Cape Town Travel Guide
Where to Stay in Cape Town
The V&A Waterfront, the City Bowl, the Atlantic seaboard, Constantia and the Winelands compared honestly, with the hotel we would book in each and how to split a stay.
Cape Town is spread around a mountain, and where you stay shapes your trip more than in most cities. The distances are not huge, but traffic, the shape of the peninsula and the need to use cars or ride-hailing at night mean that a good base saves hours. The main choice is between the harbour, the city and the beaches, with the wine country as a second stop. Here is how the areas compare.
The V&A Waterfront: best for first-timers and families. The Waterfront is the easiest place in the city to stay. It is safe, walkable day and night, and full of restaurants, markets and attractions, with the Robben Island ferry, the Two Oceans Aquarium and Zeitz MOCAA on the doorstep and Table Mountain filling the view. The Silo District at its western end is the most stylish corner, with the city's most dramatic hotel and a sensible-priced alternative next door. The drawbacks: it is a managed, commercial district rather than a neighbourhood with local character, prices for meals are higher than elsewhere, and the beaches and the mountain need a car or ride-hailing. Our picks: The Silo Hotel for a once-in-a-lifetime stay above Zeitz MOCAA, and Radisson RED for a rooftop pool facing the mountain at a mid-range price, with family rooms.
The City Bowl: best for culture, food and character. The City Bowl is the amphitheatre of streets between Table Mountain, Lion's Head, Signal Hill and the harbour. It includes the central business district, with Greenmarket Square, the Company's Garden, the museums and the Castle; the Bo-Kaap on the slopes of Signal Hill; and the leafy residential neighbourhoods of Gardens, Tamboerskloof and Oranjezicht, where Kloof Street and Bree Street are lined with restaurants, cafes and bars. It is the best area for eating out and for walking to cultural sights, and it is close to the cableway and Lion's Head. The drawbacks: some streets in the city centre are quiet and less safe after dark, so ride-hailing is wise at night, and you need transport for the beaches. Our pick: the Mount Nelson in Gardens, a pink grande dame in acres of gardens below the mountain, with two heated pools and the famous afternoon tea, a walk from the Company's Garden and Kloof Street.
The Atlantic seaboard: best for beaches and sunsets. The coast west of the mountain runs from Green Point and Sea Point, with their long seafront promenade and apartment blocks, through the tiny coves of Clifton and the palm-lined beach of Camps Bay to the wild coast road beneath the Twelve Apostles. This is the glamorous, sun-soaked side of Cape Town, sheltered from the summer south-easter, with spectacular sunsets over the ocean and beach bars and restaurants along the Camps Bay strip. Sea Point is the most practical and affordable, with good transport and a lively mix of restaurants; Camps Bay and Clifton are pricier and more seasonal. The drawbacks: the water is cold, the area is very busy in December and January, and Camps Bay can feel like a resort rather than a city. Our pick: The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, on the coast road just beyond Camps Bay, for an ocean-view room between the sea and the mountains, a spa with gazebos on the slopes and the most romantic setting in the city.
Constantia and the southern suburbs: best for wine, gardens and calm. Behind the mountain to the south lie the green southern suburbs, including Newlands, with Kirstenbosch on its slopes, and Constantia, the oldest wine region in South Africa, a valley of historic estates, oak avenues and vineyards. It is quiet, safe and beautiful, with excellent estate restaurants, and it is well placed for the drive down the peninsula to Boulders and Cape Point and for the False Bay beaches at Muizenberg and Kalk Bay. The drawbacks: you need a car, and the city centre and Waterfront are twenty-five minutes or more away, longer in traffic. Our pick: Steenberg Hotel and Spa, on the oldest farm in the valley, with a golf course, a spa and Bistro Sixteen82 among the vines.
The Winelands: best for a second base. Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, forty-five minutes to an hour and a quarter from the city, deserve at least a night or two of their own. Stellenbosch is a historic university town with oak-lined streets and more than a hundred and fifty wine farms around it; Franschhoek is a smaller, prettier village in a valley ringed by mountains, known for food and the wine tram. Staying among the vines lets you enjoy estate lunches and tastings without driving back to the city, and the evenings are wonderfully peaceful. Our picks: Lanzerac Hotel and Spa, a Cape Dutch estate at the mouth of the Jonkershoek Valley five minutes from Stellenbosch, and La Residence, a private, art-filled estate in the Franschhoek valley with vineyard suites and plunge pools.
False Bay: for a different side of the city. The towns along False Bay, from Muizenberg with its colourful beach huts and surf school beaches to bohemian Kalk Bay with its fishing harbour and antique shops, and Simon's Town with its naval history and the Boulders penguins, offer warmer water and a slower, local atmosphere. They suit a few nights at the end of a trip or travellers who want to surf, swim and eat fish by the harbour. We will add hotels here in a future update.
How to split a stay. For four or five nights, base yourself at the Waterfront or in the City Bowl, and do the peninsula and the Winelands as day trips. For a week, consider three or four nights in the city or on the Atlantic seaboard, then two or three in the Winelands or Constantia. Honeymooners often pair The Silo Hotel with La Residence, which share the same owners and style. Families do well at the Waterfront for its safety and walkability, or in a villa-style stay in Constantia or the Winelands with a pool.
Booking tips. December and January are the peak of the peak, with high prices and minimum stays at many hotels, especially over Christmas and New Year; book months ahead. Late February to April, when the weather is still warm and the wind has dropped, is better value and often the best time of year. Winter, from June to August, brings low rates, rain and green landscapes. Wherever you stay, ask about parking if you are renting a car, and check whether rooms face the mountain or the sea — in Cape Town, the view is often the difference between a good room and an unforgettable one.