Things to do in Cape Town Central

Top Things to Do in Cape Town Central

Things to Do in Cape Town Central


Book these experiences for a close-up look at Cape Town Central.

From quick jaunts to full-day outings.

Top Attractions in Cape Town Central

These rankings are informed by traveller reviews—we consider the quality, quantity, recency, consistency of reviews, and the number of page views over time.
Marinas
The V&A Waterfront is a 123-hectare mixed-use destination, and one of Africa’s most visited cultural and historical hubs. Set on the edge of a natural, historic working harbour with the iconic Table Mountain as its backdrop, it offers local and international visitors a cosmopolitan mix of experiences ranging from leisure, shopping and exclusive entertainment. It also offers prime residential and commercial property. The prime positioning of the V&A Waterfront boasts sweeping views of the ocean, city bowl and mountain peaks. Up to 100 000 people visit every day during peak season. Contributing R259.1 billion in nominal terms to the South African economy over the last twelve years, the V&A Waterfront’s cumulative contribution to the provincial GGP since 2002 was over R227 billion. The property also reported a 19% increase in retail trade sales for 2014, marking four consecutive years of consistent growth since 2011. By end 2014, total visitor numbers to the property had grown to 24 million a year. Although the V&A Waterfront remains South Africa’s favourite attraction for international visitors, they account for only 23% of all visitors. Visits by locals increased to 63%, while 14% of visitors were from upcountry. With 22 official landmarks on-site, it is also part of South Africa’s historical legacy. Jointly owned by Growthpoint Properties Limited and the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), represented by the Public Investment Corporation Limited (PIC), the V&A Waterfront was developed in 1988 by the state-owned transport corporation, Transnet Limited, while official commercial trading commenced in November 1990.
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Other Top Attractions around Cape Town Central







*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

What travellers are saying

  • ramblingman46
    Manchester, UK91 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I arrived at 7:20am (with the sim to avoid the 1-2hr advertised queues)and was first in the queue. More people turned up before the first cable car at 8:00am.

    The cable car holds 64 people and has a rotating floor, so you get great panoramic views on the trip.

    I spent about 40 minutes at the top and there was only one other person in the cable car on the way down.

    This was a fantastic experience.
    Written 15 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • sambob52
    East Riding of Yorkshire, UK34 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful area to visit - plenty of shops to browse, plenty of restaurants (the best steak ever according to my other half) at the City Grill. Vibrant area with lots going on. Great during the day and at night. The tour boat trip was informative. The seal platforms are amazing could stand and watch them for hours.
    Written 16 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Pioneer742615
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Me and my partner visited CPT and booked this trip not knowing much about hiking… what can I say. It was absolutely fantastic. Our tour guide Kurt was extremely knowledgeable and kept us safe the entire way up the mountain.

    Breathing taking views we will never forget.

    One of our favourite memories of our trip here and high recommend to anyone thinking of doing this hike to go with Kurt!

    Great for older families, couples and single travellers who want to push themselves out their comfort zone.

    Thank you once again Kurt for this experience!
    Written 21 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Linda
    Kent, UK101 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A beautiful area, many walks available, areas to visit by car. Restaurant/cafe, toilet facilities, shop.Allow plenty of time to explore.
    Written 13 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Simon N
    London, UK130 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice aquarium around the V&A waterfront. The weather wasn't great in Cape Town, hence decided for an activity that was sheltered. The aquarium have a range of aquatic animals, along with specific activities during the day that is listed on a timetable as you enter. The most impressive display is the large tank which houses a range of sealife, the most impressive being a whale shark!

    Though the aquarium is nice, it was a bit smaller than I had anticipated so we were pretty much done within an hour and a bit surprised when we had reached the end. However, it is still a great place to visit especially when the weather isn't too great!
    Written 9 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jim W
    Sindelfingen, Germany2 930 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    My wife and I began our South African adventure with a trip to Signal Hill to just get a taste of all the beauty in store for us. From there you can easily see Table Mountain which we will see shortly. For now, just take it in bit by bit.
    Written 3 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Christina O
    21 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Super interesting guided tour of the Diamond Museum including a visit to the Shimansky showroom. Every tour is private and our guide Aloma was very knowledgable and welcoming. Definitely worth a visit!
    Written 10 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Peter Frater
    Deal, UK48 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An amazing insight to the anti-apartheid movement and well worth doing. Extremely educational. However there appears to be no attempt to keep to schedules. They are very strict in their information about the time you must be there but they are much more laid-back about their delivery. We booked the 3pm tour which eventually left at 3.50pm. Instead of returning at about 6.30 it therefore docked at 7.30pm. Some customers did not wait for the tour as they feared they would get back too late to get to the airport for their flight home and several others complained they had missed their dinner reservations. We had to reschedule our 8pm dinner reservation to 8.30. The following day I sat in the harbour and watched the ferry depart about 30 minutes later than scheduled, so clearly not a one-off. It shouldn’t be that difficult to keep to a timetable. It’s a worthwhile experience but spoilt by the casual approach to timing.
    Written 8 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Moitravel76
    San Diego, CA174 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing beach. Water is cold but beautiful and nice sand. I went to the second one. Thousands steps to get the beach but worth the effort
    Written 20 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Tita Elvie
    Canada102 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you visit Cape Town, you need to visit this museum. It is truly important to know about Apartheid and how it has impacted South Africa. The museum is well done and make sure to arrive at a time where you can take the tour. The tour made the experience significantly better.
    Written 10 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Patty B
    Nashville, TN1 472 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    I mentioned this area to our tour guide and she said it was on our way back from Table Mountain. She was happy to take us. As we drove through this very interesting area she told us about the history of the colors of the houses. It really was pretty and worthwhile.
    Written 4 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • BindyBoo1
    70 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Went to Hout Bay , mainly to go to the lovely market they have there. Had a great time and spent way to much money but everything was so lovely. Afterwards went to the fish takeaway and got fried chips and chips , wow it was amazing , very tasty and decent size portions.
    Written 15 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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