With a local guide, you’ll explore the history and culture of the "Mother City", visiting a mix of locations to gain a deeper insight into Cape Town as a whole.
First, you’ll head to the Castle of Good Hope. The current structure was built during the late-17th century in the style of a typical European fortification at the time, though this replaced an earlier, far more modest fort constructed by Dutch colonialist Jan van Riebeeck. High spring tides used to send waves crashing up against the castle walls, which may be difficult to imagine today given how far the castle is from the ocean — huge land reclamation projects have meant Cape Town has expanded out where water once swelled.
You’ll then visit the Houses of Parliament, a sprawling complex whose oldest building dates to 1884 and has a neoclassical style with Cape Dutch influences. Additional buildings were added in the 1920s and 1980s, the latter a reflection of the apartheid’s tricameral constitution, which meant difference races had separate parliamentary houses. As well as learning about the history and architecture of these buildings, you can visit the Company Gardens and the lively Greenmarket Square.
Next, you’ll head to the cable car station at the foot of Table Mountain. Your cable car rotates 360-degrees during the journey, giving you fantastic views over the city, coastline, and Robben Island. These views are continued at the summit, and you can see over the far side of the mountain down to the Twelve Apostles that form the backbone of the Cape Peninsula.
After descending, you’ll venture into the Bo-Kaap district, which is heavily influenced by the city’s Cape Malay population — first established here when Dutch colonialists forcibly brought enslaved people from Malaysia and elsewhere across Asia to Cape Town. Here, buildings are painted in eye-popping shades, and your guide will tell you more about the area’s history and culture. Most of the community are Muslims, and the sound of the call to prayer blends with the aroma of delicious Cape Malay curries as you walk.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our South Africa specialists
These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities that will introduce you to the local ways of life.
A journey aboard The Blue Train
Travel between Pretoria and Cape Town aboard the Blue Train to experience one of South Africa’s finest rail journeys. You’ll pass through mountains, farmland, and vineyards, pausing to explore old diamond-mining towns en route.
A journey on Rovos Rail
Travel across Southern Africa in the restored trains of Rovos Rail. With several luxury journeys to choose from, you can explore the regions that most interest you in both comfort and style.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden occupies a large swathe of beautiful land on the lower slopes of Table Mountain. It houses a huge collection of indigenous flora, such as heathery fynbos, flowering proteas and dramatically colored strelitzias.
Museums of Cape Town
Cape Town boasts a variety of museums that help tell the story of the city’s multi-layered past, as well as that of South Africa as a whole and the wider continent. We share a few that we particularly recommend visiting during your stay.
Peninsula Tour
The Cape Peninsula is an area of dramatic natural beauty and huge ecological significance, which manages to retain a wild feel despite its huge popularity with visitors. As you drive south from Cape Town, you pass through the exclusive suburbs of Camps Bay and Clifton before continuing onto Hout Bay and through Constantia, where the road meanders behind Table Mountain and down onto the coast.
Robben Island tour
Led by a former inmate, you’ll tour Robben Island’s old prison buildings, from the communal cells to the tiny solitary cells of B-Section, where Nelson Mandela spent much of his incarceration. You’ll also explore the wider island and find out more about its uses over the years.
Table Mountain Tour
Guests are taken to the lower terminal for the cable-car up Table Mountain. The cable-car is a very modern affair, and completes a 360º rotation during the ascent, affording you fantastic views over the city.
You can enjoy this activity as part of the suggested tours below, or we can weave it into a trip shaped entirely around you.
