Last Updated on July 8, 2024 by Hannah Stephenson
Sure, there’s a ton to do IN Cape Town, but there are also some amazing day trips on offer!
From penguins to wine farms and world-famous scenic drives, Cape Town has a ton to offer visitors beyond its beautiful beaches and bustling centre.
I always say that Cape Town isn’t really a city that you need to escape, but it’s always fun to explore a little further afield, so here are my top picks for the best day trips from the Mother City.
1) See the Penguins at Boulders Beach
Distance from Cape Town: 44 km / 27 miles
How to get there: drive, tour
I think that visiting the penguins at Boulders Beach is the most wholesome day trip from Cape Town!
Boulders Beach is super scenic in its own right, but the adorable penguins waddling on the shore make this a must-visit destination for every visitor.
The penguin colony here has actually grown from just 2 breeding pairs in 1982 to over 3,000 birds today, which is pretty impressive if you ask me!
To see the penguins, you can rent a car and drive there or take a tour. If you’re driving, it takes abut 45 minutes to get there, and I highly recommend going via Chapman’s Peak Scenic Drive.
Alternatively, you can book this tour for R640. This price includes return transport, hotel pickup and drop-off, and gives you about 2 hours to see the penguins!
I’ve visited by myself and with a tour. Either way, you have to pay the entry fee on the day! The prices are as follows:
– R190 for international visitors
– R95 for SADC citizens
– R45 for South African residents
2) Stellenbosch
Distance from Cape Town: 50 km / 31 miles
How to get there: drive, tour
Stellenbosch (or “Stellies” as it’s affectionately known) is a scenic town in the Cape Winelands. It boasts beautiful, white Cape Dutch buildings and a ton of wine farms around.
I LOVE visiting Stellenbosch. I recommend going to Simonsig to taste some of South Africa’s best bubbly, or the Waterford Estate is another of my favourites. They have a great wine and chocolate pairing. The staff were also happy to give us extra chocolates when ours melted due to the January heat!
The town itself is also incredibly charming, and there are lots of boutique bars where you can grab a crisp glass of Chenin while you watch the world go by. And for dinner, head to Post & Pepper for a gourmet meal in the historic post office building.
Stellenbosch is an hour’s drive from Cape Town. It’s easy to drive yourself, but if you want to get footloose and fancy fee with the wine tasting, it’s best to book a wine tour.
I think that this wine tour is fantastic for two main reasons.
One, it’s a private tour so it’s just you and your group. This menas can tailor the experience if you’ve got a particular Stellenbosch wine farm in mind.
And two, the original itinerary takes you to some of the very best wine farms that Stellenbosch has to offer, including Spier and the Waterford Estate! It promises to be a brilliant day out.
The tour costs R1,900 per person, or R1,500 per person for groups of 5+. This includes everything except food.
Click here to find out more and book!
3) Franschhoek Wine Tram
Distance from Cape Town: 75 km / 47 miles
How to get there: tour
This small town of Franschhoek is perhaps best known for the wine tram, which takes you on a novel (and boozy) adventure through the gorgeous Franschhoek valley.
Franschhoek is just over an hour from Cape Town, but obviously you don’t want to drive back when you’re sloshed! And that’s precisely why I love the the wine tram explorer tour so much!
I think it’s really great value for money at R695! This price includes return transport between Cape Town and Franschhoek, and a wine tram ticket. It’s a full day tour and you can visit up to 5 wine farms. Make sure to hop off at Bartinney, as I think that’s the most beautiful one! For more tips and info, check out my full guide to the wine tram.
You can book your spot on the infamous wine tram here, with free cancellation!
4) Paarl
Distance from Cape Town: 60 km / 37 miles
How to get there: drive, tour
Paarl is another winelands town. It’s not quite as famous as Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, but it’s the third oldest town in South Africa!
It’s perhaps best known for the Paarl Spice Route, which is a big complex that’s an absolute paradise for basically anyone with taste buds. You can taste artisanal chocolate, craft beer, biltong, and of course wine along the way.
Paarl is about a 45 minute drive from Cape Town. You can easily pair a day trip here with a visit to Stellenbosch or Franschhoek – or both! I did all three on the Cape Winelands sightseeing tour.
On this tour, we started with wine, cheese, and a cellar tour at Simonsig in Stellenbosch, then took a quick walking tour of the town. We also went for a tasting at the Franschhoek Cellar, where we bought lunch on our own accounts.
Then, we finished the day with a wine and chocolate pairing at Rhebokskloof, and took lots of drunken pictures by the lake. You can read my full review of the tour here but it costs R695. That’s such a steal for all that’s included – food, transport, and tons of wine!
Click here to find out more about this tour and reserve your spot!
5) Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope
Distance from Cape Town: 64 km / 40 miles
How to get there: drive, tour
This one’s for nature lovers! Cape Point is a scenic promontory at the tip of the Cape Peninsula. There’s a lighthouse and a ton of cool wildlife around, including baboons and ostriches (just keep a safe distance from both).
Then, the Cape of Good Hope is a dramatic headland that’s known as known as the southernmost point of the African continent (although as you’ll learn when you visit, this is not actually quite true).
Regardless, it’s a breathtaking spot with rocky cliffs, crashing waves, and even more chances to spot local flora and fauna. And it’s so close to Cape Point that if you’re going to visit one, you may as well see both.
It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to drive from Cape Town to Cape Point, and then it’s another 5 minutes or so to reach the Cape of Good Hope. Entry to the Nature Reserve costs:
– R400 for internationals
– R200 for SADC nationals
– R100 for South African residents
I visited Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope as part of this tour, which also took us to Boulders Beach to see the penguins! It costs R545 per person minus the entry fees, so we basically paid for transport and a guide.
We had such a good time even though the weather was awful. You can read my full review here!
Click here to find out more about this tour and book your place!
6) Chapman’s Peak Scenic Drive
Distance from Cape Town: 21 km / 13 miles
How to get there: drive
Chapman’s Peak Scenic Drive must just be one of the most beautiful roads in the world. I love driving along the rocky red cliffs and gazing out at the Atlantic Ocean. Plus, there are plenty of places to pull over and stop for photos!
The 9-kilometre (5.5-mile) drive starts in Hout Bay, which is about 20 minutes north of Camps Bay. It ends in Noordhoek, where you can head to the Aegir Project for beer tastings and burgers afterwards.
There’s a R61 toll fee to access the road. Make sure to keep your receipt for the drive back, otherwise you’ll have to pay twice!
It’s also a good idea to check the status of the road before you go, because it closes during high winds. I suggest saving this one for a sunny day, or even going at sunset!
7) Kalk Bay
Distance from Cape Town: 30 km / 19 miles
How to get there: drive, Uber
Kalk Bay is a quaint seaside suburb that’s south of the city centre. It’s got a vibrant indie scene with lots of boutiques, art galleries, and cafes to check out, hence its nickname “the Lentil Curtain.”
It really is the perfect place to spend a relaxed afternoon exploring. I usually bring my swimming costume as I love take a dip in the Dalebrook Pool on a warm day. Then, I head to the Brass Bell for a beautiful ocean view while you enjoy some top notch fish and chips.
8) Constantia
Distance from Cape Town: 18 km / 11 miles
How to get there: the wine bus!
Constantia is a charming and peaceful suburb that’s filled with beautiful old buildings, including some of South Africa’s oldest wineries. And honestly, there are very few things that I love more than going wine tasting around here!
By far the best way to explore Constantia is the wine bus! I’ve got a full guide to it here, but basically, it’s a hop-on hop-off bus that takes you to three different wine farms, including the famous Beau Constantia.
You can book your ticket online and then head to the Aquarium for pickup. Jump on the Blue Route bus and then you’ll change to a smaller bus when you reach Constantia. This is the one that will take you to the wine farms!
I think it’s so much better to do it this way because it takes forever to get Ubers in Constantia. And let’s be honest, no-one wants to be the designated driver!
You can grab your tickets for the Constantia wine bus here!
9) Hermanus
Distance from Cape Town: 122 km / 75 miles
How to get there: drive
Hermanus is a sleepy beach town that’s about two hours from Cape Town. It’s best known for being the ultimate whale-watching spot on the Western Cape; in fact, there’s even a whale festival held every year in September!
Winter is the best time to spot whales in Hermanus, but fear not: there’s still plenty of natural beauty to enjoy during the summer. There’s the famous Cliff Path, a 12-kilometre (7.5-mile) hiking route along the rugged coastline.
What’s cool about this route is that the majority of the trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible, so everyone can enjoy the gorgeous ocean views!
And I really can’t talk about Hermanus without imploring you to go and get breakfast at The Station, either. I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with The Station’s owner, Simon, a few times and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so passionate about food. So do yourself a favour and try his cheesecake or eggs benedict while you’re in town!
10) Tulbagh
Distance from Cape Town: 121 km / 75 miles
How to get there: drive
Nestled between three different mountain ranges, Tulbagh is a beautiful old town (the fourth oldest in South Africa, to be precise) where visitors can enjoy gorgeous vistas, visit wine farms, and eat farm-to-table cuisine.
It’s a 1.5 hour drive from Cape Town but there aren’t many tours that go there, so you’ll need to drive.
You can even rent a bicycle from Vindoux Guest Farm and cycle around some of the local wine estates. The route includes Krone, which is one of South Africa’s best known champagne (or MCC) producers.
And if you end up buying a ton of wine (which is likely) then there’s no need to worry, because you can attach a special carrier on your bike to make sure that none of your bottles get broken in transit.
You should also take a stroll down Church Street while you’re in the area. Much of Tulbagh was destroyed by an earthquake in 1969 that killed 12 people. A massive restoration project was then carried out to restore the historic buildings that were damaged during the quake, and as a result every single house on this street is now a national monument – pretty impressive, huh?
11) Aquila Safari
Distance from Cape Town: 176 km / 109 miles
How to get there: tour
If you don’t have time to a full-on safari in the Kruger National Park, an Aquila Safari is the next best thing. And it’s only 2 hours from Cape Town!
I’ve done this safari twice and I loved it both times. It involves a 2-hour game drive, and each time, I saw a ton of amazing animals including lions, African elephants, black rhinos, giraffes, springboks, hippos, and zebras.
We got a buffet meal before the game drive and time to enjoy the resort afterwards. When I went during the summer, we brought our swimming costumes and went for a swim in the giant infinity pool. It was glorious!
The Aquila safari costs R2,895. This price includes pickup and drop-off, one or two buffet meals (depending on the time of year), and the game drive. It’s one of the pricier day trips I’ve done, but I thought it was well worth it.
You can book your spot here, with free cancellation!
12) Muizenberg
Distance from Cape Town: 26 km / 16 miles
How to get there: drive
A day trip to Muizenberg is a must if you want to go surfing in Cape Town! It’s a hippie town that boasts a long and sandy beach with gentle waves. Plus, the Indian Ocean on this side is a little warmer than the Atlantic, although you’ll still ned a wetsuit!
If you’ve never surfed here, I would recommend booking this private lesson! For R400 – R490 per person (depending on group size), you get a 1.5-hour lesson with a qualified surf coach. I think this is a steal as the price also includes board and wetsuit rental! I absolutely loved learning to surf, even though I was terrible at it.
Meanwhile, Sea Point may have the promenade but Muizenberg has its own slightly more rustic version on offer: the Muizenberg Catwalk. It’s a 3-kilometre (1.9-mile) walk along the coastline that offers beautiful views and takes you past several historic monuments.
13) Durbanville
Distance from Cape Town: 30 km / 19 miles
How to get there: drive
Durbanville is less famous than Franschhoek and Constantia, but it’s still home to some excellent wine farms. In fact, this is the first place I ever went wine tasting!
I highly recommend a trip to De Grendel. The views of Table Mountain from the tasting room are fantastic, and I love the merlot here.
D’Aria and Klein Roosboom are also great! I would highly recommend grabbing some lunch from The Terrace at D’Aria. It’s casual but super elegant. We didn’t book but I recommend that you reserve a table online if you’re visiting during the festive season.
I guess the only problem with doing the Durbanville wine route is that there’s no wine bus or tram you can take here, so someone needs to be the designated driver. You can easily take an Uber to and from Durbanville, but getting between the wine farms might be tricky if you’re relying on ride hailing apps.
14) West Coast National Park
Distance from Cape Town: 100 km / 61 miles
How to get there: drive
The first time I visited West Coast National Park, it truly took my breath away!
The reason I love it so much is because it boasts a beautiful beach alongside the Langebaan Lagoon. And unlike the cold, choppy water at the Clifton Beaches in Cape Town, the saltwater lagoon is calm, warm, and absolutely perfect for swimming in.
Plus, the beach is much quieter than the beaches in the city!
We also went flamingo spotting, and there are hiking trails and lots of birdwatching spots in the park. But for me, the beach is what really makes the park worth the 1.5-hour drive from the city, and the R116 entry fee (R74 for locals).
For more fun things to do in and around Cape Town, check out…