Doc Savage

It's a big city, stuff is going on every day. V&A Waterfront is always hopping, there are parts of downtown with lots of nightlife.

Philatravelgirl

I spent most of my nights at the V&A waterfront as was traveling solo and enjoyed the area -

FlyingRhino

5 days will be perfect, the city and surrounds offer so much, great beach scene, wine, excellent restautant and bar visits and stunning vistas will not dissapoint, the current exchange rate will make the 5 days even better!!!!

rev

I was just there solo for 5 nights and wish I'd made it longer. There's plenty of nightlife around Long St., and the Waterfront is a good option too. On the weekend I found the bars were (predictably) more packed and many had loud music if that's your scene, but weekdays still had respectable sized crowds after about 10pm in most places and I found it easier to meet other people that way. Above that, there's tons of different kinds of restaurants, beaches, and scenery to check out.

Even though I'm more of an urban dweller and I like the nightlife of different cities a lot, I found Cape Town was possibly the only place I preferred being outside the city. Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Garden Route, tons of Reserves, Wine Tours...all good stuff

ASUDan130

Thanks for the great info! I would like to do a day trip Safari nearby to Cape Town. I don't want to stay overnight anywhere just want to go outside of Cape Town for the afternoon to check out some of the animals? Everything I have looked up was overnights.

FlyingRhino

Around Cape Town there are several options, Cape Point Nature Reserve you will see some buck and ostriches some penguins near Simonstown is a must. There is also a Cheetah experience in Somerset West. If you really want a decent experience try Aquila, it is pretty distant, but well worth it.
http://www.aquilasafari.com/day-trip-safari

Doc Savage

I enjoyed the day long tour of the Cape of Good Hope with DayTrippers. You stop in Simon's Town for the penguins, then do some bike riding and hiking out on the peninsula. Lots of good exercise, and nice guides. Free lunch, too.

http://www.daytrippers.co.za/Day%20t...ape_point.html

I can recommend the two day pass on the hop on hop off buses, go all around Cape Town, as well as out to a few Constantia Valley wineries and Hout Bay.
https://www.citysightseeing.co.za/cape-town

Enjoy!

Mike Jacoubowsky

What sort of " biking" is involved in the DayTripper's tour? My wife is not in the greatest shape and despite that I own a bike shop, it's not really her thing. But if the biking is reasonably level and means you don't have to walk as far, it could work out nicely.

Thanks!

lhrsfo

You've got to experience the Camps Bay nightlife scene while there also.

Doc Savage

(To summarize for others.)

Mighty Mouse

I am in Cape Town right now and have been surprised at the number of restaurants that are closed on Sunday.

Lucentis

Try Stellenbosch area for fantastic wine yards with wine tastings i.e. Webersburg, Glenelly and hundreds of others..

Mike Jacoubowsky

We had a very good time, three nights, in Cape Town. Maybe one more day would have been better, but we got in a Cape of Good Hope tour with Penguin visit (much too short a Penguin visit), Table Mountain Sunset (highly recommended and half price after 6pm!), Robben Island tour, many nice dinners on the Waterfront (very reasonably-priced due to the strength of the dollar), and only did the hop-on hop-off bus at the very end, when we had an afternoon to kill after a cancelled flight earlier in the day.

What we should have done was the hop-on hop-off earlier in the stay. Didn't realize you could transfer freely between the various lines; that would be a great way to hit up not just the local sights but the wineries as well. The basic Red line also takes you up to Cable Mountain.

I cannot emphasize enough how friendly people were. My initial reaction was cynical; that it was an act, for tourists. No, I think people actually are that friendly, especially in the service/tourist industry.

Cape Town at the wharf does feel a bit fake though. Like San Francisco's Pier 39 but on steroids. Not really a bad way to finish the trip, but it's really not South Africa but rather a safe tourist enclave that's no more adventurous than an English-speaking country in Europe.

We stayed at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Hotel. Not a very risky choice, but very very nice place. About $250/night, and you're right there in the middle of all the shops and restaurants.

We went to a number of crafts markets but found the Watershed, very close by, to be the best for us. No real haggling over prices, nobody following you around. Again, it's not really South Africa but rather a controlled environment to make tourists feel at home and safe.

It's a world apart from Johannesburg and all its barbed wire and electrical fencing, but knowing how bad the economic segregation in the country is, it feels just a tad bit fake and I oddly feel a bit guilty while there. Go figure.

Sabasi

You'll hopefully be a tad more adventurous the next time you go.

Doc Savage

Glad you had a good time, Mike. I really loved the cape, took a tour on the Garden Route, which was fantastic as well. As you mentioned, just really nice people everywhere.