Where to stay in Cape Town

The neighborhood between the Waterfront and the City Bowl: De Waterkant is the most LGBTQ+-friendly neighborhood in Africa, with excellent bars, brunch spots, and the Cape Quarter shopping centre. The Cape Town Stadium (the 2010 World Cup venue, free exterior, tours available) is in Green Point. The Green Point Urban Park (free - a public park created for the World Cup, excellent walking and cycling paths) is here. The neighborhood has some of the best affordable restaurants in central Cape Town.

The neighborhoods east of the City Bowl: Observatory (Obs) is Cape Town's bohemian university neighborhood - the cheapest bars, the best curry restaurants (the Lower Main Road has 6 Indian restaurants in a row), independent record shops, and the most diverse crowd in Cape Town. Woodstock has gentrified rapidly - the Old Biscuit Mill (Saturday market, the finest food market in South Africa, free to enter), Neighbourgoods Market, and the street art along Albert Road. The Zeitz MOCAA is accessible from Woodstock.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront: the 19th-century working harbor redeveloped into the most visited tourist destination in Africa. The Two Oceans Aquarium (R230 - the sharks, the penguins, and the living coral display), the Nelson Mandela Gateway ferry to Robben Island, and the finest restaurants in Cape Town are all here. The harbor views of Table Mountain are the definitive Cape Town image. The Zeitz MOCAA (the Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in the converted grain silo, R200 - the finest collection of contemporary African art in the world) is at the Waterfront's northern edge.

The city centre below Table Mountain: the Company's Garden (the oldest garden in South Africa, free - the original VOC vegetable garden for passing ships, now a public park with a 500-year-old pear tree and the South African Museum at its edge). The Bo-Kaap neighborhood on the slopes above the CBD: the brightly painted houses (pink, yellow, green) of the Cape Malay community descend from slaves brought by the Dutch East India Company from Southeast Asia and India in the 17th century. The Bo-Kaap Museum (R50) and the mosque (the oldest in South Africa) are here.

The Atlantic coast neighborhood west of Signal Hill: Camps Bay beach (the most glamorous beach in Cape Town - white sand, the Twelve Apostles mountain backdrop, and the bluest water in the city; the Atlantic is cold here but it doesn't stop the beautiful people). The Camps Bay strip of bars and restaurants is where Cape Town shows off. Clifton beaches (the four coves, calm and fashionable, R0 to access) are 5 minutes north. The Atlantic Seaboard coast road to Hout Bay winds through some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the world.

The wine valley south of the city: the Constantia wine valley is the oldest wine-producing area in the Southern Hemisphere (Groot Constantia estate was established in 1685 and once supplied Napoleon with wine on St Helena). The estates (Groot Constantia, Beau Constantia, Uitsig) are all within 15 minutes of the city centre. The Constantia Nek trail into Table Mountain National Park starts from the valley. The neighborhood has Cape Town's finest restaurants and some of the most beautiful accommodation in South Africa.