Attraction
Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum beside Gold Reef City tells the story of the rise and fall of apartheid through film, photographs, documents and a striking race-classified entrance.
South Africa is one of the most varied destinations on the continent, combining dramatic coastlines, mountains, wildlife and cities with deep and complex histories. Cape Town, with Table Mountain, Robben Island and the nearby winelands of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, is the most popular starting point for visitors. From there, the Garden Route follows the southern coast towards Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), while Johannesburg offers museums, galleries and the story of the struggle against apartheid in Soweto. Kruger National Park in the north-east is one of Africa's great safari regions, and Durban on the Indian Ocean coast is known for warm water and a strong Indian heritage. The Drakensberg mountains are a highlight for hikers.
Attraction
The Apartheid Museum beside Gold Reef City tells the story of the rise and fall of apartheid through film, photographs, documents and a striking race-classified entrance.
Attraction
Cape Town's flat-topped mountain rises above the city, reached by a cableway with rotating cars from Tafelberg Road or on foot via routes such as Platteklip…
Attraction
Constitution Hill is a former prison complex in Braamfontein, now a museum and home of South Africa's Constitutional Court, where Mandela, Gandhi and many activists were…
Attraction
Ferries from the V&A Waterfront take visitors to Robben Island, the UNESCO-listed former prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in jail.
Attraction
Founded in 1913 on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch displays South African plants, from proteas and fynbos to cycads, across landscaped gardens and trails.
Attraction
Mandela House on Vilakazi Street is the small red-brick Soweto home where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962, now a museum of his life and…
Café
Bean There, founded in 2005 as South Africa's first roaster of Fairtrade certified coffee, serves single-origin African coffees at its café in the 44 Stanley precinct.
Café
Truth Coffee Roasting on Buitenkant Street is a steampunk-styled warehouse café where coffee is roasted on site and breakfast is served all day until 16:00.
Café
Long-established speciality roaster Origin Coffee Roasting runs a café and brew bar on Hudson Street in De Waterkant.
Café
Salvation Café is a popular outdoor breakfast and lunch spot in the 44 Stanley precinct, known for its cheesecake and fresh, free-range ingredients.
Café
Café De La Crème on Melville's 7th Street is a family-run bakery, café and deli established in 1987, serving croissants, breads, pastries, breakfasts and lunches.
Café
Founded by chef Jacques Erasmus in 2009, Hemelhuijs on Waterkant Street is an elegant daytime restaurant serving breakfast and lunch from Monday to Saturday.
Hotel
Opened in 1899 below Table Mountain, the pink-painted Belmond Mount Nelson is Cape Town's grande dame, set in nine acres of gardens with two pools and…
Hotel
The Saxon is an all-suite luxury hotel in leafy Sandhurst, with private villas, a spa, the Qunu restaurant and a suite named after Nelson Mandela, who…
Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff spreads across a hillside above Jan Smuts Avenue, with views over the northern suburbs' trees, a day spa and the Flames…
Hotel
Set in the upper floors of the converted grain silo above Zeitz MOCAA, The Silo Hotel has bulging glass windows with views from Table Mountain to…
Hotel
On a private quay between the V&A Waterfront and the yacht marina, Cape Grace is a five-star Fairmont-managed hotel with harbour and Table Mountain views.
Hotel
The Houghton Hotel is a five-star hotel beside Houghton Golf Club with suites and penthouses, a spa, padel courts and Candice Philip's fine dining restaurant Cyra.
Bar
Sin + Tax is a discreet speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Rosebank known for imaginative seasonal drinks and bottled cocktails made with local spirits and botanicals.
Bar
Reached through the Honest Chocolate café on Wale Street, The Gin Bar is a small, relaxed bar devoted to gin, with a newer Bubbly Bar alongside.
Bar
On the sixth-floor rooftop of the Gorgeous George hotel, Gigi is a poolside bar and restaurant serving cocktails, wine and food from breakfast until late.
Bar
Hugh's is a 13th-floor jazz club in Braamfontein named after Hugh Masekela, with live jazz on show nights, city views and a smart dress code.
Bar
Facing the beach on Camps Bay's Victoria Road, Café Caprice is a long-running bar and restaurant where sunset drinks turn into dinner and dancing.
Bar
Kitchener's on Juta Street is one of Johannesburg's oldest bars, with pressed ceilings and wood panelling, known today for DJs, live bands and a relaxed student…
Restaurant
Peter Tempelhoff's FYN serves seasonal modern African tasting menus shaped by Japanese culinary thinking, from a fifth-floor dining room on Parliament Street.
Restaurant
Marble on the Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank is chef David Higgs's live-fire restaurant, cooking steak, seafood, vegetables and bread over a large wood-fired grill.
Restaurant
On the Silvermist estate above Constantia, La Colombe serves multi-course set menus that combine South African ingredients with French technique and theatrical presentation.
Restaurant
Qunu is the main restaurant of The Saxon hotel in Sandhurst, serving lunch and dinner daily with a menu that mixes local and international flavours.
Restaurant
Cyra at The Houghton Hotel is chef Candice Philip's fine dining restaurant, serving a multi-course menu with a sommelier-selected wine pairing.
Restaurant
Gold Restaurant in Green Point pairs a shared 14-dish pan-African tasting menu with an optional djembe drumming session, dancing and Malian puppetry.
Thing to do
44 Stanley is a precinct of independent design shops, cafés, restaurants and an art-house cinema set in converted 1930s industrial buildings on the edge of downtown…
Thing to do
The path up 669-metre Lion's Head spirals around the peak to a summit with views over Table Mountain, the City Bowl and the Atlantic coast.
Thing to do
On the slopes of Signal Hill, the Bo-Kaap's colourful houses, mosques and Cape Malay heritage make it the most rewarding neighbourhood for a short walk in…
Thing to do
Rosebank Sunday Market fills the rooftop of Rosebank Mall every Sunday with stalls selling crafts, local design, vintage finds, books, vinyl and street food.
Thing to do
The Market Theatre in Newtown opened in June 1976 and became famous for protest theatre during apartheid; today it stages drama, comedy, jazz, poetry and festivals.
Thing to do
A road climbs to the top of 350-metre Signal Hill, a popular sunset spot with views across the city centre, the harbour and the Atlantic Seaboard.
Tour operator
City Sightseeing runs Cape Town's red hop-on hop-off buses, plus free 90-minute walking tours from its Long Street office and day tours to Cape Point and…
Tour operator
Dlala Nje is a social enterprise based in Ponte City that runs walking tours of Ponte, Hillbrow and Yeoville, with tour income funding youth and childhood…
Tour operator
Coffeebeans Routes runs storytelling-led cultural experiences in Cape Town, from jazz nights and food walks to history routes, connecting visitors with local musicians, artists and hosts.
Tour operator
Lebo's runs guided bicycle, tuk-tuk and walking tours of Soweto from its backpackers lodge in Orlando West, taking in Vilakazi Street and the back streets of…
Tour operator
City Sightseeing's red hop-on hop-off bus links 13 stops including Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City and the zoo, with an optional guided Soweto…
Tour operator
From Simon's Town jetty, Kayak Cape Town leads two-hour guided sea kayak trips along the False Bay coast to the penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
Domestic flights link the main cities quickly, while a hire car is the best way to explore regions such as the Garden Route, the winelands and the national parks.
It depends on the region: the Western Cape is warm and dry from November to March, while the dry winter months from May to September are best for safaris in Kruger.
Kruger National Park, the Garden Route, Johannesburg and Soweto, Durban, the Drakensberg mountains and the winelands of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.