Question 1

Cape Town on Your Own

Accepted Answer

The V&A Waterfront makes the simplest Cape Town day on your own, because you can walk it from the ship and cut the walk short at any point. Table Mountain and Robben Island both depend on the weather and on booking, so plan them before you sail. A waterfront walk: From the terminal, walk past Makers Landing to the Silo District and Zeitz MOCAA, then along the harbor to the Clock Tower precinct, the Watershed craft market and the Two Oceans Aquarium. The swing bridge: The pedestrian swing bridge on this walk opens for boats; when it does, take the alternative route nearby. Table Mountain: The lower cableway station is 20 to 30 minutes by road. Wind and weather can close the cableway, so check its status before you leave the ship. Robben Island: Tours leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway on the waterfront and take about 3.5 hours, so book ahead and allow four to five hours in all. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, and traffic can stretch the drive back from the mountain. Carry ID: South African officials may ask for ID at any time. Carry a copy of your passport photo page, and keep the passport itself somewhere safe unless you need it.

Question 2

Getting Around Cape Town

Accepted Answer

Ride-hailing apps and metered taxis are the simplest way to reach places beyond the waterfront. Metered taxis are safer than minibus taxis. Bolt and Uber both operate, and their prices can differ noticeably, so compare the two. MyCiTi buses serve the waterfront, the city and parts of the Atlantic seaboard; confirm the route, how to pay and the timetable before you rely on one. The drive to the Table Mountain lower cableway station usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, longer in traffic. Cape Point, Simon's Town and Boulders need a full-day road excursion and are not practical by ordinary public transport on a port day.

Question 3

What to Eat in Cape Town

Accepted Answer

For a taste of the city's own cooking, go to the Bo-Kaap, where Cape Malay food is the specialty and bobotie is the community's signature dish. A few restaurants there serve it. Atlas Trading, an old-fashioned spice shop in the Bo-Kaap, will mix the spices for a dish you want to cook at home. The Bo-Kaap also has street food.

Question 4

Tipping in Cape Town

Accepted Answer

In South Africa a tip of around 10 percent is usually expected in restaurants. The same rule of thumb is often applied to taxis. Taxi drivers usually get about 10 percent of the fare. Petrol station attendants and hotel porters usually receive a small tip as well.

Question 5

Museums, Neighbourhoods, and the Weight of History

Accepted Answer

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years in prison, is the visit most people plan around. Tours leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront and take about 3.5 hours, including the ferry both ways. Tours left at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 in October 2026, and a foreign adult paid R600 and a foreign child under 18 R310. Check before you go. Book well ahead. The island has been a World Heritage Site since 1999. Zeitz MOCAA is in the Silo District, on the waterfront walk from the terminal. The city's Afrikaans name is Kaapstad, and in Xhosa it is iKapa.

Question 6

The Cape of Good Hope: Crossroads of the Maritime World

Accepted Answer

Cape Town's written history begins with Portuguese sailors in 1488 and a Dutch supply station in 1652, and runs through British rule, apartheid and its end. The city's museums tell much of that story within a short ride of the harbor. First sighting, 1488: The written history of the Cape begins with the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, who reached it in 1488. A supply station, 1652: Jan van Riebeeck landed on 6 April 1652 to set up a station where Dutch East India Company ships could take on water and food. The Castle of Good Hope, 1666 to 1679: The company built this stone fort between 1666 and 1679, partly with slave labor. It is the oldest existing building in South Africa. British rule: Britain took the Cape in 1795. The Dutch ruled again from 1803 until British troops returned after the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806. A harbor, 1860: Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's second son, tipped the first load of stone for the harbor breakwater in September 1860. The Alfred and Victoria basins, built between 1860 and 1920, are now part of the V&A Waterfront. Apartheid, 1948: The National Party won the 1948 election on a policy of racial segregation that became apartheid. District Six, 1966: District Six was declared a white-only area in 1966 and bulldozed, one of many removals that pushed families out to the Cape Flats. Freedom, 1990: Hours after his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela gave his first public speech in decades from the balcony of Cape Town City Hall. To learn more ashore: The District Six Museum, at 25A Buitenkant Street in the city center, tells the story of the district and its people.

Question 7

Cape Town with Children and Families

Accepted Answer

With children, the V&A Waterfront gives you an easy day close to the ship, built around the Two Oceans Aquarium. Table Mountain is the bigger outing for older children, as long as the weather lets the cableway run. Younger children: The Two Oceans Aquarium, on the waterfront within walking distance of the ship, is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Children under 4 ride the cableway free. School age: On the Table Mountain cableway, a child aged 4 to 17 paid R230 for a return bought online in October 2026, against R475 for an adult; tickets cost more at the ticket office. Check before you go. If the weather turns: An online cableway ticket stopped by the weather can be used on the next open day in the week you booked, or refunded. Only tickets sold through the cableway's own agent are valid. Kirstenbosch, with its raised canopy walkway, is a good alternative when the cableway is closed. Teenagers: The Robben Island tour, about 3.5 hours, suits older children who know something of Nelson Mandela's story. Penguins: A colony of African penguins lives at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town, but it is a full-day road trip from the port.

Question 8

Accessibility in Cape Town

Accepted Answer

The walk from the terminal around the V&A Waterfront is mostly on level, paved paths. For the city center, a taxi or ride-hailing car is easier than walking. The swing bridge on the waterfront walk opens for boats; when it does, use the nearby alternative route. The cableway publishes guidance for wheelchair and mobility-scooter users, so read it before you go. Ask the Robben Island ferry about boarding with a wheelchair when you book.

Question 9

Shopping in Cape Town

Accepted Answer

The Watershed craft market on the V&A Waterfront is within walking distance of the ship. Waterfront souvenirs tend to be expensive, so compare prices before you buy. On Sundays the Green Point market, outside the stadium and within walking distance of the waterfront, sells curios for less. At open markets prices are seldom marked, and visitors are often quoted two to three times the local price, so bargain.

Question 10

Beaches on the Cape Peninsula

Accepted Answer

Clifton's four beaches and Camps Bay face the cold Atlantic, so plan them as stops on a coastal drive rather than a beach day. The warmer False Bay beaches are farther away, on the railway line south of the city. Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek and Simon's Town are on the Simon's Town railway line. Finish any train ride before 18:30, or before dark if that comes sooner, and keep valuables out of sight on board.

Cape Town

More views of Cape Town

Good to know

What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Cape Town