Things You Must Do When Visiting Cape Town

Table Mountain

Robben Island

Robben Island served as a 17th - century political prison. And the most famous prisoner was the Nobel Peace Laureate, Nelson Mandela. For 18 years, he was held prisoner on Robben Island. In 1996, the prison was closed and declared a world heritage site in 1999. You can now visit the island and the prison by taking a ferry from Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&A). Since these tours are very popular booking in advance, it is necessary to ensure you have the opportunity to visit the site. Tickets and access to the island costs R300pp ($ 20).

Kasteel de Goede Hoop

The castle was built in 1666 by the Dutch East India Company. It is the oldest colonial building still standing in South Africa and was built to be used as a replenishment station for ships passing the Cape coastline on their voyage between the Netherlands and India. The castle is also the oldest building still standing with a pentagon shape. Entrance to the castle cost R50pp ($3,40).

Cape Vineyards

So with Table Mountain, so the Cape region is known for its vineyards. And there is more than enough to keep you busy. The 3 main Wine routes that I would recommend that you visit would be Constantia, Durbanville and of course Stellenbosch. The vineyards offer a variety of actives to cater for everyone’s needs, from wine tasting to picnics, grape harvesting and live shows.

Company Gardens

If you are a tourist who wants to explore the city like the locals, you have to visit the company gardens in the center of Cape Town. The gardens were created in the 1650s and served as the basis for the production to replenish the vessels. Entrance to the gardens is free and a nice escape for relaxation and relaxation. Then buy a pack of peanuts in the garden and feed the squirrels, look at the oldest grown pear tree in South Africa and take a magnificent picture of Table Mountain right on top of the garden. The building of the South African Parliament, the Iziko South African Museum and the National Gallery, the St George’s Cathedral and the South African National Library are adjacent to the gardens.

Cape Town Red Tour Bus

This is a great idea for international travellers that rely on public transport when arriving in the city. These busses work on a Hop-on-hop-off principal. You buy a ticket for a Route and climb off on the stops that you are interested in. There are a few routes too pick from and is a great way of making sure that you make use of everything that the city has to offer. The prices for the bus routes vary but you can expect to pay about R300 ($20) per route.

Two Oceans Aquarium

Cape Town’s marine life makes interesting attractions as the city is built at the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meeting point. The cold water comes from the Antarctic and runs up the West African coast, giving Cape Town a diverse and unique marine life. This can be seen in the Aquarium in the immediate vicinity and is a must if you travel with small children as they enjoy the lake of tanks filled with the most beautiful animals. The aquarium not only houses fish, you can expect other marine life, such as seals and penguins. Tickets for adults are R175 ($ 11.80) and R85 ($ 5.80) for children 4 to 13.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

For the nature lovers, I would strongly suggest that you visit the Botanical Gardens. These gardens were founded in 1913 on the foot of Table Mountain with the unique goal of preserving the unique flora of the Cape region. The garden showcases a wide variety of plans from different regions ranging from savanna, fynbos, karoo. The pride of the gardens would be the collection of proteas, the national flower of South Africa. The gardens have a suspended wooden walkway that overlooks Cape Town called the Boomslang roughly translated to English to tree snake. Entrance to the gardens is R40 ($2,70) for adults and R25 ($1,70) for children.