5 Amazing Days in Cape Town!
Our family is about to embark on an exciting two week trip to South Africa and Zambia. I just couldn’t fit everything we have planned into one blog post, so I decided to break this into two parts. Here is part one — the first 5 days of our 2 week trip. It’s truly a trip of a lifetime. We are planning to take the kids with us, and that’s been our only hurdle. Because we’re a family of 5, our accommodations at the hotel and safari lodge required a little more coordinating.
Day 1
Cape Town
- Table Mountain
- 18 min from our hotel
- Cable cars run from 8:30-5:30 - buy tkts on line
- There’s a nice cafe at the top for lunch - limited menu
- Free 30 min guided tours offered from 9-3PM (tours happen every hour)
- Hike Lions Head
- Shorter hikes for younger kids
- Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
- Walk around and grab food
Day 2
Cape Town
- Drive to Cape of Good Hope
- Stop at Muizenberg on the way - cute beach town
- On the way to Cape of Good Hope
- Boulders Beach
- Also on the way to Cape of Good Hope
- Drive 45min to get to the beginning of the reserve
- Cape Point Natural Reserve
- Cape Point/Cape Point Lighthouse/Cape of Good Hope
- Lots of baboons at Cape of Good Hope (hide your food)
- Cape Point 7am-5pm
Day 3
Cape Town
- Bo Kaap - colorful town
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
- you can rent bikes
- Open 8am-6pm
- Tree Top Canopy Walkway
- Planetarium in the evening
Day 4
Cape Town
- Hire a driver for the day
- Entire loop is 1 ¾ hours
- Franschhoek IN THIS ORDER
- Babylonstoren Greenhouse restaurant (no res required) but could have a wait - tasting room open daily 10-5
- Allee Bleue the restaurant Bistro also good for lunch - they also have picnic baskets but need to book - Open M-F 9-5, Sat. 10-5, Sun 10-4
- Solms Delta - Fyndraai looks very nice would need to make a res - Open M-Th 10-6, F-Sun 9-6
- Moreson Wine Farm - known for their MCC (champagne) Daily 9:30-5
- La Motte Wine Farm (tasting rm closed on Sundays) Daily 9-5
- then head North to Paarl and do a few wineries there
- Paarl - finish your day here
- Glen Carlou for excellent reds and whites and another good lunch spot with a view Mondays 9-5PM
- Spice Route - not just wine but beer, chocolate, glass blowing, biltong and food Daily 9-5
- Vendome Wine - no place to eat and need to make a res for tasting (may want to skip)
- Warwick - also does very nice picnics but not during the winter months :(
Day 5
Cape Town
- Hire a driver for the day
- Entire loop is 2 ½ hours
- Stellenbosch - 1st start here (30 min from hotel) and visit IN THIS ORDER:
- De Meye - restaurant The Table - might be too fancy for kids (10-5 open all wk)
- Tokara has a casual deli - looks sooo good - closed for winter break
- Delaire Graff Estate - has a IndoChine restaurant...looks amazing, emailed them about a reservation. Not sure when they are open (website was confusing)
- Spier Farm (picnic lunch) - need to book ahead of time (M-Sat. 9-5) (Sun. 11-5) Seems kid friendly
- Jordan - has a casual deli and can make res online (M-Sun 9:30-4:30)
- DeMorgenzon - (M-Sun 10-5)
With great sights comes great eats! These are a few places that looked interesting…
Places to eat in Cape Town:
- Truth Cafe - for high tea or great coffee/espresso or Tribe Coffee
- Mariam’s Kitchen - great sandwiches (a Cape Town classic) - 7 min walk from hotel 7AM-5:30PM
- The Creamery Ice Cream (one in the V&A area)
- Willoughby’s for great seafood and sushi - very busy at the V&A waterfront and seating is inside a shopping corridor but food is amazing.
- Baia Seafood - also at the V&A waterfront. Might be too fancy but check it out
- Charango (Peruvian Grill)- great fish tacos, but once again might be too hip - maybe early dinner...not sure about veg options.
- The Neighborhood Market (open market for shopping and eating) - open only on Saturdays from 9-5PM
- Biesmiellah & Marco’s African Place - in the town of Bo Kaap
- V&A Food Market - casula food stalls “Hungry Herbivores” or “Exotic Marigold”
- El Burro, Giulio’s (Italian),Jason Bakery, Tashas (in the V&A), Burrata (wood burning oven)
Stay tuned for part 2 – Safari and Victoria Falls.
