Cape Town Attractions

We spent four days in Cape Town and there was a lot to do!ย  On top of the walking tour, MOCAA and theย hike up Table Mountain, we explored as much of the city as we could. Here’s a roundup of some other recommended places, the top Cape Town attractions. If you’re planning to visit South Africa for the first time, here’s a list of what to know before you go.

About Cape Town

Located on South Africa’s southwest coast, Cape Town is the capital of the country and its oldest city. The city is beautiful and offers opportunities for outdoor adventure, world class food, museums and more. It’s also conveniently located to The Garden Route and an excellent safari. Read on for some of the top things to do in the city itself.

V&A Waterfront: Top Cape Town Attractions

The V&A is an outdoor shopping mall and is very touristy, with a lot of shops and restaurants. There is a good variety of restaurants, and nice views of the harbour and the mountains. We had good service at the V&A restaurants.

V&A Waterfront Cape Town
V&A Waterfront at night.
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Cape Town Tourist Attraction: MOCAA

We went to one of the most amazing museums when we were in South Africa. The brand new Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) is a marvel in architectural repurposing and houses incredible 21st century art. I highly recommend visiting MOCAA in Cape Town.

About MOCAA

Located in the city’s V&A Waterfront neighborhood, the new modern art museum is in a converted grain silo near the harbour. They spent a lot of money redesigning this building! Money well spent. The formerly all concrete tubes now are full of windows and the result is a stunning exterior. At first glance, you think the best thing about MOCAA may be the building, but it’s just as impressive inside.

Interior MOCAA in Cape Town
Inside MOCAA, Cape Town

Mocaa’s art

We were very moved by the art collection, which is all from this century and from all over the African continent. As you can imagine, as a modern art museum representing so many different countries, there is a lot of very diverse art to see on the nine floors.

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Cape Town: A Hike up Table Mountain

Cape Town is a beautiful city, located on the shore of Table Bay, and dominated by Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head. Since we arrived in Cape Town, we knew we wanted to climb Table Mountain. It’s a Cape Town landmark, and even has cable cars to bring the more sedentary to the peak and back. Here’s what it was like to hike up Table Mountain.

Best Day to Hike

We stayed in Cape Town for 4 days and based on weather forecasts and our schedule, the best day to hike to the top of Table Mountain was New Year’s Day.

We had a couple days of cloudy skies, and since we wanted views, we waited for a clear day. And New Year’s Day delivered with the weather, so we started the New Year with an early morning walk up Table Mountain.

Table Mountain hike
Brian at the sign marking the start of our hike
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Walking Around Cape Town: Bo-Kaap Tour

When I go to a new city, I like to get acclimated to the place through a guided tour. Bike tours are scarce in Cape Town, probably because of all the hills, but we found good guided tours through Cape Town Free Walking Tours. They offer three walking tour options at different times of day. One of the best things to do in Cape Town is visit Bo-Kaap, so on our first day we did the tour!

Bo-Kaap Overview
walking tour of Bo-Kaap
Photo taken on the Bo-Kaap walking tour
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