How to Spend 3 Days in Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa

The second largest city in South Africa, Cape Town with its plentiful vineyards, golden sandy beaches, and the stunning Table Mountain is one of the most interesting and beautiful tourist hot spots in the world.

It’s most attractive and captivating feature is the Table Mountain National Park. The mountain with the flat top may be the main attraction, but travelers will also find joy in the serene stretches of natural picturesque scenery within the unending boundaries of the park.

Tourists will also enjoy exploring different cultivated parts of the city such as the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the significant Company’s Gardens, and Green Point Park. You will come across residents reveling in a variety of outdoor adventures. Follow their lead and go mountain biking, hiking, surfing, skydiving, abseiling from Table Mountain’s top, tandem parasailing from Lion’s Head, and lots more!

Street art in Bo Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa
Street art in Bo Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa

The Exclusivity of Cape Town!

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Be fascinated by the bathing chalets located in Muizenberg and get awestruck by the facades in Bo-Kaap, painted in delightfully kaleidoscopic colors. Marvel at the innovation incubators adorning The Fringe and Woodstock, be left spellbound by the riveting street art and get mesmerized by the Afro-trendy décor in the numerous bars and restaurants.

In contrast, you may find the many shack communities located in the Cape Flats to be quite sobering. However, even these rundown and underprivileged regions are home to several resourceful projects helping to cultivate different kinds of organic foods as well as create various unique and gorgeous kinds of gift items. People of all faiths, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and ancient African beliefs live together in harmony in this widely multicultural city. However, this peaceful co-existence is something that has come after years of turmoil and hard fought battles. South Africa has had a very troubled past; the current harmony is thus fragile and under continuing threat of breaking up. Almost everyone has an enthralling and sometimes heartbreaking story in their past!

Cape Town is a city full of pioneers, with each adding a distinctive flavor to this rich and diverse culture of Cape Town’s melting pot.

Beyond Cape Town and More!

It’s quite difficult to wrench yourself away from the allure and fascinations that Cape Peninsula has on offer. However, after driving for just an hour, you will be amazed by how the urban landscape gets quickly replaced by beautiful villages and towns as well as charming pastoral estates of the Winelands like Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.

One of the best places to enjoy whale watching tours begin at Hermanus, where you can also revel in shark cave diving escapades! As you go a little further, you become enraptured by the pleasures of Garden Route, where you can drive across pristine coastlines, ever unfolding untouched landscapes, and on top of spectacular mountain passes.

Travelers can go vacationing in Cape Town almost all through the year. Summer is the best time to visit, wherein mid-December to early January is the peak season. The attractions of Cape Town are readily available via varied transport options. You can use the fast developing public transport, or taxis, car hires, open-top bus tours, boat tours, or Rikkis. Car hires are the best option.

Aerial view of False Bay Coast, Cape Town, South Africa
Aerial view of False Bay Coast, Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town: Holidaying for 3 Days

Cape Town has many delights on offer for visitors, which can be difficult to savor all of them in just three days. If you’re short on time, here are the best things to see and truly get a taste of the history and culture of this incredible city.

Day 1

Take a tour of Cape Peninsula along the False Bay coast through Kalk Bay, Simon’s Town and Fish Hoek, and halt at Cape Point. Keep going through Kommetjie and Scarborough, past Ou Kaapse Weg and across Silvermine till you arrive at the Constantia Valley. Take a rest at Hout Bay harbor and delight your taste buds with fresh fish and chips. You can also take a boat ride to Duiker Island to check out the seal colony. Later, continue through Llandudno and head to Camp’s Bay where you can enjoy drinks and cocktails at the beachfront cafés and bars, or go for a peaceful stroll along the beach.

Day 2

Peek into South Africa’s political history by taking a ferry ride to Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has served as a place of banishment, imprisonment, and isolation for centuries. Before closing in 1996, the island imprisoned many of South Africa’s anti-apartheid leaders including Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandala and current South African President Jacob Zuma. The living museum is a favorite destination so book guided tours of the island and prison in advance to avoid disappointment. After the somber visit, head to the V&A Waterfront for shopping and dining, and finish the day with astounding views of Cape Town and the Bay from Table Mountain’s top via the cable-car.

Day 3

Spend the day experiencing and tasting the rich history of South African wines. Dating back to 1659, the region’s vineyards produce everything from Cabernet Sauvignon to Chenin Blanc. Grab a wine route map and head out to enjoy wine tasting at the different wine estates around Cape Town. As an added bonus, if you go to the Constantia wine estates, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit the magnificent Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens located nearby.

3 thoughts on “How to Spend 3 Days in Cape Town, South Africa”

  1. Nice! My sister will be visiting Cape Town soon. Thanks for the little preview to what she’ll be seeing.

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