The best things in life may well be free in nature-immersed Cape Town.
Here, hiking trails crisscross Table Mountain, and locals hit the beach before work. The weak rand helps visitors enjoy South Africa’s legendary food and wine at a low cost, but the 370-year-old city’s diverse neighborhoods can keep you enthralled without spending a cent. Here are the best free experiences in Cape Town.
1. Climb Table Mountain
Hiking the trails of varying difficulty on Table Mountain is not only free but a Capetonian rite of passage, offering sweeping views at the top. The most popular route is Platteklip Gorge, which goes straight up the mountain’s front face, with the option of catching the revolving cable car back down.
From Kloof Nek, the Pipe Track contour path leads towards the buttresses of the Twelve Apostles, with Lion’s Head and Camps Bay Beach on your right. In the same area, Kloof Corner offers a relatively gentle climb, linking with the contour trail along the front face to the lower cable car station of Platteklip Gorge. Alternatively, climb from the mountain’s Camps Bay side via Kasteelpoort, from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden via Skeleton Gorge or Nursery Ravine, or combine the two sides by crossing the tabletop plateau in the middle. You can also walk (or drive) along the adjoining flat-topped Signal Hill, passing a kramat en route to a viewpoint overlooking the Atlantic suburbs.
Planning tip: Time your visit with a full moon to strap on a headlamp and follow nocturnal locals up Lion’s Head, when a chain of torchlight snakes up the leonine outcrop.
2. Wander the V&A Waterfront
This historic working harbor has a spectacular setting and many tourist-oriented attractions, including shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, and cruises. A pedestrian swing bridge opens for tugs, fishing boats, and various other vessels to pass between the 19th-century Victoria and Alfred Basins. Discover the maritime and military history on a walking tour, or just wander to the beat of buskers, checking out The Watershed craft market and Nobel Square’s statues of Nelson Mandela and other South African Nobel Prize winners.
3. Soak up culture and history on a city center stroll
A wander through Cape Town’s venerable city center is a totally free way to get to know it better. Start on the commercial and nightlife thoroughfare of Long Street. Partly lined with Victorian-era buildings featuring lovely wrought-iron balconies, the street’s fortunes have risen from disrepute to a backpacker hangout and gentrification.
The pedestrianized portion of Church Street, between Long and Burg Streets, hosts a flea market and several interesting private art galleries. Burg Street leads straight to cobbled Greenmarket Square, the city’s second-oldest public space, with a colorful craft market and notable examples of art deco architecture.
Continuing towards the Castle of Good Hope, you’ll come across the Grand Parade, a site with a profound historical background. This is where the Dutch built their first fort, where enslaved people were sold, and where jubilant crowds gathered for Nelson Mandela’s first address to the nation in 1990.
4. Photograph the colorful Bo-Kaap
The “Upper Cape,” with its vividly painted low-roofed houses on narrow cobbled streets climbing Signal Hill, is featured in most visitors’ Instagram feeds. This area is the traditional home of the Cape Muslim community, with minarets among the cottages and stalls selling traditional snacks such as samoosas and coconut-sprinkled koe’sisters.
5. Power-walk along Sea Point Promenade
Strolling along Sea Point’s wide, paved, grassy promenade is enjoyed by locals from all walks of life. Previously a white-only area, it now serves as a great place to observe the city’s multiculturalism.
Planning tip: There are kids’ playgrounds and several public artworks to capture your attention, but if you want to get that heart rate up a little more, head for the outdoor gym.
6. Relax in Cape Town’s public gardens and parks
Traveling with children, there’s no substitute for blowing off steam in the park, and the city offers several wonderful public gardens. The Dutch East India Company established Company’s Garden to grow fruit and vegetables for sailors. There are trees dating to that 17th-century epoch and a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes, pointing to Cairo.
An eco-legacy of World Cup 2010 is the Green Point Urban Park, showcasing the Cape’s biodiversity and providing a view of Cape Town Stadium. It features a fantastic playground and lawns for picnicking, while Deer Park offers fun and an adjoining café in mountainside Vredehoek.
Join local families in favorites such as Keurboom Park, where children enjoy climbing frames and bike paths. Slightly wilder, Tokai Park has walking trails through fynbos and pines, overlooked by the mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsula.
7. Bask on beautiful beaches
Looking down from the Pipe Track, you’ll spy Cape Town’s stunning Atlantic beaches. Separated from a chic promenade by palm trees, Camps Bay is a gorgeous sweep of soft sand. With a backdrop of hillside beach houses and Lion’s Head, these scenic beaches are perfect for lazy days or romantic evening picnics.
Further south, Llandudno Beach is another mountain-cocooned gem, while Noordhoek and Kommetjie offer breathtaking views of Chapman’s Peak and Hout Bay.
Located on the peninsula’s False Bay side, both Muizenberg and St James beaches feature much warmer water than those on the Atlantic coast. Families tend to head here to spend a day in the shadow of the colorfully painted Victorian chalets. On the northern side of town, the beaches of Bloubergstrand provide stunning views of Table Mountain, with various water sports to watch.
8. Head to Hout Bay Harbour
Partly given over to tourism, Hout Bay’s harbor is still functional, and visitors can see vessels under repair beneath the Sentinel peak. This area is also home to the vibrant Bay Harbour Market, where you can catch live music on weekends.
Planning tip: While in Hout Bay, head up to Constantia Nek to hike the rear of the Table Mountain plateau or follow the contour trail to Kirstenbosch Gardens.
9. Take a road trip to Cape Town’s deep south
There is a small charge to drive along the Atlantic coast south from Hout Bay via the Chapman’s Peak Drive toll road. This route leads to the laid-back southern reaches of the Cape Peninsula. Experience this stunning area without the cost of entering the reserve at its tip. From the beach town of Scarborough, travelers can make their way to Simon’s Town and visit the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
Planning tip: For the return journey, save on toll fees by heading back alongside False Bay, stopping at picturesque Kalk Bay or family-favorite Muizenberg.
This article was first published Jun 17, 2015, and updated Apr 26, 2023.
