Cape Town and the Garden Route

Day by day

The plan

Times are suggestions. Opening hours and seasons change, so check before you go. Once it’s in your trip, move anything you like.

1. Day 1

   Table Mountain and the city

   1. 08:30

      Table Mountain cable car

      Activity

      A rotating car to the flat summit and wide views over the city and the bay; go up on the first clear morning.

   2. 12:30

      Lunch: Cape Malay food in Bo-Kaap

      Food & drink

      Try bobotie or a fragrant Cape Malay curry.

   3. 14:00

      Bo-Kaap streets

      Activity

      Brightly painted houses and mosques on the slopes of Signal Hill.

   4. 15:30

      Company’s Garden

      Activity

      The city’s oldest garden, near the parliament and the South African Museum.

   5. 18:00

      Sunset on Signal Hill

      Activity

      Drive up for the light over Lion’s Head and the Atlantic.

2. Day 2

   Robben Island and Kirstenbosch

   1. 09:00

      Ferry to Robben Island

      Activity

      Boats leave from the V&A Waterfront for a guided tour of the prison where Nelson Mandela was held.

   2. 13:00

      Lunch at the V&A Waterfront

      Food & drink

      Fish and chips by the harbor, with seals often lounging on the docks.

   3. 15:00

      Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

      Activity

      Native plants on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and a raised walkway through the treetops.

   4. 18:30

      Camps Bay at sunset

      Activity

      A wide beach backed by the Twelve Apostles peaks.

3. Day 3

   The Cape Peninsula

   1. 08:30

      Chapman’s Peak Drive

      Getting around

      A coastal road cut into the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, with pull-offs for photos.

   2. 10:30

      Cape Point

      Activity

      Walk up to the old lighthouse and over to the Cape of Good Hope sign; watch for baboons and ostriches.

   3. 13:30

      Lunch in Simon’s Town

      Food & drink

      A naval town with a calm harbor and seafood lunches.

   4. 15:00

      Boulders Beach penguins

      Activity

      A colony of African penguins nests among granite boulders; boardwalks bring you close.

   5. 17:00

      Muizenberg beach huts

      Activity

      Colorful huts on a long surf beach on the way back to the city.

4. Day 4

   The winelands

   1. 09:30

      Drive to Stellenbosch

      Getting around

      About an hour inland to a university town with oak-lined streets.

   2. 10:30

      Stellenbosch old town

      Activity

      Cape Dutch buildings around Dorp Street and the Braak.

   3. 12:30

      Lunch at a wine estate

      Food & drink

      Long lunches among the vines are part of the experience; try a Chenin Blanc or a Pinotage.

   4. 15:00

      Franschhoek valley

      Activity

      A smaller wine village founded by French Huguenots, ringed by mountains.

   5. 19:00

      Dinner back in Cape Town

      Food & drink

      Bree Street is lined with places to eat.

5. Day 5

   East along the N2

   1. 07:30

      Drive east on the N2

      Getting around

      A full day’s drive through wheat fields and mountains toward the Garden Route.

   2. 11:00

      Lunch in Swellendam

      Food & drink

      One of the oldest towns in the country, with whitewashed Cape Dutch houses.

   3. 15:00

      Wilderness beach

      Activity

      Stretch your legs on a long, empty beach where the Garden Route begins.

   4. 18:00

      Stay in Knysna

      Stay

      A lagoon town that is the base for the next two days.

6. Day 6

   Knysna and Robberg

   1. 08:30

      Knysna Heads

      Activity

      Two sandstone cliffs guard the narrow mouth of the lagoon; the eastern head has the best views.

   2. 10:30

      Drive to Plettenberg Bay

      Getting around

      Half an hour east to a resort town on a curved bay.

   3. 11:00

      Robberg Nature Reserve

      Activity

      Loop trails around a rocky peninsula with a Cape fur seal colony below the cliffs.

   4. 15:00

      Late lunch in Plettenberg Bay

      Food & drink

      Seafood with a view of the beach.

   5. 19:00

      Knysna oysters for dinner

      Food & drink

      The lagoon is known for its oysters; the waterfront is the place to try them.

7. Day 7

   Tsitsikamma and fly home

   1. 08:00

      Drive to Tsitsikamma

      Getting around

      About an hour east through forest to the coastal section of Garden Route National Park.

   2. 09:30

      Storms River Mouth suspension bridge

      Activity

      A short trail along the rocks to a bridge swinging over the river mouth.

   3. 12:30

      Lunch in the park

      Food & drink

      Eat near the shore and watch the waves break on the rocks.

   4. 14:00

      Drive to Gqeberha and fly out

      Getting around

      About two hours to the airport in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).