7 Day Cape Town Itinerary

There is so much to see and explore in Cape Town, that you will want to make the very most of your time there. I’ve put together a list of places we saw over our 7 day stay. You’ll need to consider the days of the week when markets a buzzing and people are out. Days of the week and weather will drive the itinerary.

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Day 1: V&A Waterfront

Take a walk and explore the V&A Waterfront. We arrived mid-morning, so wanted to grab a bite to eat. Initially, we walked there from Mount Nelson Hotel, but caught a ride back. After 26 hours of flying, we needed to stretch our legs. See my Review: Qatar Airways Q Suites (flying will never be the same).

Den Anker is right on the water, so it is optimal for people watching. The fish & chips were ok, but they had a great beer selection. We didn’t have activities planned out for our arrival, so just explored the waterfront.

Dinner was a Kloof Street House. This was conveniently located near our hotel, so we just strolled down. I had the ostrich steak, which was incredible. They have a great selection of wines, as well.

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Day 2: Robben Island & Makers Landing

You don’t want to miss Robben Island! We booked the morning tour (09:00), as we are early risers. Typically, there are 3 tour times a day lasting about 4 hours, round trip. You’ll depart from and return to the terminal at V & A Waterfront (another reason we wanted to scout it out the day before). Ubers only pick up and drop of at certain spots, so that is another thing we wanted to check.

Tip: Tours are occasionally cancelled due to weather. If it is windy, that won’t make for a pleasant ride over and they may cancel. So watch the weather!

The Robben Island Tour was magical. Our guide on the bus portion of the tour was very knowledgeable. However, I was surprised that the gentleman who gave us a tour of the prison was a former inmate. Had I done a little research on the tour, I may have ran into that fact. Hearing him and the real struggles they went through was incredibly moving.

After you return from Robben Island, have lunch a Makers Landing. Makers Landing is an indoor building with small, unique food stands.

Day 3: Stellenbosch Winelands

See my post Winelands of Stellenbosch, South Africa for details. Synopsis is book a chauffeured drive to Stellenbosch!

Day 4: Cape Point, Simon’s Town, False Bay and Boulder’s Beach

Get out of town! There are many things to see just outside of Cape Town. We did a Tour of Cape Peninsula in South Africa with GoCape. All of the stops are included in that post.

Day 5: Museums, Markets, and Aquarium

The Woodstock area has an outdoor market on the weekends that is supposed to be fantastic, called Old Biscuit Mill Market. We were there in the evening for dinner at The Test Kitchen, but I would have loved to time it right and been there when it was hoping.

We, at the recommendation of the concierge at Mount Nelson, went to the MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary Art Africa). It was fascinating to see some of the displays they had. There is also a really neat view from the glass enclosure at MOCAA.

I love aquariums, so visiting Two Ocean’s Aquarium was a must. If you go in the afternoon, after 15:00, it is a discounted rate.

Day 6: Lion’s Head and Table Mountain

If you are relatively agile, hike up Lion’s Head. It’s an in and out type of trail, with two routes to choose from. The recommended route takes about 10 minutes longer, but is the much safer option. There is the staples and chains route, which I tried to take down, then had a freak out and went the recommended way. When we headed out, I didn’t think we would go all the way up. It was a scramble, and I usually don’t like that kind of thing, but worth the effort.

Tip: Wear proper shoes, and don’t have an ego. This volunteer mountaineering guide told us horror stories of people hiking in heels, slipping, and falling to their deaths. Or people who caved into peer pressure, tried to used the chains & staples route, were not strong enough and ended up falling.

Alternatively, or additionally, you can take a cable car (or hike) up Table Mountain. When were finished our Lion’s Head hike the wind was picking up, and the shut down the cable car. We didn’t want to hike, so we just weren’t able to go to the top of Table Mountain. Timing is everything, and we didn’t get started up Lion’s Head until mid-morning.

Day 7: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden’s and King David Mowbray Golf Club

Full disclosure, we did not visit Kirstenbosch, but I wanted to! We were leaving on Day 7, so opted for 18-holes at King David Mowbray Golf Club, as it was half way to CPT from our hotel.

We were paired up with a member named Chris. He was probably close to 80 years old, but walked the 18-holes while we drove a cart. Talk about embarrassing! This guy was a long distance runner, who golfed on his off days. Not only was he in excellent shape, but the nicest person on the planet. We had the most excellent time golfing with Chris, and I wish I would have exchange information.

The views at King David were amazing, and the course was in great condition. After our round, we grabbed a bite to eat and share a drink with Chris in the club house before heading to the airport.

Generally, South Africans are extremely nice people. Once things open up, I will have South Africa back on my wander list.