Things to do in Cape Town this weekend

Spring is many locals’ favourite time of year in Cape Town. The days are long enough for an evening sunset after a full day out, the fynbos is in flower and the summer crowds have not arrived yet. The one thing you cannot plan around is the wind, so this guide gives you a plan for a calm day and a plan for a blowy one. Check the forecast on the morning and choose.

Everything below is a real, well-known part of the city. Opening times, entry fees and the cableway schedule change, so check before you go.

Saturday morning: up the mountain

Lion’s Head or Table Mountain

If the morning is clear and calm, go up early. Lion’s Head is the shorter climb, with chains and ladders near the top on the most direct route and huge views over the Atlantic Seaboard. Table Mountain has several established routes, or the cableway when it is running. The cableway closes in strong wind, and the top is often cooler and windier than the city, so take water, a warm layer and sunscreen even if it feels mild at the bottom.

Kirstenbosch, if you want something gentler

The botanical garden on the eastern slopes of the mountain is ideal for an easy walk. The tree canopy walkway, known as the Boomslang, gives you a view across the Southern Suburbs, and spring is a good time to see the proteas and fynbos. There is an entry fee, and there are places to eat inside the garden if you want to stay for brunch.

Saturday afternoon: free and easy

Some of the best parts of the city cost nothing. Walk the Sea Point Promenade, the long, flat path between Green Point and Bantry Bay, with the sea on one side and the mountain on the other. Or head into the centre for the Company’s Garden, a quiet historic garden under old trees with several museums close by.

From there it is a short walk up to Bo-Kaap. The colourful houses and steep cobbled streets are best seen on foot, and it is worth remembering that this is a residential neighbourhood, so be respectful with your camera.

Saturday night: a date-night plan

Drive or walk up Signal Hill late in the afternoon and watch the sun drop into the Atlantic. Take something warm and a blanket, and leave before it gets fully dark. Then come back down to Bree Street or Kloof Street in the City Bowl, where you will find everything from small plates and wine bars to long tasting menus. Book ahead on a Saturday.

If you would rather end the night with music, Gardens and the City Bowl have small rooms with regular live sets. See events to go to in Cape Town this week for the format of this week’s listings.

Sunday: the False Bay coast

Spend Sunday on the other side of the peninsula. Muizenberg and St James have warmer water than the Atlantic side, colourful beach huts and tidal pools that are good for a swim when the sea is calm. Kalk Bay, a little further along, is the place for a harbour wander, antique shops and seafood with the boats coming in.

Keep going to Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town, a sheltered beach that is home to a colony of African penguins. It is part of Table Mountain National Park, so there is an entry fee. If you have a car, come home over Chapman’s Peak Drive, a cliff-edge toll road between Noordhoek and Hout Bay with lookout points along the way. It can close in bad weather.

If the wind picks up

A blustery day is better spent indoors or in the sheltered Southern Suburbs. Zeitz MOCAA, the museum of contemporary African art in a converted grain silo at the V&A Waterfront, is worth the visit for the building alone, and the Two Oceans Aquarium next door suits all ages. The Watershed is a large indoor market for local design and crafts, and the District Six Museum in the centre tells the story of the community removed from the area under apartheid.

Or slow right down with a long lunch in Constantia, where wine farms on the edge of the city have tasting rooms that feel made for grey afternoons. Arrange a driver if you plan to taste.

Before you go

The single most useful habit in Cape Town is checking the wind. A calm day is the time for the mountain, the beaches and Chapman’s Peak; a windy one is better spent in the City Bowl, the Southern Suburbs or indoors. Start early for the popular spots, carry water and sunscreen, and book dinner if you have a particular place in mind.

If you would rather decide in the moment, open the FeelingFlexi app, set Cape Town and a distance, and swipe through what’s on. You can browse as a guest, and the events you like are saved on your device.