50+ UNIQUE THINGS TO DO IN CAPE TOWN

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Adventurous Things to Do in Cape Town

Creative Things to Do in Cape Town

Art and Culture Things to Do in Cape Town

Foodie Things to Do in Cape Town

Cheap Things to Do in Cape Town

Health and Wellness Things to Do in Cape Town

Nature Things to Do in Cape Town

1 Go shark cage diving

If you’re looking for an adventure in Cape Town, this is it! Book with African Shark Eco-Charters. They are the only company in Simon’s Town to use respirators, so you’ll spend more time braving the icy water in search of sharks. It is absolutely mind-blowing to watch the sharks check you out underwater and then disappear into the depths.

The presence of Great Whites has significantly decreased in the last few years due to threats by Orca Whales, so you’ll mainly spot Bronze Whaler and Cow Sharks along with a massive colony of 60,000 seals on your way back past Seal Island.

2 Kayak in Green Point

Imagine kayaking from Green Point or the V&A Waterfront towards Robben Island and down the coast to the V&A Waterfront, watching Lion’s Head and Table Mountain rise above the city in front of you.

Sunset kayak trips have the most spectacular views, but book a morning trip if you’re more interested in spotting sea life. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins, and don’t be surprised if a “raft” of penguins swims by. This is one of the best ways to see Cape Town, and one of the only vantage points where you can see Devil’s Peak, Signal Hill, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head all at once!

7 Create your own jewelry at Soul Design, Kalk Bay

Walk up the signature-pink stairs on the right side of the Lekker cafe, and step into the beautiful world of the Soul Design workshop. Soul Design crafts jewelry inspired by the African continent with pieces coming from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, among others. In the Soul Design workshop, you can create your own beaded bracelets with brass charms or keychains with Ethiopian brass beads. Book your workshop here.

8 Tuft your own rug at Tuft Crowd

At Tuft Crowd on Bree Street, tuft your own DIY rug design with a tufting gun. You’ll pick a design (or make your own), trace the design onto a frame, tuft it, glue it, cut it out from the frame, and trim it down. You’ll leave with a (hopefully) beautiful new rug or wall hanging!

Tufting a small 50 x 50cm rug costs 900 ZAR, a standard-sized 70 x 70cm rug costs 1,400 ZAR, and an advanced 90 x 90cm rug costs for 1,900 ZAR. They say it takes three hours to tuft a small rug and three-and-half hours to tuft a standard-sized rug, but it always takes us longer. They even have punch needling for 499 to 599 ZAR. Make sure to book at least a day before! 

9 Pottery painting at Clay Cafe

At the Clay Cafe, you can choose a piece of pottery to paint from mugs to pots to VW van piggy banks. There’s something for everyone from for-the-kiddies to date nights. You’ll pay a R45 studio fee and then pay for the price of your piece. After that, your piece will be fired, which can take up to 5 weeks and you’ll be able to pick up your beautiful new piece. Book ahead of time here.

10 Street art tour of Woodstock

Driving around Woodstock (maybe on your way to the Neighborgoods Market, it’s impossible to miss the art that lines the streets of Woodstock, Salt River, and Observatory. Finding a new one is like a surprise each time, but to learn the history of the street art, the artist behind it, and the meaning, book a street art tour with Juma. Tours are led by artists, so you’re in really good hands.

11 Street art tour of Langa

Langa is a vibrant community, home to incredible history, culture, and some of the most amazing people you will ever meet. Take a street art tour. You’ll learn more about Langa and South Africa’s history.

When you’re done, support local artists at Guga S’Thebe Cultural Centre. Don’t forget to stop at 16 on Lerotholi for coffee, and to have lunch at the vibey Jordan Ways of Cooking.

12 Frranschoek Wine Tram

Cape Town has some of the most beautiful winelands in the world. Paired with countless wine farms to choose from, wine tastings at around R100, and stunning views of the mountains, it’s a spoilt experience. The only thing that can make it better? Stopping from wine farm to wine farm on the Franschoek Wine Tram. With departures from Stellenbosch and Franschoek (about 45 minutes to an hour from the CBD), the wine tram is a must-do, whether you’re on holiday or a local who hasn’t had the chance yet.

13 Wine tasting in Constantia

Cape Town has some of the most beautiful winelands in the world. Paired with countless wine farms to choose from, wine tastings at around R100, and stunning views of the mountains, it’s a spoilt experience. The only thing that can make it better? Stopping from wine farm to wine farm on the Franschoek Wine Tram. With departures from Stellenbosch and Franschoek (about 45 minutes to an hour from the CBD), the wine tram is a must-do, whether you’re on holiday or a local who hasn’t had the chance yet.

14 See a movie at the Galileo Open Air Cinema

Picture this. You’re snuggled up on the lawns of Kirstenbosch Gardens or a wine farm, watching one of your favorite movies on a big screen. You packed your own picnic, or took advantage of one of the local food vendors. (A bottle of rose with that rom com, anyone?) As the sun sets and the crowd’s cheering or applauding or laughing or crying, it’s summertime perfection. That’s the Galileo Open Air Cinema.

Usually in the warm summer months from October to May, you can book your outdoor movie tickets for shows in Kirstenbosch, Century City, or the winelands online here.

15 See a concert at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

It doesn’t matter whether you’re watching from the lawn with your friends and a picnic basket, or you’re shouting the lyrics right in front of the stage. Seeing a concert at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of Cape Town’s most iconic summer vibes.

Every summer Sunday afternoon from December to March, don’t miss your chance to sing-a-long to Jeremy Loops or dance to Will Linley. You can buy tickets ahead of time here, which often sell out, so make sure to book ahead of time.

16 Silent Disco

Ever seen a group of crazy-looking people dance to silent music? That’s the Silent Disco, where everyone gets their own pair of headphones. There’s DJs with different styles of music that you can tune in to on your headphones. Not feeling a certain song or vibe? Just switch channels. There’s something for everyone.

Silent Discos happen all over South Africa, but my favorites are at Camps Bay and Clifton where you can dance, or listen, or chill right at the beach while the sun sets! Check for upcoming Silent Disco events here.

17 Book launches at The Book Lounge

Nestled in central Cape Town just a block away from Truth Coffee, The Book Lounge is the perfect bookshop to have a browse, pick up a local book, or visit for an event. Once or twice a week, they have book signings, author talks, and book launches. Check their Facebook page for upcoming events.

18 Visit Cape Town’s museums

The District Six Museum is a memorial and celebration of District Six, a vibrant, mixed community forcibly evicted in the 1970s during apartheid. Visit the museum and take a tour for R50 that’s led by former residents of District Six. It’s a perfect entryway into learning more about South Africa’s history and celebrating the rich cultures impacted.

Other notable museums:

• (19) Robben Island
• (20) Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum
• (21) Iziko Slave Lodge
• (22) Iziko South African Museum

24 Try African-inspired flavors at Tapi Tapi ice cream

Tapi’s Tapi’s African-inspired flavors are ever-changing (totally new flavors every two to three weeks!) and ever-yummy. Tapi Tapi, created by Dr. Tapiwa Guzha from Zimbabwe, is true to and proud of where they come from. You’ll love their small batch ice cream thoughtfully created to celebrate the traditions and ingredients homegrown on the African continent. Pictured is a pilau masala-spiced puffed rice ice cream with burnt caramel celebrating East Africa.

25 Hot chocolate, iced coffee, or milkshake tastings

Satisfy your sweet tooth at Revved Up Cafe on Buitengracht Street in the CBD. Their hot chocolate, iced coffee, and milkshake tastings went viral for a reason, and they’re just R99! They get super busy on weekends and public holidays, so try to come on a weekday and book ahead here.

26 Try some of the world’s best croissants at Coco Safar

A visit to Coco Safar is a visit to Paris with a sea breeze. Their croissants from their “Croissant de Nata” to their caramel or maple cheesecake to their Activated Charcoal Croissant have been recognized as some of the best in the world by Food & Wine. Their “Black Croissant” is filled with maple cheesecake, dipped in caramel chocolate, and sprinkled with roasted pecan nuts. Get a luxury taste of the “Hermes of coffee, patisserie and café culture”.

27 Cupcake at Charly’s Bakery

Charly’s Bakery is one of the last colorfully painted buildings of District Six. Their playfully decorated cupcakes from lions to rhinos to mermaids and unicorns will make you feel like a kid again.

28 Design your own chocolate bar at Rapt

At Rapt – The Art of Indulgence across from Truth Coffee on Buitenkant Street, you can build your own bar of chocolate. First, you’ll choose from dark chocolate, milk, or white, and then pick your chewy, salty, creamy, crispy, and fruity toppings. After ten minutes, your bar will be ready to take home (or eat on the spot)! They also serve instant ice cream made with liquid nitrogen.

29 Mimosas and Instagram-worthy pancakes at Jarryds

Sweet-tooths will love their Jarryds Lotus Pancake Stack, delicious, thick, fluffy pancakes topped with lotus biscoff spread, crushed biscuits, maple syrup, and vanilla bean ice cream! Make it a boozy brunch with bottomless mimosas for R450. Jarryds is open Monday to Sunday from 7:00am to 6:00pm. There can be a queue on weekends. While you’re there, shop for art, clothes, jewelry, and decor from local Cape Town designers at The Lobby, Blink, Mash Boutique, and The Lot Collective.

30 Learn how to make chocolate at Honest Chocolate

Between the bustling streets of Loop and Bree, sip your Coconut Dream dairy-free milkshake in a sunny courtyard (a standout from the original building), and think you’ve stumbled into summer in the Mediterranean. It really is a thing of dreams. Their banana bread ice cream volcano is also oh-so-good. Don’t forget to pick up your Honest Chocolate truffles. All their cacao beans are sustainably sourced, and their chocolate is made by hand.

Did you know that Honest Chocolate also hosts a chocolate-making workshop at their Factory in Woodstock? For R450 a person, you can learn about the process of chocolate from bean to bar and make your very own chocolate bonbons to take home. Book your workshop here.

31 Coffee tasting and latte art at the African School of Coffee

Coffee surrounded by steampunk décor in Africa’s Mother City? No, you’re not dreaming. The home of Truth Coffee Roasting is as eclectic as it is award-winning. Their tagline is “Taste the Extraordinary,” and with two wins from The Daily Telegraph for the world’s best coffee shop, I can’t disagree. Savor their five premium blends, two aptly named Black Honey and Resurrection, from their vintage Probat roaster, crafted to bring you the finest flavor of coffee possible. In hotter months, I love their Potion Coffee, Ethiopian cold brew slowly brewed over a whole day, and their Silky Rez, a creamy, delicious iced coffee blend. Look out for their coffee-infused gin!

But did you know they’re also the home of coffee experiences from The African School of Coffee? While they also train the pros, their R950 immersive coffee experience is perfect for coffee lovers. For R950, they also have an immersive world of latte art experience, perfect for beginners.

32 High tea with hypoallergenic cats

At Artekatz in Nordhoek, unwind with new, fluffy friends, while sipping on coffee or tea and enjoying the sweeping views of the bay. Artekatz is the world’s first hypoallergenic “cat cafe,” and absolute heaven for cat lovers. If high tea with savory and sweet treats, surrounded by fluffy Siberian cats and Nordhoek’s stunning views sounds like your perfect afternoon, you will love this!

33 Visit the quirky and iconic Scone Shack

Some places only make sense the farther south you get. That’s the case for the quirky and iconic Scone Shack. Right across from the entrance to Cape Point, they’re only open Friday to Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. On Sundays, there’s also a market.

If you’re an animal lover, you’ll love sitting in their expansive garden, watching their resident pigs, chickens, and ducks waddle by. Just keep an eye on your scones! The ducks and chickens love to steal a nibble.

34 Pick roses at Chart Farm

Open 9:00am to 4:00pm every day in Wynberg, Chart Farm is the perfect place for a unique date or outing with friends. Have coffee in their cafe or wander around their expansive rose garden in-between a rainbow of roses. It’s just R10 per rose, so you can pick your own beautiful bouquet of roses or simply relax on one of their benches, admiring the sweeping views over Constantia.

35 See a movie at Labia Theatre

Did you know the Labia Theatre was once an Italian embassy ballroom? Princess Labia opened the theatre in 1949 for live performances. Now, it’s a classic, old-world movie theatre with tickets for R90. Don’t forget to ask for a shot of gin or tequila in your slushy! Book tickets and check showtimes here.

36 Test your knowledge at Cape Town trivia nights

Two Tuesdays a month, you can join Quiz Nights hosted by Andile, “Inquizitorious”, at Full House (formerly Furley’s). Entrance is R25. First, second, and third place teams usually win wine, beer, gin, or a voucher for a private karaoke room.

For a true test of your brain power, try quiz nights hosted by Hugh, the Ironman Quizmaster, at Oblivion Bar & Kitchen Mondays at 7:00pm. Call Oblivion to reserve a table for your group; it can get packed. Entrance is R40. First place teams usually win a case of wine, and there are other prizes throughout the night like shots.

37 Find the secret gin bar

The “secret” Gin Bar is one of South Africa’s true speakeasies. Hidden behind the much-beloved Honest Chocolate Café and their Mediterranean courtyard, The Gin Bar comes alive at night from 5:00pm Monday to Wednesday and from 3:00pm Thursday to Saturday.

If you don’t like gin, you will before leaving. Inspired by the history and heritage of their building, medicinal gin, and Juniper (gin’s defining ingredient), their five signature cocktails “cure all manner of ills” from the head, heart, and soul to hope and ambition. With signature cocktails costing between R95 and R120, that’s a small price to pay for this remedy.

38 First Thursdays – alcohol specials!

First Thursdays is a vibe. On the first Thursday of every month, art galleries in central Cape Town stay open late until 8:00 or 9:00pm. Especially around Bree and Loop Street, (what feels like) everyone is on a night out in Cape Town, wandering from gallery to gallery, or let’s be honest bar to bar.

With music pumping and wine specials happening, it’s a great excuse for a night out. See any galleries you’d like to visit ahead of time here, or spend the night wandering from gallery to gallery.

Other art galleries in Cape Town:

• (39) Zeitz MOCAA
• (40) Norval Foundation
• (41) ART IT IS

42 Sauna session on the beach with Hot Huts

Imagine this. You’re heating all your stress away in a beautiful wooden sauna. You’re watching the waves crash through the window, when a train passes by. It’s magic! Hot Huts is a mobile sauna that visits the best beaches in Cape Town from Camps Bay all the way to Long Beach in Simon’s Town.

With the many health benefits of a sauna from muscle recovery to improving mental health, R80 for a session is budget-friendly. They also have add ons like sauna honey to moisturize your skin and REVIVE packs to rehydrate. If you’re brave, pair it with a cold water swim for maximum health benefits! Check session timings or book here.

43 Cold water immersion with Secret Sunrise

Secret Sunrise is all about bringing mindfulness, wellness, and joy back. I love their immersion series, usually the first Saturday of the month at St. James tidal pool and Camps Bay beach. With guided dance and meditation, they know how to get your body moving, your temperature up, and your bad vibes behind.

It’s a special experience at sunrise, ending with a cold water immersion that will leave you feeling uplifted and refreshed. Buy tickets and check for upcoming events here.

44 Sunset beach yoga in Clifton

The sun is setting, the waves are crashing, and you’re easing into your downward dog. It doesn’t get much better than that. Beach yoga sessions happen every Tuesday just at golden hour. You don’t need to be a seasoned yogi. Beginners are welcome. Book your spot here.

45 Lunch at Wild Eatery

Vegetarians and vegans, eat your hearts out. Tucked away in a colorful little alley is the Wild Eatery, an unassuming trailer serving some of the best healthy food in Cape Town. I love their falafel bowls, topped with delicious aubergines, roasted veggies, and and the Inari Tempura Bowl is a firm favorite, thanks to its unami flavors, tart pickled ginger, “the god of rice,” and tempura cauliflower.

When I first discovered this place, I had lunch there multiple days in a row. It’s that good. For fresh, delicious food that’s anything but boring and wont weigh you down, you’ll love the Wild Eatery. To avoid disappointment, they’re open Mondays to Saturdays to 3:00 or 3:30pm. While you’re there, pop in next-door to Nude Foods, a plastic free grocery, and Plantify, an oasis of jungle in the city.

*Photos were taken in Etosha

46 Safari at Aquila Private Game Reserve

Just a couple of hours from Cape Town, Aquila is the go-to destination for Big 5 safari experiences near Cape Town, so much so that even celebrities from Margaret Thatcher to Rihanna have visited.

Book either a half-day or full-day safari in a game vehicle, on a quad bike, or atop a horse. Spotting wild animals in a natural setting for the first time is exhilarating, but if you’ve already been on a safari before, you might find Aquila not as wild.

47 See the wild flowers in West Coast National Park

If it’s August to September, endure the wait to see the wildflowers in West Coast National Park. During flower season, the entrance fee costs R220 for international visitors and R100 for South African locals. There’s often a long queue, especially on weekends, so bring snacks, lunch, and plenty of water for your picnic.

Outside of flower season (October to July), this is still a stunning park to cool off in the beautiful blue bay, spend time by the sea, and keep your eyes peeled for West Coast wildlife. Don’t forget to look out for Cape Mountain Zebras!

48 Swim in one of Cape Town’s tidal pools

The Western Cape is home to twenty tidal pools, most of them around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. If you’ve never visited a tidal pool before, Dalebrook tidal pools in Kalk Bay is a great way to get our feet wet! It’s my absolute favorite tidal pool in Cape Town with a steady crew showing up all hours of the early morning to cheer you on. With temps between 60°F/16°C to 72°F/22°C, you might need them!

Dalebrook Café across the street even takes coffee orders from the tidal pool and will watch your valuables for free while you swim. Search for starfish on the rocks, watch the yellow train breeze past, and gaze longingly across the bay towards the Cape Peninsula.

(49) St. James Tidal Pool might be the most Insta-worthy tidal pool in Cape Town. With the brightly colored red, yellow, green, and blue changing houses reflecting into the pool, it might just be the cheeriest spot to take a swim. If you want to take photos of the pool, try visiting during sunset on a weeknight. There will be even less competition to get in your shot in the winter (May – August), when most can’t brave the 58°F, 14°C temps.

(50) Tucked away along the curve from Kalk Bay to Fish Hoek, lies Wooley ‘s Tidal Pool. Park along the road and take the steps down to swim in this peaceful spot overlooking Fish Hoek Beach, Glen Cairn, and the yellow train as it glides by.