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South Africa Travel + Tourism Guide: Cape Town

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Cape Town

© Green Point Common Association

• 3rd most populous city in South Africa - nearly 3 million inhabitants
• provincial capital of the Western Cape
• one of the world's most beautiful cities
• city dates back to 1652
• seat of the National Parliament
• spectacular backdrop of Table Mountain
• located on the southern tip of the African continent
• long tradition of wine production

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Cape Town, described by English explorer Sir Francis Drake as "the fairest cape in all the lands" sits on a peninsula at the southern tip of Africa. Thirty miles south of the city centre the Atlantic and Indian oceans converge at the Cape of Good Hope.

The city's most famous landmark is of course - Table Mountain - towering to a height of 5,000 feet above the metropolis and forming the perfect backdrop to Table Bay, the harbour and the Central Business District.

The first European settlers, Dutch and Portugese, arrived in the mid 1600s, built the Castle on the shores of the Bay, and thereafter spread into the countryside building their farmsteads and vineyards. From that time Cape Town became known as the "Tavern of the Seas" - a major victualling and strategic port at the ocean's crossroads.

Finally after many years of British rule and, later, minority white nationalist government, the liberation struggle culminated with the release of Nelson Mandela in the early 1990s.

Since that time tourism, particularly in Cape Town has prospered and the city has become a favourite destination for Brits and other European nationalities, and has won many accolades and awards in the European media.

The new soccer stadium for which building commences in April 2007, is centrally situated in parkland, with Table Mountain as a backdrop and Table Bay in the foreground. All preliminary rounds and one semi final are scheduled to be played in the 68,000 seater stadium.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront entertainment area with its pubs, bistros, restaurants, cinemas, excellent aquarium, shops, museums, boat rides, helicopter trips and more, is adjacent to the stadium. The area has 5, 4 and 3 star hotels.

While just to the east of the stadium is the Green Point "strip" with its many late night clubs, bistros, and quality restaurants.
Here there are a large quantity of hotels of all grades, hostels , and plenty of self catering rental apartments.

A couple of miles further along the coast - Sea Point - has a huge range of self catering apartments , hostels and hotels.

Back to the Central Business District and City Bowl (an area just below Table Mountain ) there are again plenty of accommodation options, and all these areas within 5 miles of the stadium.

With 2010 spectators making at least one trip to Cape Town here are some suggestions for spending free time:

Cable Car Ride To The Top Of Table Mountain

Take a bus from the city centre to the lower cable station for the 10 minute rotating gondola ride to the top. Outstanding 360 degree views over the Atlantic coast, Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned), across the plains to mountains of the winelands area, and closer views over the city and bay. The restaurant at the top serves good meals and snacks.

For the more athletic visitor there are designated climbs up the rocky face to the summit, and there are hikes along the front and back of the mountain.

Double Decker Tourist Bus Around Cape Town

Hop on / hop off buses leaves half hourly from the tourist centre and takes you through the Victorian section of the city, past St. George's Cathedral, the East India Company Gardens, the Natural History Museum, Houses of Parliament, through District Six - now mostly unoccupied since the forced removal of its black inhabitants in the 1960s, up to the cable station, over the pass between Table Mountain and Lions Head mountain and down through the prime oceanside suburbs of Camps Bay and Clifton and on the the Victoria and Alfred waterfront.

Ferry Trip To Robben Island

5 miles west of Cape Town harbour the island prison was home to Nelson Mandela from 1964 to 1982 and many of his compatriots involved in the struggle against apartheid.
Visit Mandela's prison cell, and the quarry where he spent so many years '"breaking rock". The moving experience will give you a greater appreciation of this passionate world statesman.

Day Trip Down The Peninsula To The Cape Of Good Hope

Through the leafy southern suburbs with the side of Table Mountain to your right, on to the wide surfing beaches of Muizenberg on the Indian ocean, through the fishing village of Kalk Bay with its many art and antique shops, on past the family seaside resort of Fish Hoek into the naval port of Simonstown, an ex-Royal Navy base.
Visit Boulders beach - home to a large colony and a breeding area for the comical Jackass penguin. During your drive around this part of False Bay there is every chance of watching the huge Southern Right whales during their calving season.
Past Simonstown enter the Cape Point National Park and drive down to the monorail that will take you to the lighthouse at the Cape of Good Hope. Have lunch at the Two Oceans restaurant.
Now adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean pass the surfing beaches of Scarborough and Kommetjie and start the climb over Chapman's Peak - a majestic cliffside drive eventually winding down into the large fishing suburb of Hout Bay. On through the upmarket, seaside suburbs of Llandudno, Camp's Bay and Clifton and back to the city.
Cape Town and the peninsula has over 70 seperate beaches, from long sandy strands to small rocky coves. Windsurfing, kite boarding, yacht racing and surfing are some of the many watersports enjoyed by locals.

Wine Estate Visit

The oldest wine farm, Groot Constantia, a national monument, lies in a beautiful valley in the southern suburbs, 10 miles from the center.
It has a stately home, museum, cellar tours, tastings and a fine restaurant.
Further afield around the picturesque historical university town of Stellenbosch lies the centre of the wine industry. A multitude of smaller vineyards offer explanations, tastings, cellar tours and dining experiences.

Areas of Interest

In the centre of the city the East India Company Gardens were originally founded in the mid 1600s and used as a vegetable garden for victualling passing ships within its its grounds or within easy access are:
The St George the Martyr Anglican Cathedral - the home church of Archbishop Emerentia Desmond Tutu, who was very active in civil disobedience against the apartheid government. When he is in town, the archbishop usually conducts Friday morning mass.
St. George has strong links with cathedrals in Canterbury, Washington and San Francisco.

The South African Cultural Museum, is the site of the original accommodation for the slaves who tended the East India Company Gardens, the museum houses a fine collection of old furniture and items from Cape Town's past. The cathedral and museum lie either side the entrance to Government Avenue, an oak lined promenade of some 1,000 metres, enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

The Houses of Parliament built in 1865 lie further along Government Avenue and directly opposite is the South African Library which houses a huge collection of Africana and reference books on Africa.

Beyond the library is the South African Natural History Museum which has amongst its exhibits a full size skeleton of a huge whale, Bushmen artifacts and paintings, and a vast array of stuffed African animals. Next to the History Museum is a large planetarium.
Opposite these buildings beyond a bandstand and large ornamental fish ponds is the South African National Gallery which has full collections of African and European art including Gainsborough's Lavinia.
Next door is the oldest synagogue in the country with it's Holocaust Museum.
Finally after meandering through the lawns, rare trees, and avaries the visitor can continue along Government Avenue and enter the beautiful grounds of the Mount Nelson Hotel, a throwback to the British colonial era , and a fine venue for afternoon tea and crumpets.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront complex (V&A) in Cape Town's historic harbor area is a new shopping and entertainment development. The area contains the historic Breakwater Lodge Hotel, previously a 19th century prison.
From the Nelson Mandela Gateway there are boat trips to Robben Island and the Two Oceans Aquarium.

Night Life & Entertainment

Cape Town offers an eclectic mix of good restaurants, bistros and pubs.
Being on the coast Cape Town offers many venues with a variety of fresh food from the ocean, while the steakhouses offer generous portions of meat at value prices.
All can be washed down with the local wine, which for a fair quality bottle will cost anything from Rand 25 upwards.
The price of local draught beers start at Rand 14 per litre.

Camp's Bay opposite the beach offers many top class restaurants and is the ideal spot to watch the sun setting over the ocean.
Green Point strip also offers excellent restaurants and late night clubs, as does the nearby Waterkant area which is the center of Cape Town's gay community.
Long Street just to the west of the CBD, with its many older historic buildings is a lively late night spot for younger revellers.

Local Sports

Rugby is a major winter sport and the Super 14 side the Stormers play at Newlands stadium, 6 miles from the center of Cape Town.
Watersports of all kinds are readily available.
Extreme sports - para sailing and hang gliding from Table Mountain.

Tourist Offices

Visitor Information Centres (VICs) at the City Center branch at City Bowl (Tel: 021 487 6800) at the corner of Castle Street and Burg Street and on the Waterfront at the Clock Tower Center (Tel: 021 405 4500).

Getting There

Air

At present an average of 10 international flights arrive daily, mostly from the UK and other parts of Europe, and to a lesser extent from the Persian Gulf, Malaysia, South America and other parts of the African continent.
Visitors from the USA and other areas presently have to change at Johannesburg airport. There are roughly 30 flights daily in each direction Johannesburg - Cape Town, with a flight time of 2 hours. Less frequent daily flights are available to Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit (all World Cup venue cities).

Rail

There are also luxury coach and train services to Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit.
Train to Johannesburg- 26 hours.

Bus

Coach to Johannesburg - 16 hours.

Boat

There are boat trips from the Nelson Mandela Gateway Robben Island and the Two Oceans Aquarium.

Getting Around

Car hire is a good option for visitors. Cape Town transport interchange - railway station, national luxury coach station, local bus station and taxi rank are situated in the centre of the city about 3 miles from the new stadium.
Green Point is on a major throughway and even in normal times there is a regular bus service and mini bus service through the suburb to Sea Point.
Taxis are readily available at about 10 South African cents per kilometre and operate at all hours.
The international airport is 20 minute drive fom the center of Cape Town and a regular coach service is available.

Security

During the day all the areas mentioned in this guide should not present any problems regarding personal safety.
At night, with reasonable care, they are "safe" but as a precaution the visitor should not walk long distances while alone.
Like any large city there are "no go zones" which do not normally form part of the tourist routes.
The South African government are aware that public safety is a major issue and are determined to increase the quantity and proficiency of the police force over the next couple of years.

Car Hire

All the major car hire companies are well represented in all major cities and at the airports. Cheaper less exclusive local companies also offer vehicles for hire.

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Accommodation

Featured Hotels

Lagoon Beach Hotel - 5 Star Hotel
Palm Garden Hotel - 3 Star Hotel
Park Inn Hotel - 3 Star Hotel

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Eating

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Football Teams

Cape Town has two sides in the Premier Soccer League - Ajax Cape Town (affiliated to Ajax Amsterdam) and Santos.
Ajax Cape Town was formed in 1999 with the merger of Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs. Ajax Cape Town plays its home games at the 30,000 capacity Athlone Stadium and the club's shirts are the same as Ajax Amsterdam - a red stripe on a white background. John Obi Mikel, Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar have all had spells at the club.

Santos FC, aka Engen Santos after their present sponsors, are based in Lansdowne, Cape Town. Santos began life as Lightbody's Santos in 1982. Santos play in an all yellow kit are were South African Premier League champions in the 2001-2002 season.
The South African professional soccer season runs from September to May.

Weather

The World Cup will take place during the South African winter which generally is not severe. There can be weeks of blue skies and fine weather, or 3 to 5-day storms off the Atlantic Ocean which will bring the rain.
On average expect day time temperatures at around 18-20 degrees Centigrade and lowest night time temperatures of 10 degrees Centigrade.

Kevin Wilyman

Bloemfontein Cape Town Durban Johannesburg Nelspruit Polokwane Port Elizabeth Pretoria Rustenburg

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