Cape Town Guide - Locals helps

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Dee96

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Hi all

I have lived in Jhb for the longest time and have never visited Cape Town.

The SO and I would like to visit for a few days and I was hoping that the locals can help us by suggesting a few activities.

Obviously we would want to see table mountain and the V&A waterfront but we welcome any tips.

Thusfar, we heard from people to Hike up the mountain and take the cable car down.

So some initial questions.
1) best place to hire a car? Or will Uber be cheaper?
2) Recommend a good area for accommodation. Safety is our main concern and if we do hire a car the we don't mind driving 15 .minutes extra if the accommodation is cheaper.
3) What time do you suggest we go to table mountain? I think a sunset from the top would be awesome
4) any other things that we have to see
5) Any food places that we have to try? I definitely want a place that serves fish and chips wrapped in that brown lunch paper
6) Nightlife, we heard long Street is the place to be but any places specifically.
7) Which month would you recommend? The SO bates the cold but I suppose she can wear a thicker jacket.
8) if I can only visit one beach, which should I try



As we saving for a house, we don't want to break the bank on this one. We will hopefully be there from Friday morning till Sunday night

Thanks
 
If you don't want to break the bank Cape Town is not a good place to visit.

Food, drink, hotels and general tourist attractions are expensive.
 
Use airbnb and Lok for something in sea point.

Fish and chips, go for hout hay harbor.

You can get away with only using myciti probably and uber for the one or two times you need it.
 
Tman* said:
If you don't want to break the bank Cape Town is not a good place to visit.

Food, drink, hotels and general tourist attractions are expensive.
Click to expand...
I understand but it is something we want to try. If we can get away spending R5k instead of R7k by using tips in this thread then it's a win
 
Johnatan56 said:
Use airbnb and Lok for something in sea point.

Fish and chips, go for hout hay harbor.

You can get away with only using myciti probably and uber for the one or two times you need it.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I did not even consider public transport
 
Dee96 said:
Hi all

I have lived in Jhb for the longest time and have never visited Cape Town.

The SO and I would like to visit for a few days and I was hoping that the locals can help us by suggesting a few activities.

Obviously we would want to see table mountain and the V&A waterfront but we welcome any tips.

Thusfar, we heard from people to Hike up the mountain and take the cable car down.

So some initial questions.
1) best place to hire a car? Or will Uber be cheaper? -- Get a car from the airport, you can drop it off when you head home.
2) Recommend a good area for accommodation. Safety is our main concern and if we do hire a car the we don't mind driving 15 .minutes extra if the accommodation is cheaper. -- AirBnB something in Seapoint or in the southern suburbs
3) What time do you suggest we go to table mountain? I think a sunset from the top would be awesome -- Check the weather and plan ahead, if there is heavy wind, the cablecar will be shut down, not to mention the clouds.
4) any other things that we have to see -- What do you like?
5) Any food places that we have to try? I definitely want a place that serves fish and chips wrapped in that brown lunch paper -- Hout bay for the fish and chips
6) Nightlife, we heard long Street is the place to be but any places specifically. -- Sure, depends where you are staying.
7) Which month would you recommend? The SO bates the cold but I suppose she can wear a thicker jacket. -- Between October and April, I guess?
8) if I can only visit one beach, which should I try -- Do you like being nude at the beach? :p



As we saving for a house, we don't want to break the bank on this one. We will hopefully be there from Friday morning till Sunday night

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Long Street sucks, many other streets in the CBD these days to enjoy night life, Kloof, Harrington and even Bree street have options.

I would also suggest staying in the CBD although winter is the only time to do so when it's cheapest. Lusitania on the fan walk also makes good fish and chips.

Muizenberg is a nice beach, lots of walks and the typical beach town vibe.
 
For point 4.... We the average 35 year olds do anything interesting really.

Like our average weekend consists of trying new food and a movie followed by a sundowners
 
saturnz said:
Long Street sucks, many other streets in the CBD these days to enjoy night life, Kloof, Harrington and even Bree street have options.

I would also suggest staying in the CBD although winter is the only time to do so when it's cheapest. Lusitania on the fan walk also makes good fish and chips.

Muizenberg is a nice beach, lots of walks and the typical beach town vibe.
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Is the CBD relatively safe
 
Dee96 said:
For point 4.... We the average 35 year olds do anything interesting really.

Like our average weekend consists of trying new food and a movie followed by a sundowners
Click to expand...


Try ziplining at Constantia Nek and then head to hout bay for fish & chips, and then on your way back stop off at Eagles Nest wine farm for a few glasses. Home for a nap, then out for drinks somewhere in town before going to Dias Tavern for food.
 
I would look to stay in Green Point / Sea Point areas close to the MyCiti bus. You can save money on hiring a car and it's quite cheap to Uber back from Town to those areas. The MyCiti bus can also take you to the cable car (link).

Things to do:
- I highly recommend the market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock on Saturday morning
- The V&A Waterfront is quite good - you can go on the Cape Town Wheel and pop in at the V&A Food Market. You can also go on a harbour cruise - they have some nice sundowners cruises.
- You can take the MyCiti through to Camps Bay - there's a really nice beach there and there are quite a few bars and restaurants
- Long st is OK, but there is a lot of pick-pocketing and petty crime so you have to be alert. Kloof st is a lot better. It has more restaurants and some bars, but it's safer and nicer in general. Long st effectively becomes Kloof so there is nothing stopping you from walking from Long to Kloof or visa versa to have a look.
- There are quite a few bars and restaurants in the green point and sea point areas. There are some along beach rd and quite a lot down main rd.
There's also the Castle of Good Hope in Town if that's your kind of thing and the Company Gardens where you could go for breakfast and to feed squirrels.

Being such a short stay, I would recommend sticking to areas around the CBD rather than going for a day-trip. There should be more than enough to keep you busy close by.

As far as time of year - I would recommend late September / anytime in October. The wind is terrible in November and December.
 
Look on Airbnb .Stay in area from de waterKant/ green point to sea point ..bantry bay/ fresnaye or camps bay if got more money or find deal on Airbnb which I think you can as oversupply of Airbnb. Staying in cbd is also a option . Hout Bay also good but maybe I am bias as live there . Don’t try hike up table mountain if don’t know what you doing . Rather do lions head . Beaches between Clifton to camps bay or try llandudno for scenery . Hout Bay has fish and chips and boat cruise to seal island . Then whatever tickles your fancy google and there should be enough info on the internet. Uber is good so is hiring a car. Most tourist areas clean and safe .
 
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Dee96 said:
Thanks, I did not even consider public transport
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The MyCiti bus service is great. You'll realise how well run and generally clean Cape Town is in comparison to JHB.

It's a fantastic city. Try to stay as close CBD if you can - the Atlantic Seaboard is great too. It's expensive but well worth it.
 
* Oranjezicht market has nice food, google for opening times.
* Kirstenbosch Gardens.
* Maybe rent a car for the day and go through to Stellenbosh / Paarl / Franschoek etc...wine, lunch. Cool produce garden at Babylonstoren.
* Helderberg Nature reserve in Somerset West is also a nice place to hike and get good views of the surrounding areas. Very safe. Maybe pick up a map or just ask around as you're walking. Going to the gorge is a nice kind of halfway walk if you don't wanna go all the way up.
* The Gin Bar (you walk through Honest Chocolate) is nice in the evenings.
* Go to Obs, nice sushi at 1890 House Sushi or get a beer at Hello Sailor. Obs because it's a quirky place.
* Greenpoint Park for chill.
 
Dee96 said:
Is the CBD relatively safe
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The CBD is flooded with CCID officers, metro police and SAPS, also many buildings have their own security that will patrol the pavements.

It's also very convenient to get to any places mentioned by others.

If you manage to find a place in Mutual Heights, Cartwright Corner, Piazza on Church Square or 4 Church Square you will even be unaffected by loadshedding and will have access to fibre internet.
 
saturnz said:
The CBD is flooded with CCID officers, metro police and SAPS, also many buildings have their own security that will patrol the pavements.
Click to expand...

The CBD is great. Some great restaurants around Church Square too.

The whole CBD has fibre internet.
 
Tman* said:
If you don't want to break the bank Cape Town is not a good place to visit.

Food, drink, hotels and general tourist attractions are expensive.
Click to expand...
This. Cape Town the city is a cesspool of beggers and cocaine dealers it's really horrific and I definitely would not wonder round especially at night.

Instead go to some wine farms (Goudini, Durbanbville) etc and even eat at some nice restaurants durbanbville side like Lupa.

Just overall avoid CT, go for a day trip up table mountain or use the cable car to get up.

Go out to Blouberg / tableview they have a nice big mall and beaches.
 
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