A Handy Traveller’s Guide to Cape Town
Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most cosmopolitan cities which has frequently been considered as the best place to visit in the world. The cultural city is situated against a mountainous backdrop with a blend of two oceans meeting at its core, so there is some glorious natural beauty to witness here. Traveasy offers cheap tickets to Cape Town from the UK, allowing you to explore this stunning city to your heart’s content. Below is a guide to Cape Town, with all the essential information included as well as travel tips and inspiration.
The Basics
Language: South Africa claims 11 official languages, but the most commonly spoken language in Cape Town is English.
Currency: ZAR - South African rand
Flight Time: Approx. 11 hrs 30mins direct from London
Time Zone: GMT +2 hours
Climate
Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild and wet winters. In the spring season from September to October, the city enjoys warm and pleasant temperatures, and all of the city’s colourful flowers are in full bloom. During the summer between November-March, temperatures can reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius with little rain and long sunny evenings. In Autumn from April to May, temperatures remain pleasant but start to lower and nights become cooler, and the winter period from June to August sees the most rain, with stormy windy days expected and temperatures cooling right down to average temperatures between 7-20 degrees Celsius.
Transport
Cape Town is very spread out, so to explore the city you’ll definitely need to opt for some form of transport. The transport network in Cape Town consists of a railway service, taxi cabs, shared minivan taxis and two forms of bus transportation. The most widely used tourist-friendly transport option in Cape Town is the MyCiTi bus network which is cheap, efficient and reliable, but you will need to purchase a MyConnect card to ride. Cape Town’s bus networks are convenient but they don’t offer the best coverage, so to visit the remote sightseeing attractions of the city, you’d need to hire a car or use a local taxi service which runs frequently. Uber is also available in Cape Town, which is a cheaper and safer alternative of transport, though uber cabs are less frequent than local cabs.
Must Visits
A trip to Cape Town isn’t complete without travelling to the summit of the iconic Table Mountain, and you can do this via a cable car which offers 360 degree vistas. A scenic drive to Cape Point should also be on your Cape Town itinerary, as it’s one of South Africa’s most spectacular sight-seeing attractions. Why not spend a day at the Victoria & Alfred waterfront, which offers a host of excellent shops, restaurants and attractions. Other must-see experiences in Cape Town include Boulders Beach where you can encounter Penguins, the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden which makes for a scenic respite and the Cape Winelands located just outside of the city, where you can explore award-winning wine routes set amongst stunning landscapes, ancient architecture and some of the country’s finest eateries.
Book cape town flights from UK with Traveasy and look forward to the trip of a lifetime in this immense South African city.