Orientate Yourself
By highlighting the different faces of the city, we encourage you to explore …
EXPLORING THE CITY
Cape Town is spread over a large area and this can make navigating your way around somewhat daunting.
To help you, this guide has been divided into sections relating to activity and geographical area rather than a hierarchy of accessibility or attraction.
What follows is a snapshot of each distinct area and what it has to offer.
CAPE TOWN CENTRAL
The heart of the city, nestled between the Atlantic Seaboard and Table Mountain, is made up of the Cape Town Central area; the Central Business District (CBD) and surrounding suburbs (the 'City Bowl'); the V&A Waterfront, and the Atlantic Seaboard.
Cape Town's CBD is a mix of historical and modern architecture. It is the heartbeat of the city where Capetonians work, live and play. You'll find us spending lunch hours on park benches in the tranquil Company Gardens, at trendy sidewalk cafés, shopping at the eclectic mix of upmarket boutiques, and interesting designer shops or haggling over prices with street vendors. It's a vibrant city centre during the day; at night, locals and visitors come out to play in Cape Town’s party hub – Long and Kloof Streets.
Also in this area are historical Bo-Kaap (below Signal Hill) and District Six, which after years as a wasteland following the forced removals of the 1960s, is rising once more to become a real hub in the city.
The East City Precinct is fast becoming the creative and cultural heart of Cape Town, with some of the most distinctive advertising, design and marketing companies in the country choosing to make the East City their address of choice.
The East City Precinct is a site of great historic significance and has been earmarked for major rejuvenation and development over the next three years. The Precinct forms a natural village within the CBD, with sites such as the Castle of Good Hope, the Grand Parade, the City Hall, District Six, the Good Hope Centre and Parliament within its immediate vicinity. The East City Precinct also lies within the 2010 Fan Park and Fan Mile, into which the City is investing millions of rands worth of investment and upgrades. It is within walking distance to Greenmarket Square, the Foreshore, the V&A Waterfront and, of course, Long Street.
The Atlantic Seaboard offers a world of white sandy beaches, beautiful people and trendy sidewalk cafés, as well as boating, bathing, scuba diving and suntanning from Three Anchor Bay all the way to Llandudno.
CAPE TOWN SOUTH
This area covers the flatlands (known as the Cape Flats) east of Cape Town International Airport and the N2 highway; False Bay (Wolfgat to Simon’s Town); Atlantic coast (Cape Point to Noordhoek and Hout Bay), and the residential suburbs south of the City Centre (known as the Southern Suburbs).
It is a vast, multi-cultural and dynamic area of Cape Town consisting of industrial, commercial, residential and laid-back surfing communities, with Table Mountain National Park at its heart. It is culturally rich and diverse in nature – and home to the descendants of Dutch settlers, slaves from the East, colonialists, Xhosa migrants and Khoisan clans.
CAPE TOWN NORTH
This vast area covers the area north of the City Centre and north-west of Cape Town International Airport. It’s generally referred to as Tygerberg and includes the suburbs of Goodwood, Parow, Bellville and Durbanville. The oldest township in Cape Town, Langa, known for the creative energy depicted through various media, including; music, poetry and pottery, also falls within this area.
The area along the Atlantic Coast from Milnerton to Mamre is called Blaauwberg. Cape Town North is a mix of dense commercial precincts, residential areas, stretches of beach, small nature reserves and rolling vineyards. Major highways allow for quick and easy exploration of this vibrant part of the city.
CAPE TOWN EAST
The area east of the City Centre boasts scenic coastlines, picturesque vineyards and rural getaways. The Hottentots Holland Mountain range dominates the area known as the Helderberg and the region includes Khayelitsha, the coastal suburbs and exquisite beaches of Strand and Gordon’s Bay, and the adjacent suburbs of Macassar, Somerset West, Lwandle and Sir Lowry’s Pass.
Further east the setting becomes more rural and the area is known as the Oostenberg and includes the suburbs of Brackenfell, Kraaifontein and Kuils River. This is where Cape Town’s urban areas meet the rural gateway to the Cape Winelands and the Overberg. The area also boasts one of the richest eco-nature offerings called the Kogelberg Biosphere. Here you can wind your way along Clarence Drive to experience what was referred to by Reader’s Digest as one of the world’s 10 most scenic drives.
If you need further information on any of the areas or would like to speak to a friendly consultant, please call us on +27 21 487 6800 or email us on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Please Contact us to find out more about accommodation, tours and experiences, top attractions, restaurants and more.
While in Cape Town, be sure to visit at least one of the 18 Official Cape Town Tourism Visitor Information Centres located across the City. We stock free brochures and maps, sell great Cape Town retail and crafts, do reservations for accommodation, tours, attractions, taxi's, car hire and will give you advice on the best activities in the City. Call us on 021 487 6800 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We also make South African National Parks reservations for accommodation in the parks across the country and can make bookings for any Cape Nature reserve. Call us on 021 487 6800 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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