Cape Town in 5 Days: Top Attractions, Scenic Drives, and Wine

 
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​Cape Town is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I have been there many times, yet I never get enough of it.
Here there is a unique microclimate and microflora, with variety of plants and flowers found nowhere else on Earth. 
Cape Town offers immense natural beauty, thrilling adventures if you like, or the chance to relax at spectacular wine estates in nearby towns like Constantia, Stellenbosch or Paarl.
​Here are some itineraries to make the most of Cape Town in 3 or 5 days by renting a car, which is undoublty the best way to explore.

CAPE TOWN ITINERARIES IN 3 DAYS AND 5 DAYS:

day 1: Explore the City and Table Mountain

Morning:
  • Visit District 6 Museum in order to understand the past and present of South Africa. District 6 used to be a vibrant neighborhood where different cultures, languages and races coexisted peacefully. It was destructed under the Apartheid Government as the main politics was against all about what District 6 represented. 
  • Bo Kaap: Famous colorful houses of Cape Town is  the neighborhood where unique Cape Malay culture was born in the mid 18th century. The colors represent freedom as prior to their freedom, the inhabitants were not authorized to paint their homes in colors except for white. You can take pictures on the streets within joyfully painted houses, if you like to visit and get more information about the zone, you can visit Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum.
Afternoon:
  • Table Mountain: One of the Natural Wonders of the World, Table Mountain is a must visit attraction. My recommendation is to go there as late as possible, preferable close to the sunset.   considering the closure at 19 and last cable car  Locals enjoy hiking up to the Table Mountain in the weekends but for a tourist on strict itinerary, better the Cable Car. Enjoy panoramic views of the city, coastline, and surrounding mountains. Spend some time hiking the various trails at the top. Best views before sunset. 
Evening:
  • Waterfront Area is always a good idea, especially in the evenings. Choose any of one pubs, restaurants of fast foods according to your budget and enjoy the views and quality souvenir shops. 

​Day 2: 

HOUT BAY – CHAPMANS PEAK SCENIC DRIVE – COSTANTIA WINE ESTATES

  • SEAL ISLAND TOUR – Arrive to Hout Bay Harbor at around 10 and take a boat/cruise to Seal Island. You can have coffe&breakfast in one of the few coffes at the harbour. Otherwise there are also nice coffes in Hout Bay center but not in walking distance from the harbour. You do not need to purchase a tour in advance, just go there and purchase your ticket for the first available boat. It costs around 150 rand (around 8 EUR) and last boat operates till 14.00. 
  • ​CHAPMAN’S PEAK SCENIC DRIVE –  This  World famous 9 km. scenic drive lies between the Hout Bay till Noordhoek Beach. It is like the Amalfi Coast but on Atlantic Coast instead of Mediterranean, The drive has many curves but has amazing views will make you pull off very often. Don’t worry the road has many designated stops for viewpoints. The road has a tollway booth and the cost is around 64 randt )3-4 eur usd each way. Here is the position  of the starting point close to Hout Bay, and the end position at the Noordhoek Beach on google maps. 
  • GROOT CONSTANTIA WINE ESTATE & LUNCH – Why not combine lunch with a famous wine estate visit. It is all about the wine, but not only. Some of the wine estates are so gorgeous that even if there were no wine but only water to drink, everybody would keep going! Groot Constantia is one of them! They produce the oldest wine in South Africa which was Napoleon’s favorite wine! If the weather is good, the garden of this Wine Estate is TOP! They call this restaurant Jonker Suis Eatery and here is the link for more information and reservation.

DAY 3 :

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE – BOULDERS’ BEACH – MUIZENBERG BEACH

  • CAPE OF GOOD HOPE : This park is where you will see two oceans meet and take picture at the famous Cape Pint Sign. Though is not enough to visit all the park in one day, as it is too vast, main attractions are all around the funicular and light house area. Once you enter from the park gate, there are kilometers to reach the last parking lot. On the way you will observe many baboons, free ostriches and many other animals. ​Do not leave your car windows open and do not carry any food visible to these baboons, as they are as greedy as they are lovely. Do not feed the baboons, there is a fine for it. The park is open during the day light but the funicular starts working after 9.  Cape of Good Hope is mistakenly considered as southern most point of Africa, the real southernmost point is 150 km.s away and called Cape Agualhas. (Entrance fee 360 rand/18 euros/19usd and the funicular cost is for one way 70rand/3,5 eur/4 usd better to walk down on return)
  •  LUNCH IN SIMON’S TOWN: Before seeing the penguin colony in Boulder’s Beach, you will pass through this little cute town, Saveur Restaurant just on the main road is an excellent spot to have a quick lunch with a harbor view. 
  • BOULDERS BEACH PENGUIN VISIT: After lunch, head to Boulders Beach to see the famous African penguin colony. The ancestors of these penguins lost their way in the ocean in 1983 and decided to embark to this beautiful beach and establish their colony. The entrance has a fee, but for free on the streets or beaches in the vicinity you may still encounter penguins. The Boulders Beach has an entrance fee of 11eur/12usd and is really worth it! There are also free beaches around where you can encounter penguins and even swim with them. The Middle Beach allows you to swim in the beautiful water with penguins, but you have to pay the entrance fee. While Seaforth Beach is free of charge and you still have chance to swim with the penguins if you are lucky. 
  • There are two parking lots at the Boulders’ Beach. The closest one is close to the Middle Beach, just in front of the Boulders’ Beach Hotel Bayella Caffe, here is the position of this free of charge Midlle Beach parking lot.  The other parking lot is Seaforth Parking Lot, the one close to the Seaforth free Beach and Seaforth Restaurant. Here the volunteer guardian needs a tip and you need to walk 5 min. more to reach to the Boulders Beach entrance, on the good side, here there are some nice souvenir stalls and shops.
  • MUIZENBERG BEACH – One of the iconic images of Cape Town, the colorful huts on a white sand beach is from Muizenberg Beach. Muizenberg is actually a suburb The water temperature is more pleasant respect to Camps Bay or beaches closer to Cape Town. The beach is always crowded, where you can watch people enjoying their free time but be aware of the shark flag! As there are many sharks around that area, the shark flags are updated according to the shark sighting. 
  • ​Dinner in Camps Bay: Behind the Camps Bay beach, there is a shopping mall and trendy restaurants and bars with ocean view from their terrace. However my favorite restaurant is Hussar’s Grill, even if they have different branches in all over Cape Town, this one is my favourite. You can either park in the garage of the shopping mall or at the parking lot in front of Hussar’s Grill. 

​Day 4: Wine Country and Cultural Experiences

Stellenbosch from Cape Town it only takes 40-50 min. drive.
  • Visit Stellenbosch City Center: Visit Tourist Information where you can obtain a map of all the wine estates. Close to the Tourist Information Center, do not miss to visit the Dutch Reformed/Moedergemeente Church (free entrance) and Stellenbosch Village Museum just next to it. The Stellenbosch Museum consists of 17th and 18th century restaurated houses and  and takes you back to those times. The fee is 110 rand/ 5 eur/6 usd it totally worth it. 
  • Stellenbosch offers the most stunning wine estate you can ever seen on earth. Plan at least 3-4 wine tasting visits and 1 wine tour. If you do not want to drink anymore, they have free entrances, just admire the estate to have an idea maybe for your next day’s visit or to shop from their souvenir/wine shop and maybe take a coffee.  Here is the list of the wine estates, you can click on them and see the pictures and choose your favourite one.​
Evening:
  • Take a stroll through the charming town, visit local art galleries and shops in Stellenbosch center. 
  • For dinner, either choose any of the cozy restaurants in town and take your chance, or take my advice and eat at the Fat Butcher. 

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