Cape Town is often called the Mother City. It got this name from the fact that this city, according to its inhabitants is the only real metropolis in the country. Since metro-polis derives from the Greek words for Mother and City, a new nickname was born. Other less historically correct explanations involve its local dialect featuring the words “your mother” quite often (not many times in a good way). It also apparently takes 9 months to do anything here. What definitely is true is the fact that this is the Mother of all tourist destinations in South Africa. Find out what 14 things you cannot miss during your stay here!

How to get around?

We had our own car, however we only used it to really go outside of the center of Cape Town. To get around in the city center you can just walk, most highlights are walking distance away from each other. That way you also take in the atmosphere of this lively city. Most excursions away from the center always have transportation included.

So if you don’t have your own car, do not worry. Make sure you have the Uber app on your phone and buy yourself a local sim card when you arrive at the airport. It takes 10 min and it will serve you well!

Where to stay?

In Cape Town there are thousands of good options to stay and your choice will most likely depend on your budget. You can find yourself a nice all-inclusive resort in Camps Bay or a good hostel in the city center and everything in between. If you’re looking for a hostel I always recommend using Hostelworld. That how we found two very good options that I want to share: The Backpack and HomeBase.

• The Backpack is an amazing place only 15 min walking from the center. The staff is super friendly and are always ready to help you out. The whole place is spotless and the facilities are great. They also support local development and families, providing them jobs, starting up projects to help the neighbourhood and support local and responsible tourism activities.
• HomeBase is located basically IN the city center and around the corner from Long Street (find out below why that’s important).  It’s a well-organized small hostel with a great rooftop terrace that provides great views for your evening braai. The only downside was that we could not drink our own stuff on the terrace.

Where to eat?

There are so many good options to go out and have a fantastic meal in Cape Town. You can go fancy and have a good lunch or dinner at the V&A Waterfront or find yourself a fast food joint near Long Street. However there are 3 places I do want to recommend:

• Knead: this place is part of a chain of bakeries and you have several ones in the Cape Town area. It is the perfect place for an amazing breakfast or brunch. Just what you need when your hangover has prevented you from joining the free breakfast option at your hostel. If that hostel happens to be The Backpack there is one around the corner in Kloof Street!
• Food Lovers Market: the concept of this place is very simple: They have everything, so fill your plate and pay what you put on your plate. Fair warning for people that have trouble choosing: it’s going to be a nightmare. There is one right in the center not far from Greenmarket Square. Check it out!
• Tiger’s Milk: their slogan is: Dude Food Made Real Good. Should I say more. Find your delicious homemade burgers here and enjoy them with a nice cold beer. On top of that the place is super cozy and looks awesome. Fair warning: you won’t be the only one that wants to eat there so either reserve a table or have some patience. They have 8 places in and around Cape Town. However the one on Long Street is perfect for when you’re hanging around in the center.

Where to Drink?

Cape Town does not stop living at night. Quite the opposite, it is filled with fun bars and places to hang out at night. The most famous place is undoubtedly Long Street, which houses many of the cities most popular bars. Below some of the ones we explored and recommend:

• Mojito: A fund small bar that always gets fully packed during the weekends. They have live music almost every night and it’s the perfect place to start your evening strolling down Long Street.
• Cubaña: More a lounge than anything else the place labels itself as a Latino Caffe. They served good food, hookah, cigars and the occasional prostitute. The place has a fancy look and feel and is a cool place to enjoy a drink, nestling yourself in one of its comfy couches. It’s is located a bit outside the center right here.
• The Dubliner: This Irish pub is the place where you will most likely end up when the night draws to and end. Always full and always fun. If you want to go dancing to all kind of music (crazy dj’s to live punk cover bands) this is the place to be. When everything else seems dead, this is probably where everyone is. It is located at the end of Long Street.

The List

Here we go, without any further ado, your Cape Town must dos:

1 GreenMarket Square

This is the heart of Cape Town. A cozy square right in the middle of the historic center. Most of the time it is filled with a souvenir market, so gather your bargaining skills and buy your loved ones the most original cup, T-shirt, Kitchen utensil, stone or god knows what. The place is also the starting point for many of the Cape Town Free Walking Tours. There are several companies offering the same tours. This link will take you to the one we used. They were fun and we learned a lot about Cape Town and the country in general.

2 Castle of Good Hope

This fortress is known as the oldest building is South-Africa. It was built between 1666 and 1676. Nowadays it houses several museums but the fortress itself has so much history connected to it that the visit is worthwhile without even going into the museums. It was recently renovated and is in a very good state. With it’s 50 ZAR entrance fee you can’t really afford to skip it.

3 The Company’s Garden

Named after the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, this garden was originally the place where fresh produce was grown to resupply the ships. Nowadays it is a little oasis of green in the bustling city center. The place to be for a picnic or if you want to meet some cheeky squirrels. It also offers a great view on the South-African parliament buildings.

4 Cape Town Stadium

I don’t think this one needs a lot of explanation. Built for the 2010 FIFA world cup, it is an impressive structure that can accommodate 68.000 people. It is surrounded by a 60 ha park (Green Point Park) and is located at the edge of town near the water. It now houses mostly events and concerts. You can book a tour through the stadium at Tuesdays and Thursdays for 45 ZAR.

5 V&A Waterfront

This is the modern face of the Mother City. You can go shopping or enjoy one the many nice restaurants. It’s always lively and people just go there to hang out and relax. It also houses a huge mall, a ferris wheel, a movie theater, an Aquarium, museums and many other fun stuff. If budget is not a problem you can even take a helicopter ride over the city. If you are on a budget, go buy yourself some sandwiches or pizza in the supermarket in the mall and enjoy it outside in the sun in the little amphitheater.

6 St George’s Cathedral

This historical site might not be very impressive compared to other bigger Cathedrals but it’s importance cannot be overstated. The brick building is the seat of the Archbishop of Cape Town and probably the most important religious site in the country. Most of that fame is embodied by one man: Desmond Tutu. He received a Nobel Peace Prize and has fought, together with Nelson Mandela against the Apartheid Regime.

7 Bo Kaap

This city district is nestled against Signal Hill right next to the city centre. It is most famous for its very picturesque colored houses. Each house is painted in a bright color which results in an embodiment of the South-African Rainbow Nation concept. On top of that is makes for some very cool pictures!

8 Robben Island

This island served for over 400 years as a place for prisoners and people banished from society. It is most famous for being the place where Nelson Mandela served his sentence for rebelling against the Apartheid Regime. He and the other prisoners had to labour in a limestone quarry. This quarry was the only place where the political prisoners could talk and is famed as the place where Mandela’s ideas for his South-African Republic were born.

9 Langa Township

The oldest black township of Cape Town. It was founded when the Urban Areas Act mandated the separation of the city into blacks and whites only neighborhoods. It was the place of a lot of resistance against the Pass Laws and the Apartheid in general. Mainly populated with Xhosa people. It is an experience you should not skip. Go and visit it with a local Xhosa guide and you will learn so much about the Apartheids cruel laws and the difficult lives of blacks during the regime. The Backpack organises trips on demand with such a local guide!

10 District 6

District 6 is basically an gaping hole in the Cape Town area. District 6 was the place where a lot of the coloured people established their home. Close to the harbour where they often worked. It was a thriving community of many cultures and religions. This all ended abruptly when over 60 000 people were forcibly removed from the District in order to move the coloured population further out of the city into townships like Langa. The District 6 Museum tells you this gripping story.

11 Camps Bay Beach

Camps Bay is a suburb of Cape Town at the other side of Table Mountain. The place is very popular for its pearly white beaches. The town adapted to this attention and now has many nice restaurants and bars close to the beach. It is also littered with small hotels which offer beautiful views out on the bay. If you want to escape the city and spend an afternoon at the beach this is the place to go.

12 Cape Town High Court

This will most likely be one of the stops during any walking tour through the center. The High Court was the place where you were literally categorized into one of the classes of society that the Apartheid Regime recognised. Based on the your physical traits you were judged to belong to one of these classes giving you more or less rights depending on how white your skin looked. In front of the court you can still see two benches labeled “Whites Only” and “Non-White Only” symbolizing the Apartheid.

13 Lion’s Head

Lion’s Head is a huge pointy hill that strand tall right next to Table Mountain. It is way easier to climb than the mountain but does not offer a cable car to its top. It makes for the perfect viewpoint to enjoy a sunset or just an amazing 360 panoramic view over the city.

14 Table Mountain

I don’t think I need to explain why this is part of the list. We climbed the mountain on foot through Platteklip Gorge and enjoyed the sunset from the top of the Table. Read my separate post on Climbing Table Mountain to find out how to best go about it. Unless you just want to take the Cable Car up and down, but come on, where is the adventure in that?

15 Cape Town City Hall

The new City Hall is an impressive building right next to the Grand Parade and the Castle of Good Hope. The building earned its place in the history books when Nelson Mandela gave his famous speech on its steps, after being released from banishment on Robben Island. The country was ready for a civil war but Mandela talked about forgiveness and guided the country towards the Republic it is today.