Cape Town Holidays

Cape Town is one of those places that genuinely lives up to the hype, a city wedged between the Atlantic and the flat top of Table Mountain where you can hike a mountain, hang out with penguins, and catch a sunset over the ocean all in a single day.

🎉 Holidays to Cape Town 2026

• ☀️ Weather – Cape Town enjoys a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers (November–March) averaging 25-27°C and mild, wetter winters (May–August) around 15-18°C. When it's winter back home that's when it's Cape Town's summer – perfect timing for sunshine when you need it most.

• 💷 Prices – Your money goes a long way here. A pint of local beer is around R50 (£2.20/€2.60 ), a meal at a decent restaurant R150-250 (£6.50-11/€7.50-13 ), and even fine dining is a fraction of prices back home.

• 🐧 Fun Fact – Boulders Beach is home to a colony of over 2,000 African penguins. You can swim alongside them (yes, really) or just watch them waddle about from the boardwalks. It's every bit as brilliant as it sounds.

🏔️ Cape Town Highlights

• Table Mountain - The flat-topped icon you've seen a thousand times on screen, and it's even better in person. The rotating cable car takes you up in five minutes.

• Boulders Beach penguins - A colony of over 2,000 African penguins living their best lives on a sheltered cove in Simon's Town. You can swim right alongside them, and yes, it's as good as it sounds.

• World-class wine country - Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and the Constantia Valley are all within easy day-trip distance. Some of the best wine estates in the southern hemisphere, at prices that would make a European vineyard blush.

• V&A Waterfront - A huge harbourfront precinct with restaurants, shops, the Two Oceans Aquarium, and the Zeitz MOCAA contemporary art museum all sitting under the shadow of Table Mountain.

• Robben Island - The UNESCO World Heritage Site where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. The ferry trip and guided tour are genuinely moving, led by former political prisoners who tell the story first-hand.

• Camps Bay and the Atlantic Seaboard - A string of white-sand beaches backed by the Twelve Apostles mountain range, with sunset views that have single-handedly sold a million Cape Town holidays. Camps Bay is the headline, but the whole seaboard is stunning.

Cape Town is perfect for you if...

• You want a long-haul holiday where your money goes embarrassingly far (a three-course dinner for two with wine for under £36 / €42? Yes, really)

• You've always wanted to see penguins in the wild but don't fancy the whole Antarctica commitment

• You're the type who wants a beach day AND a wine tour AND a mountain hike in the same trip (Cape Town genuinely does all three)

• You want a winter sun destination where the seasons are flipped, so you're getting proper summer while everyone back home is in coats

• You like a city with serious food credentials but without the London or Paris price tag attached

🏨 Cape Town Hotels

Cape Town has accommodation to suit every vibe, from beachfront glamour to city centre pads with Table Mountain views. Browse our full range of Cape Town hotels or check out our top picks below...

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best family hotels in Cape Town?

• Cape Royale Luxury Hotel. Spacious self-catering suites in Green Point with a rooftop pool and braai area, five minutes from the V&A Waterfront. The apartment-style setup works brilliantly for families who want space to spread out and the option to cook.

• President Hotel. Right on the Sea Point promenade with a pool overlooking the ocean and easy walking distance to playgrounds, ice cream shops, and the rock pools the kids will spend all day in.

• Southern Sun Cape Town Waterfront. A reliable, well-positioned family pick within walking distance of the V&A Waterfront, the Two Oceans Aquarium, and the Hop-On Hop-Off bus stop. Good-sized family rooms and a pool.

💑 What are the best hotels in Cape Town for couples?

• The Bay Hotel. Beachfront in Camps Bay with sunset views over the Atlantic that are worth the trip alone. The poolside terrace and cocktail bar are the kind of place you'll sit for hours without meaning to.

• Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront. Modern and slick on the Waterfront with harbour views, a rooftop pool, and easy access to restaurants and the MOCAA gallery. A strong base for couples who want culture and dining on the doorstep.

• Hippo Boutique Hotel. A smaller, more personal option in the City Bowl with just 16 rooms, a courtyard pool, and a neighbourhood feel. Walking distance to Kloof Street's restaurants and bars.

✨ What are the best luxury hotels in Cape Town?

• Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. The Pink Lady. Cape Town's most iconic hotel, set in six acres of manicured gardens at the foot of Table Mountain. It's been hosting guests since 1899, and the afternoon tea on the terrace is practically a Cape Town institution. Consistently one of the best-reviewed hotels in the city.

• The Table Bay Hotel. A Sun International flagship right on the V&A Waterfront with Table Mountain framed in the lobby windows. Full-service luxury with a spa, pool, and the kind of service where they remember your name by day two.

• Hyatt Regency Cape Town. A polished five-star right in the city centre with rooftop views of Table Mountain and Lion's Head. The pool deck is a sun trap, and it's a short walk to the Company's Garden and Parliament.

🎉 What are the best hotels in Cape Town for groups?

• Waterfront Village. Self-catering apartments and townhouses on the V&A Waterfront, some with multiple bedrooms. The setup is ideal for groups who want their own space, their own kitchen, and a shared pool without the hotel formality.

• Lawhill Luxury Apartments. Another strong self-catering option on the Waterfront with one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. Fully equipped kitchens, a pool, and you can walk to everything the Waterfront has to offer.

• Cape Town Lodge Hotel. A good-value city-centre hotel with a rooftop pool and braai area that works well for groups on a budget. Close to Long Street and Bree Street for nightlife, and a short Uber to the Waterfront.

💰 What are the best value hotels in Cape Town?

• Holiday Inn Express Cape Town City Centre. Clean, central, and no-fuss. Exactly what you need if the plan is to be out exploring all day and you just want a comfortable bed and a good breakfast to come back to.

• Strand Tower. A city-centre high-rise with panoramic views from the upper floors and a rooftop pool. Great value for the location, within walking distance of the V&A Waterfront and the City Bowl.

• never@home Cape Town. A social, hostel-meets-hotel in Green Point with private rooms, shared kitchens, and a communal vibe that works for solo travellers and groups on a budget. Close to the stadium and Green Point Park.

👉 Cape Town hotels

🏖️ Cape Town Beaches

Cape Town's got beaches for every mood – from glamorous sundowner strips to secluded coves and family-friendly surf spots. Fair warning: the Atlantic side is beautiful but properly cold (we're talking 12-16°C), while False Bay on the eastern side is a few degrees warmer.

• Camps Bay - The headline beach and the one you've seen on every Cape Town travel post. A long curve of white sand backed by palm trees and the Twelve Apostles mountain range, with a strip of restaurants and bars right across the road. The water is cold (Atlantic current, you've been warned) but the setting is unbeatable.

• Clifton Beaches - Four sheltered coves numbered 1 to 4, separated by granite boulders. Third Beach is the social one, Fourth Beach is the family-friendly one, and Second Beach is popular with the LGBTQ+ community. The boulders block the wind, which is a genuine selling point in Cape Town.

• Muizenberg - The best surf beach in Cape Town, with gentle waves perfect for beginners and those famous rainbow-painted beach huts that look incredible in every photo. The water here is warmer (False Bay side), so if you actually want to swim without gasping, this is your spot.

• Boulders Beach - Home to over 2,000 African penguins. You can swim in the sheltered cove alongside them, which is surreal and wonderful in equal measure. The boardwalks let you get close without disturbing the colony.

• Llandudno - A wild, secluded cove surrounded by massive granite boulders, with no shops, no restaurants, and no facilities. That's the point. Bring a cooler box and a book, and settle in. Popular with surfers, and the sunsets are extraordinary.

All-inclusive holidays in Cape Town

Cape Town's all-inclusive scene is different from the Caribbean model. There are no wristband mega-resorts here. Instead, what you get is luxury and boutique hotels offering generous full-board and half-board packages where breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the rate. Given how far the Rand stretches, even the non-inclusive hotels feel like a bargain when you're eating out, but if you want everything wrapped up in one price, there are strong options.

The appeal of going all-inclusive in Cape Town is simplicity: you land, you check in, and every meal is sorted. That frees up the holiday fund for the extras, the wine tours, the Table Mountain cable car, the day trips down the peninsula, without worrying about the restaurant bill on top.

What are the best all-inclusive hotels in Cape Town for families?

• Cape Royale Luxury Hotel. Self-catering suites with full kitchens in Green Point, so every meal is covered on your own terms. The rooftop pool and braai area give families the run of the place without the restaurant-every-night expense.

• Southern Sun Cape Town Waterfront. A well-positioned family hotel near the V&A Waterfront with meal-inclusive package options. Close to the Two Oceans Aquarium and the Hop-On Hop-Off bus, so the kids' entertainment is sorted too.

What are the best all-inclusive hotels in Cape Town for couples?

• Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. The Pink Lady offers full-board packages that include breakfast on the terrace, lunch in the garden, and dinner at the Planet Restaurant with live piano. When the hotel itself is one of Cape Town's top attractions, you don't need to leave.

• The Table Bay Hotel. A luxury Waterfront hotel with half-board and full-board options. The in-house restaurants cover everything from buffet breakfasts with mountain views to fine-dining dinners, and the spa rounds out a day where you haven't needed to leave the building.

Cape Town Travel Guide 2026/2027

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best things to do on a Cape Town family holiday?

• Table Mountain Cable Car - The rotating cable car takes you to the top in five minutes, and the views from the summit are the kind the whole family remembers. There are easy walking trails at the top, and younger kids love the dassies (rock hyraxes) that sun themselves on the rocks.

• Boulders Beach penguin colony - Swimming next to wild African penguins is the thing the kids will tell everyone about when they get home. The boardwalks around the colony are pushchair-friendly, and the sheltered beach is warm enough for a proper swim.

• Two Oceans Aquarium - Right on the V&A Waterfront, with touch pools, a kelp forest exhibit, and enough marine life to keep the family busy for a full morning. The predator exhibit with ragged-tooth sharks is the showstopper.

• Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden - One of the great botanical gardens of the world, set against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. The Tree Canopy Walkway (the "Boomslang") is brilliant for kids, and there are picnic lawns where you can spread out for the afternoon.

• Muizenberg surf lessons - The gentle, warm waves at Muizenberg are ideal for first-timers. The surf schools along the beachfront are well-run and used to working with kids, and the colourful beach huts make the whole scene feel like a postcard.

💑 What are the best things to do for couples on a Cape Town holiday?

• Cape Winelands day trip - Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Constantia are all within an hour's drive. Wine tastings, long lunches in vineyard restaurants, and scenery that makes you want to move here permanently. Book a driver so you can both enjoy the tastings properly.

• Sunset at Camps Bay - Find a spot at one of the beachfront bars, order something cold, and watch the sun drop behind the Atlantic. It's the most reliably stunning sunset you'll see on any holiday, and it happens every single evening.

• Lion's Head sunrise hike - A two-hour round trip to the top with 360-degree views of the city, Table Mountain, and the ocean. The sunrise version means you beat the heat and get the mountain almost to yourself. Bring a flask of coffee and something to sit on.

• Bo-Kaap - The colourful houses of the Cape Malay Quarter are one of Cape Town's most photographed spots. Take a cooking class in Cape Malay cuisine, wander the cobbled streets, and learn about one of the city's oldest and most distinctive communities.

• Zeitz MOCAA - Africa's largest museum of contemporary art, housed in a converted grain silo on the V&A Waterfront. The architecture alone is worth the visit (the carved-out concrete tubes are something else), and the collection showcases African artists you won't see anywhere else.

🎉 What are the top things to do for groups on a Cape Town holiday?

• Hike Table Mountain - The Platteklip Gorge route takes about 2.5 hours up and rewards you with views that genuinely make you stop talking. Cable car down. Bring water, sunscreen, and someone in the group who's good at taking photos.

• Cape Peninsula road trip - Hire a car and do the full loop: Chapman's Peak Drive (one of the most scenic coastal roads in the world), Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope, then back via Simon's Town for fish and chips. It's a full day and worth every minute.

• Long Street and Bree Street - Cape Town's two main going-out streets, side by side. Long Street is the rowdier, more backpacker-energy strip with late-night bars and live music. Bree Street is the trendier, cocktail-and-small-plates end. Between them, you've got a full night sorted.

• Shark cage diving - Gansbaai is about two hours from Cape Town and is one of the best spots in the world for great white shark encounters. The boat trip, the cage, and the adrenaline spike when the first shark appears is a group experience nobody forgets.

• Wine tour with a driver - Round up the group, book a private driver, and spend the day in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek tasting your way through some of the best wine estates in the southern hemisphere. Most estates do cheese and charcuterie pairings that turn a tasting into a proper afternoon.

🏘️ Cape Town Neighbourhoods - Where to stay

Cape Town is spread out, so where you stay shapes your holiday experience. Here's the lowdown on the main areas:

• 🏙️ City Bowl – The central hub nestled between Table Mountain and the harbour. This is where you'll find the business district, trendy Bree Street restaurants, the colourful Bo-Kaap, and easy access to the V&A Waterfront. Buzzy, convenient, and a solid base for first-timers on a Cape Town city break. Hotels here put you within walking distance of everything.

• 🛥️ V&A Waterfront – Cape Town's glossy harbour precinct with hotels, restaurants, shops, and the departure point for Robben Island ferries. It's touristy but undeniably convenient, with Table Mountain views and plenty to do on your doorstep. Great for families and anyone who wants everything in one place.

• 🏖️ Camps Bay – The glamorous beach strip backed by the Twelve Apostles mountain range. Palm trees, white sand, turquoise water, and a strip of restaurants and bars that come alive at sunset. It's where the beautiful people hang out, and the sundowner scene is unbeatable. Hotels here are pricier but you're paying for that beachfront location.

• 🌊 Sea Point – A more local neighbourhood along the Atlantic Seaboard, famous for its promenade – perfect for morning runs, sunset walks, and people-watching. It's got a mix of apartment blocks, boutique hotels, and excellent restaurants. Slightly more affordable than Camps Bay with a proper neighbourhood feel.

• 🍷 Constantia – Cape Town's leafy wine valley, home to South Africa's oldest wine estates. It's quieter and more residential, with beautiful boutique hotels, excellent restaurants, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden nearby. Great for couples who want a more relaxed base with wine tasting on the doorstep.

🗣️ Local Lingo for Your Cape Town Holidays

Cape Town is one of those cities where three languages bump into each other on the same street. English is spoken everywhere, but Afrikaans and Xhosa are the other big two, and a smattering of local slang will earn you instant goodwill. Nobody expects you to be fluent, just willing.

• Howzit, HOW-zit, How are you? / Hello (the universal South African greeting, used everywhere, all the time)

• Dankie, DUN-key, Thank you (Afrikaans, and the one word that gets you the biggest smile)

• Enkosi, en-KOH-see, Thank you (Xhosa, for when you want to mix it up)

• Molo, MOH-loh, Hello (Xhosa greeting for one person)

• Lekker, LECK-er, Nice / great / delicious (the Swiss Army knife of South African words, applies to everything from food to weather to people)

• Braai, BRY (rhymes with "cry"), Barbecue (but never call it a barbecue, it's a braai, and it's a way of life)

• Jol, JOLL, A party or a good time (as in "let's go for a jol tonight")

• Ja nee, YAH-nee, Yes no (means "yes, definitely" or "I agree" despite containing both yes and no, just go with it)

🌍 More South Africa Holidays

Cape Town Areas

• 🏖️ Camps Bay - Cape Town's glamorous beachfront strip backed by the Twelve Apostles mountains. Palm trees, white sand, and the best sundowner scene in the city.

• 🌊 Sea Point - A buzzing Atlantic Seaboard neighbourhood with a famous promenade, ocean pool, and a proper local feel. Great restaurants and more affordable than Camps Bay.

• 🍷 Constantia - Cape Town's leafy wine valley with South Africa's oldest estates. Quiet, green, and close to Kirstenbosch. Brilliant for couples.

• 🏙️ City Bowl - The central hub between Table Mountain and the harbour. Trendy restaurants, colourful Bo-Kaap, and easy access to everything.

• 🌿 Newlands - A leafy southern suburb near Kirstenbosch with a chilled-out vibe and mountain views. Cricket and rugby at the famous Newlands grounds.

Other South Africa Destinations

• 🇿🇦 South Africa - Explore beyond Cape Town. Johannesburg, the Garden Route, Kruger National Park, and the KwaZulu-Natal coast are all on On the Beach.