There are 17 stops in total on Cape Town’s Red City Tour. These are my favourites. And if you feel like splashing out, City Sightseeing Cape Town has joined up with Cape Town Helicopters to bring you a 360° view of the city.
Cape Town Helicopters, takes off from just behind the V&A Waterfront.
It’s magical to see one of the world’s prettiest cities from the sky at sunrise. Cape Town Helicopters, situated just behind the V&A Waterfront, flies over Table Mountain, Cape Town Stadium and over False Bay towards Fish Hoek and Muizenberg. On landing, a free shuttle goes from the helicopter to the bus starting point at the V&A Waterfront. Buses come every 20 minutes, and the last leaves at 5:05pm from Stop 1. The combined ‘Two Oceans’ deal costs R1800 (Tel: 086 199 5551).
Helicopter flights head over Table Mountain, Cape Town Stadium, False Bay, and on towards Fish Hoek and Muizenberg.
Lion’s Head and Clifton Beach.
My five favourite stops on Cape Town’s Red City Bus Tour
1. Stop five: City Centre
At Stop 5 in Long Street, jump on a Yellow Downtown Tour for a taste of the Mother City’s history and charm. There are numerous craft stalls in the cobbled Greenmarket Square, built in 1696, with quirky goods such as cowhide laptop bags or decorative hand-carved wooden masks.
Baran’s (Tel 021 426 4466) is a halaal Kurdish restaurant that serves a good lunch at decent prices. The Iskender of roast lamb on layered pides (Kurdish pizza bread) is delicious, as is the traditional oven-baked baklava. The Church Street Antiques Market is set up outside on cobbled street stones and is great for vintage garb.
In the same road, the AVA Gallery (Tel 021 424 7436) is free entry, then there are the historic Long Street Baths (adults R14, children R8) which are worth a visit, even if it’s just to admire the Victorian architecture.
2. Stop six: Colour and creatives
For jewellery lovers, Stop 6 is close to the Jewel of Africa (Tel: 021 424 5141), a showroom of sparkling diamonds, tanzanite and authentic African beads, masks and attire. Across the road is the Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre (Tel 021 300 1088), where the local creative crowd hangs out.
The vintage decor is quirky, the kitchen serves delectable nibbles and the upstairs theatre hosts various shows. The nearby suburb of Bo-Kaap, where brightly painted houses line cobbled streets, is worth a stroll, but even better is a Malay cooking course with The Bo-Kaap Cooking Tour (Tel 074 130 8124). Atlas Trading (Tel 021 423 4361) is a local institution in Wale Street; it has every spice you need to create Cape Malay meals.
3. Stop seven: Table Mountain
Stop 7: Table Mountain.
Table Mountain is one of the world’s seven wonders and a hike up Platteklip Gorge is the oldest and most direct path to the top. The route will take between one and three hours, depending on fitness. The hike is physically demanding and suitable shoes are important. But there’s also the cableway (Tel 021 424 8181), adults R225 return, children under 18 R110, and a restaurant at the summit.
If it’s your birthday, bring your ID as rides are free (SA citizens only).
4. Stop 14: Museum District
Victoria Street runs alongside the Company’s Garden, which houses South Africa’s largest and oldest museum, the South African Museum (Tel 021 481 3800), adults R30, under 18s R15.
It focuses on natural history and houses fossils as old as 700 million years, an impressive marine exhibition, as well as a planetarium. The nearby South African National Gallery is a must for art lovers: the Michaelis Collection sits here, as well as work by notable artists such as Mary Sibande and William Kentridge. Up the road on Plein Street, where a free tour of the parliamentary buildings is available by arrangement (Tel 021 403 2197). You can also book tickets to attend a debate, free of charge.
5. Stop 17: District Six
Buitenkant Street is a good springboard for exploring this vibrant area, which commemorates the past but also has new growth. For context, District Six Museum is a great start. It’s a memorial to the forced removal of 60000 residents by the apartheid government (Tel 021 424 7436). Self-guided adult tickets R30, guided tour tickets R45.
The Homecoming Centre is an extension of the museum where you can view films from the archives, cultural performances and storytelling. The Little Wonder Store on Hanover Street has a great collection of South African books, and The Book Lounge is worth popping into; it’s become a Cape Town institution.
After all this you’ll need a caffeine kick, and Truth Coffee on Buitenkant Street is a great pitstop, or journey’s end with its steampunk decor and dapper baristas (Tel 021 200 0440).
The Red City Tour heads along the Sea Point Promenade towards the Waterfront.
This story first appeared in the November 2014 issue of Getaway magazine. All prices were correct at time of publication, but are subject to change at the establishments’ discretion. Please take them as an indication only and check for latest prices before travelling.
