In this post, we'll tell you everything you need to know before you travel to Cape Town! Before you start your trip to this fascinating city, read our tips and information to make the most of your stay. From top attractions to practical travel tips, you'll find everything you need to plan and enjoy your trip!
Since Cape Town is not a stone's throw away for most people, it is generally worthwhile to plan more time to visit highlights near Cape Town. In general, however, you should At least 7 days Plan to explore the city and check the most important items off your list. In fact, we spent a whole month in Cape Town and didn't regret a single day.
Not surprising, but the best way to get to Cape Town is by plane. You can now even fly direct to Cape Town from Frankfurt or Munich. Back then, we flew from Hamburg via Istanbul to Cape Town and didn't have too long a flight either. We can recommend the many flights to Cape Town with Turkish Airlines, which on the one hand were quite cheap and on the other hand offered great service. We mostly search for our flights via Skyscanner, but in this case Booking.com was by far the cheapest option.
South Africa is definitely a country that will never get out of the mind of any visitor due to its beauty. But where there is light, there is also shadow. In South Africa, the crime rate is indeed quite high and we too have read many stories that don't necessarily make you want more. In particular, the many townships outside the city, which you inevitably drive past from the airport, show the continuing gap between poverty and prosperity. After our trip, however, we could only say how incredibly happy we were to have embarked on this trip. Our rule of thumb for Cape Town is to act as you would in any other big city and you'll have an unforgettable time. In plain language, this means that you should stay in areas where there are also other tourists, as security measures are significantly higher here than in other regions of the city. However, be careful before the typical rip-off scams. Especially at ATMs, which are not in a building but simply lonely on the side of the road, you shouldn't stop by. We're speaking from experience here.
Especially in Cape Town, you should think about where you will set up camp beforehand. In Cape Town, we always felt very safe in our accommodation, which was mainly due to the respective districts. However, the right residential area depends heavily on your available budget. If your budget is tight, Camps Bay and Clifton are the way to go. Great restaurants, beautiful houses and white sandy beaches await you here. Sea Point, Green Point or the area around the Waterfront are significantly cheaper and also very beautiful. We tend to advise you against the area in the city center, as we often felt uncomfortable here, especially at night.
The weather in Cape Town can change quickly. That's why you should pay even more attention to what you put in your suitcase. Cape Town generally has a mild climate and likes to get very warm in summer. Nevertheless, on some days, a rain cloud can appear here, which sticks to Table Mountain and brings with it a very strong wind. So you should be able to climb table mountain and pack enough swimwear for beach days. You should also have normal clothes ready for exploring the city.
raincoat, hiking boots, water bottle, flashlight, sweaters, sportswear, swimwear, camera
In general, the climate in Cape Town is quite mild and very pleasant. Most hours of sunshine await you in December and January. Basically, the best time to travel to Cape Town is from October to March.
In order to be connected as usual in Cape Town, you will need a local SIM card. So you should definitely get a local SIM card upon arrival to avoid a high bill. Many mobile phones also offer the option of using an eSIM. In this case, you can sign up before you travel to Cape Town at Airalo Get your eSIM and get started right after landing - really handy! In order to use little data volume, we also recommend downloading Cape Town as an offline map from Google Maps. This means that you only need the bare essentials when navigating.
