Cape Town with its beautiful beaches, mountains, and gardens is one of the best destinations to visit in South Africa. One could easily spend a week or more in Cape Town, one of the biggest urban centers in Africa. However, if you are short on time, two days is plenty to pack in seeing some of the best that Cape Town has to offer – without a rental car! Read our Cape Town itinerary to find out how best you can spend 2 Days in Cape Town, South Africa.
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2 Days in Cape Town, South Africa – Cape Town Itinerary
I visited Cape Town for a month over the 2019-2020 holidays, and there are so many amazing things to do and appreciate in this city. Cape Town sits on the peninsula between False Bay and Table Bay. It’s the second-largest city in South Africa, and one of the most touristic cities in all of Africa. It’s generally clean and modern, with a mild climate.
If you have an opportunity to rent a car, there’s a fabulous drive around the Cape Peninsula, with even more wildlife and scenic views! A day trip from Cape Town to Cape Peninsula is something one should not miss.
Two Days in Cape Town – How to Spend 2 Days in Cape Town
Getting Around Cape Town
The Hop On Hop Off Bus is an excellent deal for tourists trying to get out further from the city. It includes an audio tour on the bus, which tells you about the general history of Cape Town as well as the different districts you are riding through. Tickets are inexpensive, and one ticket will get you as many rides as you want for a day.
Otherwise, Uber is readily available around Cape Town.
What to do in Cape Town in two days
Day 1 at Cape Town
The first day is dedicated to Cape Town’s natural beauties, the local wildlife and scenic views that are abundant.
Start your morning by heading over to the Two Oceans Aquarium to grab a bite to eat at Bootlegger Coffee Company. While Bootlegger has certainly got good food and kick-ass coffee, that’s not why I recommend grabbing breakfast here and taking it outside.
The Bootlegger patio overlooks one of the free parts of the Two Oceans Aquarium: the seal platform. These seals are Cape Fur Seals, and the morning is the best time to see them. I walked past these seals every day for weeks, and I still stop and watch them every time I pass. They can be loud or snuggly, sleek and wet or dry and furry, sleepy or animated. They might be snoozing, swimming, or fighting. At the platform, you are guaranteed to get your fill of these marine creatures.
Next door to the aquarium is the ticket booth for the Hop On Hop Off bus in Cape Town. Purchase your ticket and hop on the 8:15 am bus.
Take the bus to the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway base station. For there, you can ride the cableway up to the top of Table Mountain. The top of Table Mountain is easily the best view of the city and the surrounding area. I recommend going to the Wifi Cafe, which is quieter than the main cafe and has viewing decks looking out. If you want to, you can walk along the top of Table Mountain, which is fairly flat and an easy walk.
With a transfer on the Hop On Hop Off bus, you can continue out to Constantia, where some of Cape Town’s oldest wineries are. The views are spectacular and using the Hop On Hop Off wine shuttle, you can visit at least three wineries for tastings.
Cape Town has an especially fertile climate. The soil is rich and the temperature mild. You would be surprised by how many crops grow well in the Cape Town area. Constantia is one of the best-known wine regions, and the wineries have preserved the Cape Dutch style architecture. Constantia Groot offers an inexpensive tasting of five wines, which you choose yourself from the available list. There’s also free audio guided tours available, and much of the estate is open for you to explore.
On the way back, you’ll pass through some of the ritzier residential areas of Cape Town, including Camp’s Bay. The Camp’s Bay Beach is popular with tourists, and there’s a bit of nightlife in the area. If you are keen to find a quieter spot, continue on to Clifton Beaches or Sea Point before finishing your evening back on the Cape Town waterfront.
Day 2 at Cape Town
Spend your second day learning about the history and culture of South Africa.
Near the V&A Waterfront in the Silo District is the MOCAA – Museum of Contemporary Arts Africa. The museum is housed in an old grain silo, which used to be the tallest building in Cape Town. It’s art features African artists in a wide variety of topics and mediums.
While passing through downtown Cape Town, you may have noticed that there are a lot of grassy lots that appear to be abandoned. In fact, many of those lots reside in District Six. District Six was the site of the removal of over 60,000 residents in the 1970s. This was an effort to continue the practice of Apartheid and move non-whites out of the city. The District Six Museum documents the strife of the time and the history of the area.
Bo-Kaap is another district with a distinct history. It’s colorful houses used to be the rental houses for the Cape Malays – slaves brought from Asia and other parts of Africa. The houses were originally completely white, but when laws were changed and the former slaves became homeowners, they painted the houses in glorious bright and vibrant colors. There is a Bo-Kaap museum with the history of the slave trade in Cape Town.
Then head back down to the waterfront. If it’s the right night, the sun will set behind Signal Hill, and the clouds will pour over Table Mountain, called the tablecloth. Wandering around the waterfront gives a glimpse into many aspects of South African culture. The nearby Watershed is full of handmade crafts by local artisans. Musical groups perform a variety of entertainment: chants with drums and loincloths, gospel-inspired singing or African covers of modern hits.
There are so many food choices along the V&A Waterfront. The V&A Food Market houses over a dozen vendors, from African Bites to Knysna Oysters to sushi and poke. And, it’s cheap! The Waterfront Mall houses some of Cape Town’s most well-known restaurants, like Tasha’s, Balducci’s, and Willoughby’s.
What to Eat in Cape Town
One of my favorite dishes in South Africa is bobotie, a dish similar to shepherd’s pie. It’s a base of minced beef with curry spices and onions. On top is baked egg custard, and it’s served with shredded coconut, chutney, and maybe even bananas. The blend of flavors is really unique.
Like much of southern Africa, South Africa has a lot of Portuguese influence. In fact, it was the Portuguese king John II who named it the Cape of Good Hope. To that end, there are plenty of interesting Portuguese flavors to try in Cape Town, such as peri-peri, a spicy sauce often served with chicken.
Much of South African cuisine is influenced by curry flavors, and a uniquely South African dish is called bunny chow. Order a “quarter bunny”; a quarter loaf of white bread with the insides scooped out and filled with curry.
Cape Town Tourism – Planning 2 Days in Cape Town
How to Get to Cape Town
Cape Town is a major airport hub, with flights regularly all over the world.
Are you planning a holiday in Cape Town and working on a Cape Town city tour itinerary? Then, you can book flights right here. You can book a flight through TripAdvisor or Agoda or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline.
Where to Stay in Cape Town
We chose to stay in the V&A Waterfront area due to its activities and walkability. The V&A area is full of places to eat and interesting things to see, all within walking distance. There are many hotels, resorts, hostels in the downtown area. You can book your hotel in Cape Town right here through TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Agoda or Makemytrip or Priceline and get awesome deals and savings.
| Click here to book the best hotel/resort in Cape Town |
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Tours/Activities available in Cape Town – Things To Do In Cape Town
Cape Town’s points of interest and attractions are many and if you are wondering what to see in Cape Town or what to do in Cape Town, then look no further. Cape Town attractions can be booked online for the most recommended Cape Town tours. You can now book tours in Cape Town as well as activities in Cape Town.
| Click here to know more and book Best Attractions and Activities in Cape Town |
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We hope you found our Cape Town itinerary post – How to Spend 2 Days in Cape Town useful, and you are already dreaming 48 hours in Cape Town. What are you waiting for then? Plan Cape Town holiday today!
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We were in Cape Town a few years ago and we loved it. We also used the Red Bus to explore the city.
There are also many interesting tours that one can take from Cape Town, into the wine region and, of course, to the Cape of Good Hope.
Cape Town is on my list of places that I would like to visit asap. Thanks for your itinerary suggestions! Table Mountain looks awesome! I would definitely visit the District Six Museum. I would not want to leave South Africa without trying to learn as much as possible about the history and prevailing aspects of Apartheid.
Cape Town is on my bucket list ! That view of the Table Mountain from the harbour is to die for ! I definitely wanna check out Bootlegger cafe to see those adorable seals ! Good to know there’s cable car to the top of Table Mountain ! I always assumed one needs to hike up ! I hope to witness the “table cloth” sight ! Need to research more on what’s the “right night” ! =)
Ah we loved Cape Town and spent a week there a couple of years ago, would have absolutely loved a month! It’s such a interesting city with so many different things to do there. We tried bobotie in South Africa and it was definitely interesting with the different combinations, but we only tried it once! We had delicious food at the waterfront including amazing fresh fish and chips. This post really makes me want to return 🙂
Cape Town looks way more interesting that we had imagined! Since we love Portuguese food, it seems like a great destination for us! Thanks for sharing this post, we will add Cape Town to our bucket list now!
South Africa is a place I’ve planned to visit on a few occasions, but life had other ideas! Cape town is definitely one of the cities that I will visit once i finally make it there.
I love places where mountains meet the ocean so Capetown looks very interesting to me. Even better if there are adorable seals!
Oooh nice! You had me convinced with the trip up table mountain and wine tasting! 😉
I looove the idea of hiking along the top of table mountain and seeing those amazing views with so little effort. If you have bundles of energy, is there a path up table mountain? It looks really steep, but it would be fun to hike up and take the cable car back down!
A friend of mine has been trying to get me to South Africa to volunteer with her at SANCCOB (Coastal bird conservation ) in Cape Town.
Seems like now I may have to take her up on the opportunity and do some of the things on this itinerary!
Cape Town looks so interesting and worth exploring. These interesting tours from Cape Town are one of the best highlights. Would love to visit South Africa someday.
Ahhhh, Capetown has my heart! I visited way back in 2001 and it is still one of my favourite places 60 countries later. I was supposed to spend the month of August living there. ☹️ Two days is certainly not an ideally long enough visit but these are some great tips if someone is time-poor!