When to go · Cape Town, South Africa
Best time to visit Cape Town
The sweet spot is March, December and January — averages 21°C, 5 rainy days, moderate crowds.
November - April
Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and wet winters. November-April is the Cape summer: warm and sunny (25-30 degrees C), the beaches are swimmable (Atlantic side is cold year-round at 14 degrees C but the False Bay side warms to 22 degrees C), and the city is at its most vibrant. December-January is the busiest and most expensive period - book ahead. The Cape Winelands are at their finest in the harvest (February-March): the vineyards turn gold and the estates are welcoming. May-October is the Cape winter: wet, occasionally stormy (the Cape of Storms is not a myth), but mild (12-18 degrees C) and excellent for whale watching in Walker Bay (June-November, the southern right whales calve in the sheltered bay near Hermanus - the finest land-based whale watching in the world).
The short answer
21°C · 5 rainy days · mid season
21°C · 4 rainy days · high season
22°C · 4 rainy days · high season
Hardest months: August and July. averages 14°C, 10 rainy days, few other visitors.
Month by month
| Month | Avg temp | Rain days | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°C | 4d | high | Great weather, peak crowds |
| February | 22°C | 4d | high | Great weather, peak crowds |
| March | 21°C | 5d | mid | Comfortable |
| April | 18°C | 7d | mid | Comfortable |
| May | 16°C | 8d | low | Comfortable but damp |
| June | 14°C | 10d | low | Mild |
| July | 13°C | 11d | low | Mild |
| August | 14°C | 10d | low | Mild |
| September | 15°C | 8d | mid | Mild |
| October | 17°C | 6d | mid | Comfortable |
| November | 19°C | 5d | high | Great weather, peak crowds |
| December | 21°C | 4d | high | Great weather, peak crowds |
Verdicts are read off the three columns to their left — temperature distance from 21°C first, then rainfall, with crowds breaking ties. Averages, so any given week can differ.
If you'd rather go cheap than perfect
May, June, July and August are low season in Cape Town — thinner crowds, and the months where accommodation is easiest to book late. Budget travellers already work to about $35–60 a day here; low season is where the accommodation share of that goes furthest.
Book the month you picked
Fares move with the same seasons as the crowds — the quiet months above are usually the cheap ones to fly.