Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain is just one of the myriad attractions in this enthralling city on Africa's southern tip. Click through the gallery for an eclectic mix of sights featuring the best of Cape Town.
Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain is just one of the myriad attractions in this enthralling city on Africa's southern tip. Click through the gallery for an eclectic mix of sights featuring the best of Cape Town.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Boulders Beach, Simon's Town: </strong>A colony of African penguins lives among the rocks on the shoreline of False Bay, part of Table Mountain National Park. Tourists flock to see the colony which has grown from two pairs in 1982 to more than 3,000 penguins.
Boulders Beach, Simon's Town: A colony of African penguins lives among the rocks on the shoreline of False Bay, part of Table Mountain National Park. Tourists flock to see the colony which has grown from two pairs in 1982 to more than 3,000 penguins.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty Images
<strong>Kalk Bay: </strong>In this small fishing community on the coast of False Bay, art galleries and boutiques line the main road, with restaurants and bars overlooking the ocean.
Kalk Bay: In this small fishing community on the coast of False Bay, art galleries and boutiques line the main road, with restaurants and bars overlooking the ocean.
Wesley Nitsckie/Flickr/CC by SA 2.0
<strong>Chapman's Peak Drive: </strong>This winding, cliffside route is the stuff of car commercials -- a thin ribbon of tarmac clinging to the edge of the mountain, with a sheer drop to the ocean below. <br />
Chapman's Peak Drive: This winding, cliffside route is the stuff of car commercials -- a thin ribbon of tarmac clinging to the edge of the mountain, with a sheer drop to the ocean below.
courtesy South African Tourism
<strong>Bo-Kaap:</strong> The<strong> </strong>brightly painted homes along cobblestone streets make the multicultural neighborhood a postcard image of Cape Town. Many freed slaves settled there after emancipation, giving rise to the Cape Malay culture.
Bo-Kaap: The brightly painted homes along cobblestone streets make the multicultural neighborhood a postcard image of Cape Town. Many freed slaves settled there after emancipation, giving rise to the Cape Malay culture.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
<strong>Robben Island: </strong>The notorious prison that held Nelson Mandela and other heroes of the liberation struggle is now a museum, unique in that the tours are given by former inmates. Access is by ferry only.
Robben Island: The notorious prison that held Nelson Mandela and other heroes of the liberation struggle is now a museum, unique in that the tours are given by former inmates. Access is by ferry only.
courtesy South African Tourism
<strong>The Company's Garden: </strong>The site of the Dutch East India Company's first gardens to feed settlers and supply ships plying the trade routes between Europe and Asia, it is now a gloriously landscaped green space.
The Company's Garden: The site of the Dutch East India Company's first gardens to feed settlers and supply ships plying the trade routes between Europe and Asia, it is now a gloriously landscaped green space.
courtesy The Company's Garden
<strong>Cape Point: </strong>About 50 kilometers south of Cape Town, Cape Point lies at the end of the Cape Peninsula. Neither Cape Point or the more famous Cape of Good Hope is actually the southern tip of Africa -- that's Cape Agulhas several hundred kilometers to the east.
Cape Point: About 50 kilometers south of Cape Town, Cape Point lies at the end of the Cape Peninsula. Neither Cape Point or the more famous Cape of Good Hope is actually the southern tip of Africa -- that's Cape Agulhas several hundred kilometers to the east.
GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>District Six Museum:</strong> This former mixed-race neighborhood was declared a whites-only area in 1966 during the apartheid era. The museum serves as a remembrance to the events of apartheid and recreates the vibrant life before the forcible removals of the population.
District Six Museum: This former mixed-race neighborhood was declared a whites-only area in 1966 during the apartheid era. The museum serves as a remembrance to the events of apartheid and recreates the vibrant life before the forcible removals of the population.
AFP/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Cape Town Wheel:</strong> This<strong> </strong>40-meter high Ferris wheel on the Waterfront has enclosed cabins that offer dramatic views of the mountains, the city and the sea.
Cape Town Wheel: This 40-meter high Ferris wheel on the Waterfront has enclosed cabins that offer dramatic views of the mountains, the city and the sea.
RODGER BOSCH/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens: </strong>At the foot of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch preserves the native plants of the Cape, many of which aren't found anywhere else in the world.
Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens: At the foot of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch preserves the native plants of the Cape, many of which aren't found anywhere else in the world.
AFP/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Franschhoek: </strong>This small town just an hour from the city was settled by French Huguenots who left a culinary tradition that turned it into one of the world's great gastronomic destinations.
Franschhoek: This small town just an hour from the city was settled by French Huguenots who left a culinary tradition that turned it into one of the world's great gastronomic destinations.
Franschhoek Wine Tram, CNN
<strong>Spier Wine Farm: </strong>Spier is one of the best-known wine farms in the Cape, with the excellent food and wine that the region is known for, but also a vast collection of contemporary South African art and sprawling grounds for picnics.
Spier Wine Farm: Spier is one of the best-known wine farms in the Cape, with the excellent food and wine that the region is known for, but also a vast collection of contemporary South African art and sprawling grounds for picnics.
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<strong>Babylonstoren: </strong>This is a historic Cape Dutch farm north of Stellenbosch that boasts one of the best preserved farmyards in the Cape, with magnificent gardens, hotel, spa and several restaurants including the renowned Babel.
Babylonstoren: This is a historic Cape Dutch farm north of Stellenbosch that boasts one of the best preserved farmyards in the Cape, with magnificent gardens, hotel, spa and several restaurants including the renowned Babel.
Babel
<strong>The Old Biscuit Mill:</strong> So named because the site was once a cookie factory, it's now the trendiest weekend market in the city, the sort of place that sells more than one variety of homemade kombucha, but also healthy portions of fancy French fries and gourmet burgers.
The Old Biscuit Mill: So named because the site was once a cookie factory, it's now the trendiest weekend market in the city, the sort of place that sells more than one variety of homemade kombucha, but also healthy portions of fancy French fries and gourmet burgers.
GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Slave Lodge: </strong>This thought-provoking museum is dedicated to an often overlooked chapter of South Africa's past. The Dutch East India Company built the structure in 1679 to house its slaves. Up to 9,000 slaves were kept inside its walls.
Slave Lodge: This thought-provoking museum is dedicated to an often overlooked chapter of South Africa's past. The Dutch East India Company built the structure in 1679 to house its slaves. Up to 9,000 slaves were kept inside its walls.
RODGER BOSCH/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>The Fugard Theatre: </strong>Located in District Six on a site that housed textile suppliers and a gothic church, the Fugard Theatre is an anchor of Cape Town's cultural life.<br />
The Fugard Theatre: Located in District Six on a site that housed textile suppliers and a gothic church, the Fugard Theatre is an anchor of Cape Town's cultural life.
courtesy Daniel Rutland Manners
<strong>Long Street: </strong>Lined with quirky shops, restaurants and nightlife, Long Street is a bohemian place in the City Bowl area, perfect for window shopping and people watching.
Long Street: Lined with quirky shops, restaurants and nightlife, Long Street is a bohemian place in the City Bowl area, perfect for window shopping and people watching.
ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Mount Nelson Hotel: </strong>This luxurious hotel across from the Company's Garden puts on a sumptuous high tea, with delectable treats and tea in glass pots to show off the floating leaves and petals as they infuse.
Mount Nelson Hotel: This luxurious hotel across from the Company's Garden puts on a sumptuous high tea, with delectable treats and tea in glass pots to show off the floating leaves and petals as they infuse.
courtesy Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
<strong>La Boheme Bistro & Wine Bar: </strong>This neighborhood eatery in Sea Point serves smart and creative meals with an extensive and well-chosen wine list.
La Boheme Bistro & Wine Bar: This neighborhood eatery in Sea Point serves smart and creative meals with an extensive and well-chosen wine list.
courtesy La Boheme
<strong>The Book Lounge: </strong>This beloved independent bookstore in the city center hosts a brilliantly curated collection of literature in a warm and friendly building.
The Book Lounge: This beloved independent bookstore in the city center hosts a brilliantly curated collection of literature in a warm and friendly building.
courtesy Joshua Kenneth Grierso
<strong>Maboneng Township Arts Experience: </strong>The Maboneng project trains township residents in how to curate an art gallery by turning their home's walls into gallery space.
Maboneng Township Arts Experience: The Maboneng project trains township residents in how to curate an art gallery by turning their home's walls into gallery space.
The Maboneng Township Arts Experience