Seven days in the Mother City: No tour guides, just our family and a rental car in Cape Town |
Here it is: the real-life low-down on our family holiday to Cape Town. We did this trip in August 2024, booked everything ourselves from the UK, and hired a rental car in South Africa. This article gives you tips on our Cape Town family itinerary: how to book, what to do, and where to stay.
I’m not selling your a tour itinerary here; I’m just telling you what we did independently for our own family. Hopefully it helps you plan your own adventure!
Written by Beth
This is a Cape Town-focused article from the longer Cape Town and Zimbabwe self-drive itinerary.
Why Cape Town?
My husband and I love Cape Town because we spent our university years there. We hadn’t been back since 2007 though, so we were apprehensive to see if it had changed. (Spoiler: it was still as beautiful as we remembered.) We were excited to be returning with our kids, especially as the older ones could see the places that have special memories for their mom and dad.
Sections in this guide
(Click to jump to the headings)
How we booked our Cape Town holiday
We’re familiar with travelling to and around Africa, so we booked our entire holiday independently. We booked our flights directly on the airline websites (more in Transport details below). We booked and paid for our accommodation in advance with the villa company. Same goes for car hire. I used a Google Sheets spreadsheet to keep track of the bookings.
It all worked smoothly when we got to Africa, and I had printed a list of the booking reference numbers, email addresses and WhatsApp numbers of each provider (from my spreadsheet), so that I could get in touch with the right person if should anything go wrong. My templates are all available for purchase in the Ultimate Trip Planning Kit.
What time of year did we visit Cape Town?
We have children, so were restricted by school holidays plus work commitments. The combination of the two meant we could only travel during one month: August.
As you know, August is the end of the winter season in southern Africa, and might not be everyone’s first pick to be spending thousands of Mula on a family vacation. However, we were glad we did it.
Cape Town in August can be drizzly and cold on some days (and Table Mountain access was closed), but we still had a blast. A big plus was that we avoided the crowds at this time of year. If you’re going to Cape Town in August, read my detailed tips on Visiting Cape Town between June and August to understand the pros and cons.
Cape Town family itinerary day-by-day
Day 1: Fly to Cape Town
- Flight: Evening. Overnight flight from the UK. Our British Airways flight departed London 22:25. I would have preferred to depart a couple of hours earlier due to the kids bed times, but it was still fine. I’ll write a review of this flight and post it here later. You technically don’t have to count this day in your itinerary, but I have, so onwards we go.
- We didn’t need visas to enter South Africa.
Day 2: Cape Town Arrival and Camps Bay
- Our overnight flight from London arrived at 11:00. It took us about 1.5 hours for us to get through passport control and locate luggage before we were able to collect our hire care.
- Transport: We hired a car. Collecting our hire car from the airport was a dream: the staff were so friendly and efficient. A hundred times better than any car hire experience we’ve had in Europe! We had brought our own car seats for the kids in our hold luggage allowance. Uber is also a good way to get around Cape Town.
- Top tip: If you’re self-driving in Cape Town, download a Google Maps offline section of the area, including Simonstown, to your phone before your holiday.
- Accommodation and location: We chose to stay in a self-catering serviced apartment in Camps Bay
- We chose Camps Bay because it has some of the best sea views in Cape Town, with beaches, restaurants and shops on our doorstep.
- We booked accommodation with a Cape Town Villa website, from the UK. The apartment was cleaned every day and there was security on site as well as a backup generator in case of power load shedding. There was also a responsive management team who we could Whatsapp if we had any questions. We were really pleased with our beachfront nest!
- Top tips: One thing you need to know about Camps Bay: They don’t sell alcohol in the supermarkets. You can get alcohol in bars and restaurants in Camps Bay. You can also buy it in supermarkets in other areas of Cape Town.
- Camps Bay is prime tourist area, but there are also some homeless people nearby. The reality is that there are complex historical and economic forces still at play. If you’d like to help poorer people in South Africa, don’t dish out cash on the streets but look for an official charity who has the infrastructure to change lives in a meaningful way. All countries have their problems, and tourism brings in a huge amount of income for those who need it in South Africa.
- Having said that, the quality of life for tourists is excellent: top-notch food, well-built amenities, and superb weather.
- Do: Take the rest of the day to settle in.
- Don’t miss Maiden’s Cove viewpoint, which has perhaps the most instagrammable view in Cape Town. We drove there even though it’s not far to walk.
- Head to one of the restaurants nearby.
- We loved Mozambik restaurant because it was family-friendly, affordable, and we’re addicted to Mozambique-style prawns and the other Afro-Porto fusion dishes.
Day 3: Two Oceans Aquarium and V&A Waterfront
- Morning: Visit the Two Oceans Aquarium to be there for opening at 9.30.
- We didn’t book online, we just turned up (but we went in low season).
- We drove and parked there near the aquarium, which is very close to the V&A Waterfront.
- It also has a play area which is much needed for smaller kids.
- We spent 2-3 hours in the Aquarium. Afterwards, don’t forget to visit the seals outside, near Bootlegger Coffee.
- Something to note: Many attractions have lower prices for South African or African citizens, and higher prices for overseas visitors.
- Lunch and afternoon: From the aquarium, walk from the aquarium through The Watershed (browsing the vibrant market-style shops) to the main area of The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.
- Explore! We had meals at Santa Ana Spur (kid-friendly, including a soft play) and Life Grand Cafe (more upmarket, near the water’s edge). Check out the website for the V&A first, because there are live events, museums, boat trips to Robben Island and so much more. There are enormous yellow picture frames around Cape Town’s most famous sights, and you’ll find two of them here at the Waterfront. If you can’t make it to Robben Island, there’s a statue of Nelson Mandela at the Waterfront for visitors to acknowledge the great man.
- At the Waterfront, there are playgrounds for kids in front of Ocean Basket, by the Clock Tower, and in front of Woolworths.
Day 4: Cape Town Adderley Street and Table Mountain/Signal Hill
- Morning: Visit Bo-Kaap (Cape Malay Quarter). Walk around this colourful district, taking in the Bo-Kaap Museum, Rose Street, Wale Street, Marco’s African Place, and more. Just Google ‘Bo-Kaap Guide’ for more tips.
- Afternoon and early evening: Either go up Table Mountain or Signal Hill. Check the Table Mountain website beforehand, because the cable car doesn’t operate in bad weather – in this case, visit Signal Hill, like we did (website). It’s great to be there to watch the sunset, but this is very popular.
- From Signal Hill, you have a view of Table Mountain on on side (pictured), and can watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.
- Both Table Mountain and Signal Hill can get very busy. If hiking up there, ensure you’re hiking during daylight/twilight only, that you’re not hiking on your own, and that you don’t take valuables with you.
- There’s no entry fee for Signal Hill, which is helpful on the budget. Try to get there early as the whole side of the road is used as an overflow car park at busy sunset times.
Day 5: Kalk Bay, Simonstown and Cape Point
- Morning: Venture further out along the Cape Peninsula and out of the city today. Go to Foxy Beach / Boulders Beach Visitor Centre to see the African penguin colony.
- Top tip: Go early in the day! It was very busy with tour buses when we were there, so I can only imagine the crowds during peak months. Park at Secluse Ave. We entered at the reception at Boulder Beach on Bellevue Road.
- Here’s a link to a map of the area. Link here to the entry fees website. It’s worth the entry fee to see penguins in the wild!
- There are also shark experiences in this area if that’s your thing.
- There are a couple of restaurants in Seaforth Beach if you need food at this point – the small cafe at Boulders Visitor Centre was too crowded for us.
- Another recommendation is Salty Sea Dog in Simonstown for fish & chips.
- Afternoon: Go to Cape Point for a hike, allowing 2-4 hours to explore the most southern point of the Cape Peninsula.
- If you have kids, ours loved the Scratch Patch in Simonstown. There’s also a scratch patch at the Waterfront.
- Evening: Kalk Bay is one of our favourite places in Cape Town and we always HAVE to have a meal and a mojito at Cape To Cuba when we’re there. The food service was a little slow when we went, but still worth it.
- Harbour House restaurant is also a local icon.
- There’s so much to see along the coast from Kalk Bay to Cape Point that you could spend another few days in this area if you had the time.
- Top tip: Do try to drive along the Chapman’s Peak road to get to the areas above: it’s one of the best sea views in the world. The road was closed when we were there in August, so ‘Google Maps check’ it beforehand to check that it’s open; you don’t want to get lost in that area.
Day 6: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Constantia Wine Tasting
- Morning: On the slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Gardens are a calming tonic to the previous day’s galivanting around the peninsula (website). You don’t need to book ahead. The Rycroft Gate is a good base to start here as it is close to the famous Boomslang Walk. Two restaurants on site and the Summer Sunset Concerts are worth including in your visit if you can.
- Afternoon and evening: Wine-tasting is a must in Cape Town, so visit the nearby Beau Constantia or Constantia Glen. Booking ahead a few days in advance is recommended. Enjoy dinner at one of the on-site restaurants.
Day 7: Table View walk
- Morning: For your last full day in Cape Town, take a step back and admire that big ol’ mountain competing with sandy beach views. Hopefully the clouds will comply, too. Head to Eden on the Bay, explore the boutiques if you wish, then walk down to the beach and take a photo at the yellow frame. Watch the kitesurfers on Big Bay beach, enjoy the restaurants, and ponder at the view of Robben Island.
- Walk or drive south (towards the mountain) past Blue Peter Hotel, On the Rocks Restaurant, Blouberg beachfront to Dolphin Beach, stopping for beverages and food at your leisure.
- Either get an Uber, bus, or walk back to your starting point. More details here.
- Afternoon: Packing, and dinner near your accommodation.
Transport
- Flights:
- London Heathrow to Cape Town: We booked independently with British Airways on their website.
- Driving: We hired a car to self-drive around Cape Town. We used Enterprise car hire which we booked from the UK – look out for discounts with loyalty schemes.
- As mentioned earlier in the post, we couldn’t be happier with the car hire experience.
- Type of car was a Toyota Fortuner to fit all the stuff we carried!
- We brought our own car seats because they’re included in luggage allowance for children.
- Uber is also a good way to travel in Cape Town.
Medical and travel insurance
We took out travel insurance from the UK. We also took out car hire excess insurance from the UK.
Costs and payment
Many attractions, restaurants and supermarkets accept international credit and debit cards.
We booked and paid for flights, transfers, accommodation and certain activities in advance from our home country. This means that certain costs were already covered and we didn’t have to worry about payment issues in situ. We took some cash with us to cover about 50% of our spending in the country.
If you’d like a sneak peek of what the actual costs for this 20-day itinerary might look like you can buy it for just £3.99 in my Ultimate Trip Planning Kit.
What to pack
I’ve dedicated a whole article to items you might need in southern Africa – see What to pack for a Zimbabwe holiday. As this is mostly a city trip, you won’t need safari gear.
You can see from the photos what I was wearing at this time of year in Cape Town – a windsheeter to be in your handbag at all times!
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- Sample costs & providers (in PDF format): An example of costs for our 20-day Cape Town & Zimbabwe itinerary
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