Cape Town, Curated
A selective guide to Cape Town and the Winelands — the places worth building a day around, and the practical detail you need to actually get there.
Not everything in the city is here. That is the point.
Start here
The city first
Historic Cape Town
Almost everything worth seeing here makes more sense once you know why it is standing where it is. The Castle, the Company’s Garden, the Bo-Kaap and the streets of the old city, in the order the city actually grew.
The big day out
Cape Peninsula Road Trip
Nine stops in driving order, down the Atlantic side and back up the False Bay coast. The roads are half the point here, so three of the nine are the drive itself rather than somewhere to park.
Attractions
Free Things to See in Cape Town
Ten places across the city whose own records list no entry fee.
Outdoors
Where to Get in the Water in Cape Town
Nine ways to actually be in the water here, and the two things that decide which one suits you.
Right now
Cape Town Wildlife by Season
Organised by when rather than by what, so you can see what is possible in the month you are visiting.
Explore by region
If you already know where you are staying, start there. These are the places we have written a full guide for.
What do you want to do?
The main ways people spend a day here, each one a properly researched list rather than a category page.
Plan your trip
Most disappointing Cape Town days have the same cause: three famous places on one morning, spread across the whole peninsula. The planner covers how many days you need, which areas combine into one, how to move around, and what to do when the weather rearranges things.