WORLD CUP VENUE CAPE TOWN |
Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa. It has a huge historical importance and cosmopolitan cultural diversity. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Often regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography, Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism.
The city has immense diversity and the Bo-Kaap ('Upper Cape') - or the Malay Quarter - is a case in point. Populated by descendants of the city's 17th- and 18th-century Muslim slaves, this cobblestoned neighbourhood has a quaint vibe and small-town charm - despite being smack-bang in the City Centre. Pop into the Bo-Kaap Museum (71 Wale Street, +27214813939, www.museums.org.za/bokaap) for a glimpse into this uniquely Capetonian community.
Standing in the green forests on the slopes of Table Mountain, it's hard to believe you're only a few miles from the heart of the city. And as you stroll down St George's Mall, among the throng of businessmen and labourers, surrounded by the sounds of marimba drums, gum-boot dancers and the occasional manic street preacher, you would wonder whether Cape Town is taking a holiday or is at work.
Cape Town is the most popular tourist destination in South Africa due to its good climate, natural setting, and relatively well-developed infrastructure.The city has several well-known natural features that attract tourists, most notably Table Mountain,which forms a large part of the Table Mountain National Park and is the back end of the City Bowl. Reaching the top of the mountain can be achieved either by hiking up, or by taking the Table Mountain Cableway. Cape Point is recognised as the dramatic headland at the end of the Cape Peninsula. Many tourists also drive along Chapman's Peak Drive, a narrow road that links Noordhoek with Hout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike up Signal Hill for closer views of the City Bowl and Table Mountain.
The award-winning Camps Bay and Clifton beaches, the gorgeous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (Rhodes Drive, +27217998800, www.nbi.ac.za) and the famous Winelands are all situated within an hour of the City Centre - the heart of the City Bowl - and the busy dockyards, where local fishermen bring home their catch of the day, occasionally hamming it up to the gawking tourists at the V&A Waterfront (Dock Road, Foreshore, +2721408 7600, www.waterfront.co.za).
Cape Town is a world crammed into City Bowl. It's an African city (step inside the Pan-African Market (76 Long Street, +27214242957), it's a European city (the caf? terraces on St George's Mall wouldn't be out of place in Brussels or Barcelona) and at the same time,it's a South African city.
Table Mountain
This is South Africa's most recognisable landmark, and you have to get on the top. While a broad network of hiking trails leads to the summit, the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (lower cable station, Tafelberg Road, www.tablemountain.net) operates most days - except when heavy clouds envelope the mountain.
Museum Mile
While exploring the City Bowl you'll find that exciting landmarks are located quite close to each other. This is especially true on Long Street and Museum Mile, the city's most rewarding stroll. Starting at the mountain end of the lush Company Gardens (Upper Adderley Street), you'll pass the following in the space of about a kilometre.
The South African Museum
25 Queen Victoria Street, +27214813800,
www.museums.org.za/sam
Planetarium
25 Queen Victoria Street, +27214813900
www.museums.org.za/planetarium
South African National Gallery
Government Avenue, Company Gardens, +2721 4674660,
www.museums.org.za/sang
The Houses of Parliament
Parliament Street, +27214033683
www.parliament.gov.za
St George's Cathedral
1 Wale Street,
www.stgeorgescathedral.com
Cultural History Museum and Slave Lodge
Corner of Wale and Adderley Streets, +27214608240
www.museums.org.za/slavelodge
The Waterfront and Robben Island
Cape Town is also called 'The Tavern of the Seas'.A single trip to the V&A Waterfront - with its shopping mall, restaurants, hotels marina and fascinating Two Oceans Aquarium (Dock Road, V&A Waterfront, +27214813823, www.aquarium.co.za) - is enough to explain how Cape Town earned this reputation.
The Waterfront is the departure point for one of Cape Town's never-miss activities: an exiting excursion via ferry to the former maximum-security prison on Robben Island. It was here the anti-apartheid icon and former president Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for more than two decades.
Hotels
For deluxe accommodation:
Mount Nelson
76 Orange Street, Gardens, +27214831000
www.mountnelsonhotel.orient-express.com
Rates: R3,460-R5,130
Offers colonial-style luxury and a VIP visitors' book.
Cape Grace
West Quay, V&A Waterfront, +27214107100
www.capegrace.com
Rates: R3,380-R4,400
Situated at the water's edge at the V&A Waterfront.
For more affordable accommodation:
City Lodge Waterfront
Corner Dock and Alfred Streets, +27214199450
www.citylodge.co.za
Rates: R450
Welgelegen Guest House
6 Stephen Street, Gardens, +27214262373
www.welgelegen.co.za
Rates: R900-R1,300
Backpacker lodges:
Castle Street Backpackers
57 Castle Street, +27214247524
www.castlestreet.co.za
Rates: R200
Long Street Backpackers
209 Long Street, +27214260615 or +27214231842
www.longstreetbackpackers.co.za
Rates: R90 per person
If you don't believe in long-term planning :
For last-minute bookings and good deals around town, go online and check out www.mtbeds.co.za or www.lastminute.co.za.
Restaurants & bars
The diversity of Cape Town's culture has produced a cosmopolitan mix of dining flavours with tastes of literally all regions in the world.
North Indian: Bukhara
32 Church Street, +27214240000)
Italian: Mario's
89 Main Road, Green Point +27214396644
Traditional: Cape Malay
Corner of Wale and Pentz Streets, Bo-Kaap, +27214230850.
Sophisticated dining can be enjoyed at 95 Keerom (95 Keerom Street, +27214220765) in the hub of the city's legal district (it's on the High Court's doorstep) while Madame Zingara (192 Loop Street, +27214262458) offers dishes with bold and brave combinations of ingredients. Long Street boasts a host of hip haunts, the trendiest of which is the Long Street Café (259 Long Street, +27214242464).
Traditional African fare is up at the Africa Café (108 Shortmarket Street, +27214220221).
If you are smoker feel at home as Cape Town offers a variety of stylish cigar lounges. Kennedy's (251 Long Street, +27214241212) is the oldest and probably the best while Raleigh's at Cape Town's new International Convention Centre (Arabella Sheraton Hotel, CTICC, Lower Long Street, +27214129999) is slick.
If you don't care much for the indoors, then you can enjoy Cape Town's gorgeous African sunshine. Make like the locals and enjoy brunch while indulging in some people watching under the umbrellas at any one of the city's cafés. Charming streetside cafés like Café Mozart (37 Church Street, +2721243774), Crush (100 St George's Mall, +27214225533) and Nino's Panini (Shop 6, 98 St George's Mall, +27214242569) offer great variety and tastes.
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