The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Table Mountain, Cape Town

Last Updated on August 21, 2026 by Hannah Stephenson

Table Mountain is an iconic symbol of not only Cape Town, but South Africa as a whole.

This flat-topped mountain is the city’s most famous tourist attraction. It’s visible from pretty much everywhere in Cape Town and it’s impossible to imagine what the city would be like without it!

I’ve been up to the top of this famous mountain many times, both on foot or via the cable car.

So without further ado, let’s dive into the specifics of getting up Table Mountain to make sure that you reach the top for those stunning 360° views!

How to Visit Table Mountain

You’ve got two choices to get up Table Mountain: hike or take the cable car.

There are a few hiking routes that will take you to the top of Table Mountain, which I’ll get more into later on. You can hike up both ways, or hike one way and take the cable car. 

Option 1: the Cable Car

Table Mountain cable car prices

Where can to buy Table Mountain cable car tickets

It’s best to buy your tickets online because it’s cheaper that way! It also means you don’t need to queue up at the ticket kiosks. Once you’ve bought your e-tickets, you can print them out or just keep them on your phone.

Online tickets are valid for 7 days after your chosen date. So if you book your tickets for 10 December, they will be valid until 17 December.

You can also buy tickets at both the upper and lower cableway stations, but it’s more expensive to do it this way.

Should you book tickets in advance?

I’ve always just bought my cable car tickets on the day and it’s been fine! You can still buy them online on the same day you intend to use them.

Tickets are valid for 7 days after the day you buy them, so you can always buy them in advance to be organised, just don’t do it more than a week in advance!

Where is the lower cableway?

The lower cableway is on Tafelberg Road, in the Gardens/Tamboerskloof area.

If you’re renting a car while you’re in Cape Town, then you can drive to the Cableway, as there’s free parking along the road outside. Alternatively, you can Uber there, as there’s a drop-off point right outside.

How long is the cable car ride?

The cable car is 765 metres long (2,510 ft) and the ride itself only takes about two minutes.

Some online sources say five minutes, but as someone who has ridden the cableway multiple times, I can confirm that it’s actually WAY quicker!

What’s cool about the cable car is that it rotates on the way up, so you get a 360° view of the city below without having to move. 

I’m not particularly afraid of heights but the cable car ride is fast and pretty steep. It’s nothing terrifying, but it does make my tummy do little flips!

What time is the cable car open?

The cable car times change throughout the year, with longer hours in the summer and shorter hours in the winter. It also closes during winter for maintenance. The schedule is as follows:

• 1 December – 31 January: 8 am – 8 pm, last car down at 9 pm 
• 1 February – 31 March: 8 am – 7 pm, last car down at 8 pm 
• 1 April – 30 April: 8 am – 6:30 pm, with the last car down at 7:30 pm 
• 1 May – 31 August: 8:30 am – 5 pm, last car down at 6 pm
• 1 September – 31 October: 8:30 am – 6 pm, last car down at 7 pm
• 1 November – 30 November: 8 am – 7 pm, last car down at 8 pm

During certain times of year, you can stay up at the top of Table Mountain for sunset, which is a pretty spectacular experience!

What happens if the cable car closes due to wind?

If the cable car closes due to wind, your ticket won’t be wasted. Tickets are valid for seven days after your chosen visit date, so you can just come back another time, or even later on that same day! If that’s not possible, you can also request a refund.

And if the cableway closes while you’re on the mountain, you’ll need to hike back down. Closures can happen at short notice but they do usually provide some warning, so you should be able to avoid this. If you do end up needing to hike down, Platteklip Gorge is the easiest and safest route to take down, and it ends back near the Lower Cableway.

Can you take the cable car one way?

Yes! In fact, I’ve done this myself after hiking up via the India Venster trail. One-way tickets are a bit cheaper, and you can either buy them in person, or online.

Is Fast Track worth it?

Usually, I’d say “no” unless queues are really long. At R1,200, fast track tickets are over twice as expensive as the regular kind. The only time it might be worth it is if you’re visiting on a weekend in December or early January, as queues can get really long over the holiday period. However, I’ve never felt the need to go fast track!

Is there parking near the Table Mountain cable car?

Yes, there’s tons of free parking here and all along Tafelberg Road. If you’ve got a rental car, it’s really easy to drive here! And if you need a rental car, I use Discover Cars to find the best prices and providers in Cape Town.

Option 2: Hike Table Mountain

There are four different official hiking trails that will take you to the top of Table Mountain, so I’ll break them all down for you here in order of difficulty, starting with the easiest. 

Route	Difficulty	Best for	Cable car down?
Platteklip Gorge	Moderate	Simplest route	Yes
India Venster	Challenging	Views and adventure	Yes
Kasteelspoort	Moderate	Camps Bay views	Not conveniently
Skeleton Gorge	Moderate	Combined with Kirstenbosch	No

Platteklip Gorge

Distance: 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) to the upper cable car station
Elevation gain: 699 metres
Difficulty: Moderate
Time needed: 1.5-2 hours to the cable car, 3 hours return
Starting point: along Tafelberg Road, a 20-minute walk from the cable car station
Ends at the cable station? Yes

Platteklip Gorge is the most popular route up Table Mountain. It’s a well-marked trail that starts close to the cable car station.

The path ascends in a series of zigzags and stairs, making for a fairly intense but straightforward hike. However, you can always book this well-rated guided tour if you’d prefer to go with a local who knows the route well!

If you want to hike one way and take the cable car down, this is probably the best route as the official trail ends at the top of the gorge, just 700 metres away from the upper cable car station.

It is pretty exposed to the sun, though, so make sure to wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water if you’re hiking during the summer.

Skeleton Gorge

Distance: 4 miles/6.5 kilometres return
Elevation gain: 611 metres
Difficulty: Moderate
Time needed: 3 hours
Starting point: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Ends near the cable car? No

The Skeleton Gorge hike is incredibly picturesque right from the outset. It actually begins in the gorgeous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens!

Kirstenbosch Gardens are about a 15-minute drive from the CBD. Hiking this route up Table Mountain means you’ll need to pay the Kirstenbosch entry fee, which is R230 for foreigners and R100 for locals.

To find the trailhead, follow the signage for the Skeleton Gorge trailhead and head into the forest. You won’t see much while you’re under the cover of the trees, but as you get higher up you’ll have gorgeous views over the city and False Bay. 

The initial ascent is pretty steep, and you’ll encounter some ladders along the way. The route ends at the Hely Hutchinson Reservoir, where there’s even a small white sand beach you can relax on.

Yup, that’s right, a beach at the top of a mountain! 

If you want to take the cable car back down the mountain, it’s another 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) away. I’d recommend hiking back down to Kirstenbosch and grabbing some food there instead.

Kasteelspoort 

Distance: 3.9 miles/6.3 kilometres return
Elevation gain: 576 metres
Difficulty: Moderate
Time needed: 2.5 hours 
Starting point: Theresa Avenue, Camps Bay
Ends near the cable car? No

The Kasteelspoort route is beautiful and fairly straightforward, but it doesn’t end near the cable car.

I did this hike on a date with a guy. Although I didn’t feel much of a spark with him, I really liked the route!

Kasteelspoort is similar in difficulty to Platteklip Gorge, it’s much less crowded. The views are better, too. I loved gazing out at Camps Bay, Clifton, and Lion’s Head as I climbed up the mountain.

The ascent for this hike starts off gradually with wooden steps and rocky paths before becoming more challenging with steep inclines and a little bit of clambering over rocks. 

When you get to the top, you can see remnants of the old cableway, which is pretty cool! This hike is also famed for the “diving board”, which is a granite rock that juts right out over Camps Bay below.

It’s another 2-hour hike out in the open to the cable way. It’s do-able, but very exposed. I hiked back down instead.

Guided Option

If you’d like to hike Kasteelspoort with a guide, then I highly recommend booking this small group tour.

There’s safety in numbers and you’ll be with a local guide who knows Table Mountain like the back of their hand. No need to worry about getting lost!

Your guide will also help you find the Diving Board, which can be tricky to locate on your own, and snap some killer photos for you! Then, the group will head across the top of the mountain and ride the cable car down for the full Table Mountain experience.

The tour costs between R1,400 and R1,700 per person, depending on the size of your group – you can double check prices here. This includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, so no need to worry about finding the trailhead.

Click here to book your spot, with free cancellation!

India Venster

Distance: 2.3 miles/3.7 kilometres
Elevation gain: 722 metres
Difficulty: Challenging
Time needed: 3 – 3.5 hours 
Starting point: Lower cable car station on Tafelberg Road
Ends near the cable car? Yes

India Venster is the most challenging route up Table Mountain, but also the most beautiful.

It starts and ends near the cable car station, so it works perfectly as a one-way hike.

However, there is some scrambling involved. I was really nervous about tackling this hike, so I booked this guided tour! With a guide to show me the way, the hike proved to be very doable. In fact, I discovered a love of scrambling!

Of course, if you’re an experienced hiker and scrambler, then you can totally do this alone.

What sets India Venster apart from the other trails is that you get to see the whole of Cape Town on your way up! At first, you get great views of the city bowl, and later on the trail winds around the west side of the mountain for gorgeous panoramas of Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles.

For a more in-depth guide to hiking India Venster and a review of the guided tour I did, be sure to check out this blog post.

Click here to book your spot, with free cancellation!

Best Things to Do at the Top of Table Mountain

Grab a beer from the cafe

Just writing about all of this hiking is making me thirsty! If you climb to the top, a cold one is probably going to be your top priority.

Fortunately, the cafe at the top has beers, wines, spirits, and food too, so you can reward yourself for all of your hard work.

Explore

Table Mountain has the best views of Cape Town. You can see for miles in every direction!

Definitely take the time to do a little loop around the top and admire the views from every angle. There are also lots of information boards around that tell you more about the mountain, its geology, and all of its flora and fauna.

Hike to Maclear’s Beacon 

Maclear’s Beacon is the highest point on Table Mountain, and you can walk there from the upper cableway station.

This is a really easy walk with an elevation gain of just 150 metres. It’s a 5.4-kilometres (3.4-mile) return along boardwalks and footpaths. There are a couple of boulders along the way, but nothing major.

The beacon is a big pile of rocks, and you can climb to the top for the ultimate view and photo!

Guided walks 

A good way to explore the top of Table Mountain is to join the free guided walks. They leave every hour, on the hour, from 9 am until 3 pm every day from the terrace just below the café.

The staff will show you around while teaching you more about the mountain landscape and the cableway itself. I mean, who doesn’t love a free guided tour?

How Long Do You Need on Top of Table Mountain? 

I’d say between 30 minutes and 2 hours.

The first time I went up the mountain, there was a thick blanket of clouds along the western side of the mountain. It was kind of cool, actually, but we couldn’t see a lot.

It wasn’t safe to venture too far from the cable station, either. We spent about 20 minutes looking around and then went to grab a drink.

However, if the weather is good, then you’ll probably want to spend longer exploring. When I’ve been up on clear days, I’ve always spent ages exploring and hiking around the top.

If you do a guided walk, hike to Maclear’s Beacon, and grab a drink, you might be looking at a couple of hours up there.

The Best Time to Visit Table Mountain

Honestly, the best thing to do is head up on a clear day, and at a quiet time if you can. Early in the morning or later on in the afternoon are the best way to avoid the midday crowds, but keep your plans flexible as the weather can change quickly.

During the festive season, I’d definitely recommend heading up the mountain on a weekday if possible, and buying tickets online so that you don’t have to wait at the ticket kiosk.

Table Mountain FAQs

Will the cable car be running?

The Table Mountain Cableway is scheduled to run every day, but it’s very weather dependent. It closes during strong winds, which are pretty common in Cape Town, and closures can sometimes happen at pretty short notice.

Check the official Table Mountain website before you visit. It gives you the current Cableway status, weather conditions, visibility and even approximate queue times, so you can see whether it’s worth heading up before you leave your hotel. In my experience, it’s very accurate and reliable.

This is particularly important if you’re planning to hike up Table Mountain and take the cable car back down. If the Cableway closes while you’re on the mountain, you’ll need to hike back down instead, so make sure you’re prepared for that possibility.

The cable car also closes every year for maintenance, usually for a few weeks during the winter. Again, you can check that on the official website!

How much does it cost to go up Table Mountain?

It depends! The cableway costs R475 for an adult return ticket, or it’s R300 for a one-way if you get your tickets online. You can also hike up and down for free, although I think it’s worth hiring a guide for more challenging routes like India Venster. I paid R1,550 for the tour that I did.

When should I go up Table Mountain?

Generally, I’d recommend going up early in the morning! If you’re hiking up, go fairly soon after sunrise as this is the best way to beat the heat during the summer. When I hiked up India Venster, we started at 6 am.

It’s also a good idea to get to the cable car around the time that it opens. Get your tickets online so that you’re ready to go! This will help you to beat the queues that start to form around mid-morning during the summer. You can also see what the weather’s like in the late afternoon, as the crowds start to dissipate later on in the day.

How bad are the queues?

They can get crazy between late December and early January, but in general I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes! If you’re concerned, check the official cableway website to check live waiting times.

Will the cloud ruin it?

It can certainly ruin the views! The first time I went up Table Mountain in the cable car, it was super cloudy and we could barely see anything, but the clouds did look really cool. However, in general I’d definitely recommend waiting for a clear day!

How long should I allow?

Between 30 minutes and 2 hours. You can pop up quickly just to check out the views, or you can walk all the way to Maclear’s Beacon and back, then grab a drink! I recommend spending at least an hour up here if you can, but it’s not the end of the world if you’re in a rush, I promise.

Can I Uber there?

Yes! Type in “Table Mountain aerial cableway” into the app and your Uber should drop you right outside the station. It’s super easy, and if you have a rental car, there’s plenty of parking. I use Discover Cars whenever I need to rent a car in Cape Town!

Can I book cable car tickets with transport included?

You can, but you’ll need to do it through a third-party site! I think the best option is this half-day Table Mountain tour, which includes cable car tickets, a transport, and a guide. You’ll also get free cancellation up to 24 hours before you go and the option to reschedule, which allows you to stay flexible.

Thanks so much for reading this article! I hope it makes your visit to Table Mountain easier, no matter how you choose to get up there. I’ve got plenty of resources about the city’s other iconic attractions, so be sure to check out the following:

• How to Visit the Penguins at Boulders Beach
• Franschhoek Wine Tram Tour Review
• Hiking Lion’s Head: Everything You Need to Know