This trip had cost me a few years of persuasion. For reasons inexplicable to me, Sven showed no interest in South Africa for a long time. However, I can be very persistent when I have something in my mind 😉

I prepared a complete PowerPoint presentation and showed Sven what he was going to miss using very convincing pictures. My plan worked, immediately after my presentation he agreed. I didn’t even have to put forward my prepared additional arguments 😉

We heard a lot about the high crime rate in Cape Town and didn’t take it lightly. After all, it is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. However, we felt that with some common sense, we would be on the safe side.

We looked for a hotel at the waterfront, as this area of Cape Town is very well guarded by security, but this is also reflected in the price.

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From here you could reach the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront along the promenade within a few minutes. The V&A Waterfront is THE tourist attraction anyway… lots of restaurants & shops, street performers and security on every corner. Here you only have to be afraid of a pickpocket. As exciting as this part of the city was, it is of course not the “real” Cape Town.

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Table Mountain is probably the destination of every tourist in Cape Town. However, we wanted to go even higher and decided on a helicopter flight. Luckily it wasn’t particularly windy that day, we enjoyed every minute of the scenic flight 😊

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For gourmets like us, Cape Town and the entire Cape region is a true Eldorado. Top wines, high quality food … what more could you want. We have rarely eaten so well on a trip.

That was one of the reasons why we booked a “Walking Food Tour”. In a small group, we went on a half-day hike into the vibrant food & drinking scene in Cape Town. Coffee, bobotie, biltong, wine … and by the way we learned a lot about the culinary history of Cape Town.

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A trip to the Cape Peninsula should of course not be missed on every Cape Town trip. Albert, our tour guide, picked us up at the hotel on time and told us a lot about the history and current problems of the “Mother City”.

One of the main problems is the huge gap between rich and poor, hence the high crime rate. The wealthy white population lives in their mansions behind high walls and barbed wire like in a golden cage. In contrast, the growing black majority of the population live in abject poverty in the townships on the outskirts.

Our first stop on our tour was the Red Hill Viewpoint overlooking False Bay and Simon Town.

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From here we went to the Cape of Good Hope. On the way we discovered a couple of baboons and an ostrich in the wild.

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Next stop – Cape Point, a cliff at the southern end of the Cape Peninsula. The wind was blowing insane here and the walk up to the lighthouse cost us more strength than we had expected. The view was simply breathtaking.

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We continued to Boulders Beach, where the African penguin colony is based. I could have watched the little guys splashing around in the water for hours.

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A few more photo stops along Chapman’s Peak Drive…

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Last but not least … the Bo-Kaap district, a former slave district. Colorfully painted houses characterize this residential area, which represent a symbol of the rediscovered freedom.

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With a last enjoyable dinner we looked back on our stay. Cape Town is a wonderful city in terms of landscape, cuisine and history. Only the crime tarnishes the carefree. We never had an uncomfortable feeling, but we spoke to some Cape Town residents, even they avoid being out in the city in the evening.

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Take a look at our Cape Town video 😊

Our personal opinion about Cape Town:

• culinary journey
• breathtaking scenery
• interesting history
• less suitable for a beach holiday
• high crime rate

On the following page you can get a very good overview of South Africa:

www.southafrica.com

Best travel time:

For Cape Town we recommend the months October to April.

Hotel recommendation:

Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront

Restaurant recommendations:

• Den Anker
• Sevruga Restaurant
• Harbour House V&A Waterfront
• Baia Seafood Restaurant
• Origin Coffee Roasting

More tips & recommendations:

We can absolutely recommend the Food Tour through Cape Town. Our tour guide Ellie was just great.

http://www.capetownculinarytours.com

Our highlight was definitely the scenic flight. There is no better way to get an overview. You should probably pay attention to the time of day. The afternoon is perfect with a view of Cape Town and Table Mountain, but it is difficult to take good pictures on the way back because you are constantly taking pictures against the sun. You should therefore think about what is important to you beforehand.

We thought back and forth for a long time whether we should do a township tour. Since our time in Cape Town was limited, we decided against it. It turned out to be the right decision. During the few days in Cape Town we had heard and seen a lot with our own eyes, that was absolutely enough. We wouldn’t have been driving through the slums and taking photos or staring at the residents. The tour operators justify it as a source of income for the residents, but everyone has to decide for themselves. It just wasn’t our way.