What to Do in Cape Town: A Luxurious Guide to Culture, Coastlines, and Cape Charm
Cape Town is a city that doesn’t just dazzle, but reveals itself slowly, like a well-written novel. Surrounded by oceans, crowned by the majestic Table Mountain, and steeped in centuries of layered history, this is a destination for travellers who value aesthetic beauty as much as cultural substance. If you're a connoisseur of stories, design, and sensory indulgence, working out what to do in Cape Town becomes a delicious dilemma. Here, heritage walks meet high-end wine tastings, design districts rub shoulders with centuries-old townships, and every vista feels curated for your next journal entry or gallery wall.
Begin Your Journey: What to Do in Cape Town for the Culturally Curious
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Top Experiences in Cape Town
Book one of the experiences that other customers have liked and recommended:
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Photo Shoot in Cape Town VA Waterfront
Come in front of the Zeitz Mocca Museum, located in the Silo District of the Waterfront, and walk through the picturesque sights with the photographer taking your pictures. Your shots will feature beautiful architecture, the backdrop of Table Mountain and the waterfront.This experience is for anyone who is interested in doing something different walking and creating quality memories while having fun with a local photographer. Pose to portraits, full body and action shots pictures and get the best ones (between 40 and 60). Receive your professionally edited shots in high resolution within three days via a link from which you'll be able to download them and share them with family and friends. Get one photo of you taken with a Polaroid camera and take it right away as a souvenir.
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Table Mountain Private Hike Tour of Kasteelpoort Route from Cape Town
Get personalized attention on this private hike up Table Mountain via the Kasteelpoort route to the Cableway. No need to worry about navigation or getting lost, your guide will lead the way and you can just focus on the scenery. Hiking this route gives you multiple different views of the mountain, during which you can listen to commentary on the area's flora and fauna.
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Cape Town: Private Tandem Paragliding Experience
An ideal option for those who are new to paragliding, this stress‐free experience includes your own personal instructor who is beside you throughout the flight, for the ultimate peace of mind. Depending on the weather conditions, the flight begins at Lions Head or Signal Hill. Then you can soar above Cape Town’s beautiful skyline and enjoy the sensation of flying on a tandem paragliding adventure to remember.
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Private 6‐Day Garden Route Tour from Cape Town
This is a PRIVATE TOUR.. Although I have listed down activities, YOU ARE IN‐CHARGE of the day and these activities listed can just be guidelines. We are happy to tailor make your trip as we go. We understand that not all travelers are capable to do adventurers activities this is what makes us special to guide you and make sure you do activities that will make your trip special. This tour package is filled with back to back adventures and beautiful scenery, lots of good memories to be made from this trip. Book this tour with us to fulfill your dream of being in the garden route . Do it with the best. Do it with Santacruise Tours
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Cape Town Shore Excursion: Big Five Game Reserve from Cape Town
Receive a pickup from the Cape Town port timed to your ship’s arrival, and transfer along South Africa’s N1 Highway for two hours through the Hex River Valley to reach Aquila Private Game Reserve. When you arrive at the reserve, you’ll pair up with a game ranger and an open‐top vehicle to explore this sprawling wildlife park. Keep your eyes peeled as your safari vehicle passes through the reserve’s more than 24,000 acres (10,000 hectares), scouting for the famous “Big Five” African animals (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo). You’re also likely to come across other species like giraffes, zebra, ostriches, baboons, gemsbok, klipspringer, jackals, and more than 170 species of birds. As you ride, listen to commentary from your game ranger, who will share enticing stories and numerous facts about this thriving game park. Finish your adventure by enjoying an included buffet lunch back at the game lodge before heading back to Cape Town for a drop‐off at your ship.
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Cape Town Walking Experience & Nelson Mandela Legacy Exhibition
Enjoy beautiful scenery combined with historical sites. This unique walk through the city includes sites such as the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town City Hall, housing the Nelson Mandela Legacy Exhibition, the Grand Parade, where Nelson Mandela first addressed the nation as a free man after 27 years in jail, Church Square, Slave Lodge, Greenmarket Square, with a daily crafts and souvenir market, St George’s Cathedral, the Malay Quarter (Bo‐Kaap) with its colourful houses and narrow cobbled streets, the Western Cape High Court and the infamous High Court Annex with two benches installed at the entrance, one labelled ‘whites only’, the other ‘non‐whites’, signifying the spot where all non‐whites had to go to be racially classified under the Apartheid regime, Company’s Gardens, South African Museum, South African National Gallery, Old Synagogue, Houses of Parliament, St Mary’s Cathedral and the District Six Museum where the walk ends.
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Champagne Cruise (Pre‐Sunset) from Cape Town
Families with small children can still enjoy an evening sail on this pre‐sunset cruise in Cape Town. Watch the sun sink lower in the sky and enjoy the “golden hour”, which makes for beautiful photos, on this pre‐sunset cruise. You’ll get back to shore in plenty of time for dinner reservations or the kids’ bedtime. Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine and commentary from the crew while on board the boat.
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Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl Winelands Full Day Trip from Cape Town
Get picked up at your central Cape Town hotel and begin your day trip into Western Cape wine country. Visit the town of Paarl in the Paarl Valley, where you’ll visit a wine estate for a cellar tour and wine tasting session, along with winery stops in pretty Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. It’s second only to Cape Town as the oldest European settlement in the province, and where the region’s winemaking got its start. The Pinotage grape is unique to South Africa, having been hybridized in the country, but it’s not the only wine you’ll taste. Other varietals are grown in South Africa, too, including Shiraz, Semillon and Chardonnay. During your stops in Paarl and Stellenbosch, enjoy some free time to explore the towns on foot at your leisure. After the last tasting of this relaxing day, head back to Cape Town aboard the vehicle. Please note that the order of stops may differ depending on the day.
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Durango Half Day Jeep Tour — La Plata Canyon
Make your way to the tour office for morning or afternoon departure, then board an open‐top Jeep for the trip to La Plata Canyon, which has the distinctive, U‐shaped landscape left by ancient glaciers. With peaks on either side of the scenic canyon, enjoy great views throughout the drive, while riding higher and higher into the mountains. Watch for wildlife as you follow rugged Jeep trails past several small waterfalls and mountain rivers. Climb to alpine meadows to find bright wildflowers, then discover La Plata City, an abandoned mining town that was first established in the frontier days of 1875, with visible remnants of old mining claims. Reach Kennebec Pass at 12,000 feet (3,658 mt.) above sea level, with majestic views to Cortez and Telluride, and a bird’s‐eye perspective on spruce tree forests, peaks, and river valleys. Following your time at the pass, trace the Jeep roads back out of La Plata Canyon and return to the original departure point, where this tour concludes.
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Family Friendly Wine Tour Cape Town
We host a super fun child‐friendly wine tour that’s a blast for the whole family! We have hand‐picked wine estates and venues in the winelands that are memorable, amazing and loads of fun! From “kiddies wine tasting” (grape juice and sweets pairings) to farmyards and vineyard picnics with fun play areas – we really have everything! With the children, tweens and teens fully entertained; the parents will have loads of time to unwind and enjoy their wine tasting in the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek regions. Our Family Friendly Wine Tours are super popular and will be thoroughly enjoyed by the whole family. The kids will have so much fun, that you’ll struggle to get them back on the tour bus. This is exactly the child‐friendly wine tour in Cape Town that you’ve been looking for! More than anything, we guarantee that your kids will be fully entertained and will have a wonderful time – meaning that the parents can get a chance to relax, have fun and enjoy the best wine tour in Cape Town
Golden Hour to Glittering Night: What to Do in Cape Town at Night
As twilight descends, the question of what to do in Cape Town at night opens up a new chapter. Begin with sundowners at the Silo Hotel Rooftop, where champagne pairs beautifully with Table Mountain views draped in gold. For dinner, book a table at FYN, where African ingredients meet Japanese finesse in one of the most sophisticated tasting menus on the continent.
Later, venture into the hidden speakeasies of Bree Street or catch a jazz set at The Crypt below St George’s Cathedral; the venue doubled as a sanctuary during the apartheid era. If you're seeking both soul and sophistication after dark, Cape Town delivers.
Offbeat Elegance: Unique Things to Do in Cape Town
Looking for unique things to do in Cape Town? Charter a private sidecar motorcycle ride along Chapman’s Peak Drive for the ultimate in windswept, cinematic glamour. Or immerse yourself in history with a curated visit to the District Six Museum, guided by a former resident, whose stories will stay with you long after you've left.
A helicopter flight over the Cape Peninsula reveals the dramatic topography in one sweeping panorama - not just thrilling, but unexpectedly emotional. For something truly special, book a foraging tour along the coast, where chefs teach you to harvest seaweed and shellfish before preparing a shoreline feast.
A City of Contrasts: What to See and Do in Cape Town
The choice of what to see and do in Cape Town is deeply tied to its contrasts: colonial elegance meets indigenous resilience, luxury boutiques sit beside handmade crafts. Visit Groot Constantia, South Africa’s oldest wine estate, where a heritage tasting includes a walk through original cellars dating back to 1685. Then contrast this with a visit to Langa Township, where art collectives and culinary tours reveal a different, yet equally vital, expression of the Cape spirit.
For aesthetes, a drive to the Norval Foundation in Steenberg rewards with world-class art, sculpture gardens, and mountain views, leapfrogging this gallery to the top of any list of things to do in Cape Town for lovers of contemporary creativity.
What to Do in Cape Town in One Day: A Perfect Cultural Snapshot
Wondering what to do in Cape Town in one day? Begin with the rotating cable car to the top of Table Mountain, ideally at opening time before the crowds arrive. Descend for coffee in Kloof Street, then explore the Company’s Garden and adjacent Iziko South African Museum.
In the afternoon, walk through Bo-Kaap and pause for Cape Malay cuisine at Biesmiellah, a local institution. End your day at Clifton Beach, where the Atlantic breeze pairs with a chilled glass of Cap Classique as the sun dips into the sea.
Design, History, and the Great Outdoors: What to Do in Cape Town in Two Days
With 48 hours at your disposal, deciding what to do in Cape Town becomes a blend of the curated and the spontaneous. On day one, focus on central cultural highlights — Zeitz MOCAA, Bo-Kaap, District Six, and the V&A Waterfront. In the evening, take in a show at Artscape Theatre or dinner with wine pairings at La Colombe, perched high in Constantia’s leafy hills.
Day two should be dedicated to the Cape Peninsula. Drive the coastline to Cape Point Nature Reserve, with stops at Boulders Beach to see the penguins, and Kalk Bay for antiques and pastries. Wrap up at Muizenberg Beach for postcard-perfect pastel huts and a dose of surfer cool.
Unmissable Moments: The Must‐Sees and Must‐Dos of Cape Town
If you see only one panorama, let it be from Signal Hill at sunset. If you attend only one event, make it First Thursdays, where galleries across the city open their doors late and the streets hum with Cape Town’s creative buzz. And if you include only one immersive experience in your trip, take the ferry to Robben Island — the island prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years. It's a poignant reminder of the country’s journey from division to democracy.
Final Thoughts: A City Worth Savouring