What to do When You Visit Cape Town For The First Time
Together with a good dose of excitement, I flew to Cape Town for the first time last month. Which was also the first time Africa for me, except for Marrakech (but who considers that as the true Africa). Cape Town has this extremely cool vibe all around the city. Quite a contrast with charming Lisbon where I was flying from, so I was definitely being triggered inside. I stayed in three different areas: The Gardens, Woodstock and Camps Bay. Let’s explore what to do when you visit Cape Town for the first time. Also, make sure to read our interview with Vivian Hoorn about her love for Cape Town!
Culturally explore the different neighborhoods
I loved The Gardens for its cute and trendy restaurants (Kloof Street House was my favorite), downtown for the best coffee places (try Truth Coffee Roasting), Camps Bay for a more touristy feeling (Chinchilla is great for lunch), and visit Seapoint for hipster cafes (JARRYDs is a popular breakfast spot). I didn’t get the chance to explore Woodstock that well, and to be honest, I didn’t feel save enough to stroll around. Bo-Kaap is the neighborhood with the colored houses. Definitely worth a visit (and a fun, little photo shoot to spice up your Instagram account).
Hike on Table’s Mountain
I’m a huge fan of the hiking culture and Cape Town must be one of the best hiking destinations in the world. Whenever a slow-paced exercise comes together with breathtakingly beautiful views over nature and cities, I’m a happy girl. I loved to hike from Table’s Mountain down to The Gardens.
Visit some vineyards
As you might know, the wine culture is also a big thing in South Africa. And as a wine lover (red please, yum!), I was very pleased to discover this culture a bit. There are several beautiful vineyards within just an hour away from Cape Town. Due to limited time, we only got the change to visit one of them and we choose Babylonstoren which felt like a little village on its own. Absolutely loved it and it would be a dream to stay at their hotel one day. Next time, I would probably also visit Stellenbosch (which is the most famous vineyard area) and I heard Vergelegen is beautiful too!
Best beach experience in Cape Town
My best beach experience in Cape Town was Clifton 3rd were I went back several times. Clifton is one of the richest neighborhoods and you would definitely not fail to keep that unacknowledged. Immense houses are built on the beautiful cliffs of Clifton which gives gorgeous scenery together with the ocean and round-shaped rocks on the beach. We found out the Clifton 3rd is the most private beach of the four sections. Whenever you feel to explore a different part of Cape Town, you could visit St. James and Muizenberg who both have cute colored cabins on the beaches.
South Africa definitely made me curious to see more of Africa. As I still haven’t had a true Africa experience, I organized a trip to Namibia this year. I’m dying to do some safari trips!