrought-iron balconies, bars and bookshops, and among them an 18th-century house that two former slaves turned into a mosque.
    3. Greenmarket Square and the Old Town HouseThe city's oldest market square, its 18th-century town hall and the afternoon in 1989 when the police dyed it purple.
    4. The Auwal MosqueSouth Africa's first mosque began in a warehouse on Dorp Street, and it was here that written Afrikaans was first taught… in Arabic script.
    5. Bo-Kaap and Wale StreetThe most photographed painted houses in Africa, and the story of the families who lived in them long before the cameras arrived.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Bobotie at Biesmiellah. Wale Street con Pentz Street, Bo-Kaap

  3. Afternoon

    Table Mountain

    The flat-topped mountain that rules the city, voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Ride the cableway, whose cars rotate as they climb, or hike up Platteklip Gorge, a steep 2–3 hours with little shade. The cableway often closes in high wind, so check before you go.

    Directions

    Signal Hill

    The hill between Lion's Head and the sea, with a road winding up to viewpoints over the City Bowl, the harbour and the Atlantic. At sunset it fills with people on picnic blankets: it is Cape Town's classic evening ritual. Go up and come down by Uber or car.

    Directions

Day 2History by the sea

In the morning, "From the Castle to Mandela's Balcony": the Castle of Good Hope, the Grand Parade with the City Hall balcony, the District Six Museum, the Slave Lodge, St George's Cathedral and Parliament. Then head up to the Bo-Kaap for Cape Malay curry and roti at Bo-Kaap Kombuis. Afterwards, Uber to the Nelson Mandela Gateway for the Robben Island ferry: the morning's route will have prepared you for what you're about to see. When you get back, stay on at the V&A Waterfront into the evening.

  1. Morning

    From the Castle to Mandela's Balcony

    History · 1.7 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Castle of Good HopeFive stone bastions raised by the Dutch East India Company with enslaved labour: the oldest building in South Africa.
    2. Grand Parade and Mandela's BalconyFrom that honey-coloured stone balcony, Nelson Mandela addressed the nation a few hours after leaving prison on 11 February 1990.
    3. District Six MuseumA whole neighbourhood of more than 60,000 people wiped off the map by apartheid, and an old Methodist church that keeps its memory alive.
    4. Slave LodgeFor more than a century this Company building held hundreds of enslaved men, women and children, a stone's throw from the town's garden.
    5. St George's CathedralThe ‘people's cathedral’, from whose steps Desmond Tutu led the great march of 1989 against apartheid.
    6. Houses of ParliamentThe building where apartheid was written into law is also where, on 2 February 1990, its end was announced.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Cape Malay curry at Bo-Kaap Kombuis. August Street, 7, Bo-Kaap

  3. Afternoon

    Robben Island

    The island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison, a World Heritage Site since 1999. Ferries leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront and the visit takes half a day. Book ahead: tickets sell out and rough seas sometimes cancel sailings.

    Directions

    V&A Waterfront and Zeitz MOCAA

    The historic harbour turned waterfront district, with seals lounging on the quays, Nobel Square and Zeitz MOCAA, the major museum of contemporary African art, opened in 2017 inside a converted grain silo. A lovely place to end the day with the mountain behind you.

    Directions

Day 3Gardens, a market and ghosts

Get up early for Kirstenbosch, when the garden is cool and quiet, and on the way back into town stop in Woodstock at the Old Biscuit Mill; on a Saturday you'll find the market in full swing. Lunch on a gatsby at Mariam's Kitchen by the Heerengracht and take a breather: the evening belongs to "Curses, Ghosts and Ships That Never Make Port", from the Castle to the Lutheran Church on Strand Street and Tana Baru. Round it off with braai and boerewors at Mama Africa on Long Street, and use Uber after dark.

  1. Morning

    Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

    A botanical garden founded in 1913 on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and devoted to South Africa's native plants. Go early, wander among the proteas and cross the Boomslang, a walkway that snakes through the treetops. It is about twenty minutes' drive from the centre.

    Directions

    Old Biscuit Mill (Woodstock)

    A former biscuit factory in Woodstock reborn as a hub of design shops, cafés and studios. On Saturday mornings it usually hosts the Neighbourgoods Market, a hugely popular food market. Get there and back by Uber, and take in the neighbourhood's murals along the way.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Gatsby at Mariam's Kitchen. Heerengracht, Foreshore

  3. Early evening

    Curses, Ghosts and Ships That Never Make Port

    Mysteries & legends · 2.7 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Castle of Good Hope: Ghosts of the FortressA curse hurled from the gallows, a dungeon called ‘the Dark Hole’ and a bell that, so the story goes, rang by itself.
    2. Church Square and the Slave TreeThe cursed governor's grave, a plaque worn almost smooth in the paving and eleven granite blocks bearing the names of those who were enslaved.
    3. Heerengracht and the Flying DutchmanWaves broke here when Van Riebeeck landed, and from these waters came the legend of the captain who swore to round the Cape even if it took him all eternity.
    4. The Lutheran Church on Strand StreetFor years the Cape's Lutherans worshipped in a building that was officially a warehouse. Today it is one of the oldest churches in the country.
    5. Tana Baru and the Circle of KramatsThe Muslim cemetery where Tuan Guru lies, defended by thousands of people in 1886 and, tradition says, part of a sacred circle that protects the city.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Braai and boerewors at Mama Africa. Long Street, 178

The map

Cape Town in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Cape Town in 3 days

  • Save the cableway for the clearest, calmest day: if day one is windy, swap it with the Kirstenbosch morning. Check the forecast daily, because the "tablecloth" of cloud can cover the summit in minutes.
  • If you like hiking, swap Signal Hill for Lion's Head: it's roughly 2–3 hours up and back, with a few chain-assisted sections and 360-degree views. Go with company, bring water and take a torch if you're coming down after sunset.
  • Between far-flung areas (Kirstenbosch, Woodstock, the Waterfront), use Uber or a taxi rather than linking them on foot through streets you don't know. In the centre and at the Waterfront, walking by day is no problem.

Questions

Cape Town in 3 days: your questions

Is there time for the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach?

Not within this plan: the Cape Peninsula, with the Cape Point lighthouse and the African penguins of Boulders Beach, is a full-day trip by car or on a tour. If it's a priority, swap it in for day three or, better still, add a fourth day.

Is a trip to the Stellenbosch winelands worth it?

If you like wine, yes: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are under an hour and a half's drive away, and they're more fun on a tour or with a driver, since tastings and driving don't mix. It's another full day, so don't try to squeeze it into an afternoon.

How much walking is there over three days?

On the routes, about 6.1 km: 1.7 km on day one, 1.7 km on day two and 2.7 km on day three, ending with the climb to Tana Baru. Add whatever you walk on the Table Mountain plateau, at Kirstenbosch and around the Waterfront, which can easily double that.

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