Cape Town from above with NAC Helicopters
What constitutes a perfect weekend in the Mother City you may ask? There are endless options we could give, some may even include just two words: beach and nothing. It’s truly is one of the cities where you can do as little or as much as your heart desires and end up happy in a breathtaking place.
Given that summer is basically here, here’s a few of our suggestions of how to best spend your weekend in our spectacular peninsula:
To book your accommodation in Cape Town this weekend visit SA-Venues.com
1. Beach hop the False Bay coastline
Whilst my teenage and university years saw me lounging on the Atlantic Seaboard beaches, my late twenties saw me falling in love with the beaches of False Bay for so many reasons. Muizenberg is great for surfing especially for an evergreen beginner like me, St. James is the perfect beach when with a baby- the gentle tidal pool and colourful beach huts and of course the catwalk which will take you and your pram from Muizies all the way to Dangers.
You can carry on visiting a new beach every few minutes you drive- Fishhoek for swimming and rock pool exploration, Boulders for penguin visits and cool swims and Long Beach in Simonstown for driving and family days.
Fish Hoek Beach. Image: Rob Bristow
St James Beach. Image By: Randall Langenhoven
Simon’s Town from Elsies Peak. Image: Jenny Hallward
Boulders Beach. Image By: David Burstein
Muizenberg Beach Huts at dawn: Image by Randall Langenhoven
2. Hike Lion’s Head.
While Table Mountain National Park offers a plethora of hiking routes to choose from, I do believe Lion’s Head is one of the more chilled routes yielding the most mind-blowing of views. It’s a pretty gentle hike but does ask for a relative fitness level and once you reach the top, you can spend a balmy summer’s evening watching the sun sink over the Atlantic Seaboard and watch the light leave the slopes of Table Mountain.
Hiking up Lion’s Head.
Vaughan hiking up, Seapoint down below.
Catching the sunlight.
So Long sun!
3. Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay.
Cape Town is become such a haven for artisan and foodies markets but one of my favourites is the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay. Even if you’re looking for fish and chips, Fish on the Rocks is right outside. But if you’re there for artwork, handmade jewellery, crafts and clothing- this is the place for you. Even better is that they have live music at certain times and you can find any delicious meal your heart desires. Buy coffee, sweet treats, curry, burgers, beer and more.
4. Winelands Meandering.
You just can’t come to Cape Town without visiting our world class vineyards. There are great routes such as the Constantia Wine Route, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and more. A more adventurous way to go wine tasting is to bicycle through the vineyards or simply hop on the wine tram in Franschhoek.
Vineyard in a glass. Photo Credit: Neville Nel- Flickr.
4. Kalk Bay Dining.
Ok so yes all of our choices are pretty much Southern Peninsula side but I pretty much think Kalk Bay is one of the best parts of the city. It’s a quirky little seaside neighbourhood full of antique shops, markets, clothing and craft co-ops and a harbour to boot. Photographers, food connoisseurs, coffee lovers and discerning shoppers will all enjoy it’s offerings.
Plus when it comes to romantic dinners or cocktail evenings, Cape to Cuba and Harbour House both provide the perfect setting: an alluring mix of ocean, fireplaces and great food.
Kalk Bay Harbour. Image By: Wesley Nitsckie.
Family vibes at St James Beach
There are, of course, a hundred other ways to enjoy the perfect weekend in Cape Town. We’ve just a listed a really small sampling of some of our favourite things to do above.
Have you got any things that you like to see included above?