Last Updated on August 29, 2024 by Hannah Stephenson
If you’re looking for some wallet-friendly activities in Cape Town, then don’t worry because there is a TON to do here for under R200. I mean, I’ve got 20 activities in this article alone!
I have already written articles on free things to do in Cape Town and things to do for under R100, so this blog post focuses solely on activities priced between R100 – R200.
I’ve lived in Cape Town for 3 years now, so rest assured, I know all the best things to do on a budget. So whether you’re looking to check out the local wildlife, make your own chocolate, or just grab drinks, I’ve got you covered.
And for those not familiar with the South African Rand, here’s a quick conversion. At the time of writing, R200 is roughly £8.50, $11 USD, or €10 EUR. Exchange rates do fluctuate, so use this as general guidance only.
- 1. Boulders Beach
- 2. Wine Tasting
- 3. Spend the Day at Oudekraal Beach
- 4. Do a Seal Cruise to Duiker Island
- 5. Enjoy a Meal at the Waterfront
- 6. Sip a Sunset Cocktail at the 12 Apostles
- 7. Visit the Aquarium After 3 pm
- 8. Go Beer Tasting on Long Street
- 9. Eat Fish and Chips in Hout Bay
- 10. Have Brunch (or Dinner) at the Oranjezicht Market
- 11. Galileo Open Air Cinema
- 12. Grab Coffee and a Sweet Treat at Jason’s Bakery
- 13. Rent a Bike at UpCycles
- 14. Enjoy Dinner and a Movie at the Labia
- 15. The Sky Hi Ride
- 16. Make Your Own Chocolate Bar
- 17. Signal Hill Sunset Bus Tour
- 18. Do a Distillery Tour
- 19. Take Advantage of a Happy Hour Deal
- 20. Take an Audio Tour of Muizenberg
1. Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach is famously home to a colony of African penguins! Since it’s a protected area, there is an entry fee, which is R45 for locals or R190 for foreigners.
I really think that Boulders Beach is a must-visit while in Cape Town, so the fact that entry costs less than R200 is a real bonus. The beach itself is absolutely beautiful, and there are always hundreds of penguins here. It’s so cute!
Boulders Beach is about a 50-minute drive south of Cape Town. However, I highly recommend adding an extra 50 minutes to your journey and taking the scenic route. If you drive out of the city via Camps Bay, you can head to Boulders via Chapman’s Peak Scenic Drive, which is one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever seen.
I’ve included a map of the suggested route below!
2. Wine Tasting
Hands down one of my favourite things about South Africa is the fact that it’s so affordable to go wine tasting here. In fact, it would be hard to find a tasting over R200 – that would be seriously fancy!
If I listed every single wine farm that offers a tasting for under R200, we’d be here all day. However, there are some real standouts, so I’ll share a few of my favourites that I definitely think you should check out.
Beau Constantia
Beau Constantia is one of Cape Town’s best known wine farms, mostly because it’s so dang beautiful! Visiting Beau is always a treat, and I love their experimental wines. You can expect to pay between R110 – R150 for a tasting here.
Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia stakes a claim at being the oldest wine farm in South Africa. It doesn’t have Beau Constantia’s epic views, but I think the wine here is actually the best in the Constantia Valley! Plus, a tasting costs just R130 for 5 wines, and you get to take your glass home with you afterwards.
De Grendel
De Grendel is on the Durbanville wine route, and it’s a beautiful estate with epic views of Table Mountain. It was also the first wine farm I ever visited! You can do the 6-wine premium tasting for R130, or the flagship for R150.
Klein Roosboom
Klein Roosboom is a gorgeous Durbanville winery with an old world-y feel that I just adore. The white wine tasting costs R90 or the red costs R95, and both include four wines to try. Or, you can get the best of both worlds and try two whites, a rosé, and two reds for R120.
3. Spend the Day at Oudekraal Beach
Oudekraal is a nature reserve about 10 minutes south of Camps Bay, in the Bakoven area. I love spending a beach day here because you get beautiful views of the Twelve Apostles and Lion’s Head, and there’s a braai area, so you can play all day!
Another reason I like visiting Oudekraal is that it’s great for swimming. The beach area is protected by rocks so you don’t get big waves here like you do at the Clifton beaches, and it tends to be quieter, too.
Entry to Oudekraal costs R160 for foreigners, or R45 for locals. It’s open from 7 am until 6 pm in the summer, although during winter it only opens on weekends. I recommend packing a cooler full of goodies and getting here early to make the most of the day in this beautiful (and severely underrated) area.
4. Do a Seal Cruise to Duiker Island
Duiker Island, aka Seal Island, is just off the coast of Hout Bay, and hundreds of seals can be found atop this giant rock at any one time.
Best of all, you can cruise around seal island for just R110 on this boat trip. It lasts for about 40 minutes and you absolutely will see seals. I went snorkelling here and I lost count of how many I saw – and that was on a supposedly “quiet” day!
Plus, Hout Bay is stunning, so taking in views of the surrounding mountains and coastline isn’t too shabby of an experience, and there’s live commentary on board to boot.
Click here to book your seal cruise, with free cancellation
5. Enjoy a Meal at the Waterfront
The buzzing V&A Waterfront area is home to a ton of affordable restaurants. It’s easy to find a meal for under R200 around here, as long as you know where to go!
Personally, I’m very partial to the Life Grand Cafe, as it has lovely harbour views, reasonably priced wine, and delicious food. Most menu items are under R200 here, from poke bowls to huge plates of pasta and their gourmet sandwiches and wraps. Yum!
However, other affordable options include:
- Primi, where you can easily get a main for under R100
- Mozambik, where curries cost R135 – R160
- Tasha’s
- Den Anker
- Tiger’s Milk
6. Sip a Sunset Cocktail at the 12 Apostles
The 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa is about 10 minutes south of Camps Bay – near Oudekraal, actually!
Their 3rd floor Leopard Bar is my favourite place in the city for a sundowner, because sunsets here are truly epic. The sky flashes such vivid colours and the views of the ocean, Lion’s Head, and the rugged coastline are just gorgeous.
Plus, I’ve never needed to book to get a spot out on the balcony, as this is a bit of a hidden gem that’s a little out of the way. Cocktails here cost between R115 and R190, so grab one and make it last as the sun sinks dramatically over the ocean.
7. Visit the Aquarium After 3 pm
The Two Oceans Aquarium does a fantastic job of showcasing southern African marine life, and they actually do a lot of conservation work. However, what a lot of people don’t know is that you can get in for cheap after 3 pm each day!
Yup, a ticket usually costs R250 per adult, but if you go after 3 pm, you can get in for just R190. This is really worth doing, as you only need 1-2 hours here. It stays open until 6, so the after-3 entry still gives you plenty of time to explore.
8. Go Beer Tasting on Long Street
I wouldn’t usually recommend spending much time at all on Long Street, but BeerHouse is worth braving this dodgy street in the CBD for.
It’s housed in a bright yellow building that looks like it belongs in New Orleans, and it’s one of the best places to go beer tasting in Cape Town. And best of all, you can get their Beer O’Clock tasting tray for R180.
As you can guess from the name, the tray is shaped like a clock and there’s a 100ml taster for each hour. So if you’re really into your beer, I highly recommend this!
9. Eat Fish and Chips in Hout Bay
Hout Bay is a gorgeous area, and it’s also home to the best fish and chips in Cape Town!
Yup, Fish on the Rocks is right next to the ocean, and it’s easily identifiable by its bright yellow exterior. I highly recommend getting their hake and chips for R105, and then enjoying them outside as you gaze out at the beautiful bay.
Honestly, for R105, you really can’t go wrong. I was also absolutely delighted that my fish and chips came in proper newspaper wrappings, old school style!
10. Have Brunch (or Dinner) at the Oranjezicht Market
The Oranjezicht Market is Cape Town’s best known farmer’s market – and with good reason! Lots of local restaurants showcase their food here, and you can find everything from Ethiopian curries to German flammkuchen. Yum!
The market is open every weekend until 2 pm, so it’s perfect for brunch. However, during the summer months, it also opens from 5 pm until 9 pm on Wednesday nights, so you could come for dinner.
Either way, a meal here is unlikely to set you back more than R200… but is very likely to be delicious!
11. Galileo Open Air Cinema
Does life get more dreamy than watching a movie outdoors on a summer night?
I don’t think so! And tickets for the Galileo Open Air Cinema are super reasonable at R145 per person. Throughout the summer, they regularly host movies at Kirstenbosch Gardens, Century City, and even some of the wine estates in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.
This would be such a cute date idea, so keep an eye on the schedule to find out what’s on!
12. Grab Coffee and a Sweet Treat at Jason’s Bakery
Every Capetonian knows about Jason’s Bakery. It’s got the best baked goods in town, and their iced coffee slush is to die for.
Situated along Main Road in Green Point, Jason’s bake everything fresh on the day, and man do they do a good job of it. From pastries the size of my head to pies and their amazing sourdough bread, you are truly spoiled for choice here.
Best of all, it’s pretty easy to find a coffee and pastry combo for under R200. You really can’t go wrong here!
13. Rent a Bike at UpCycles
UpCycles is a bike rental company with stations at the Waterfront, Sea Point, and Camps Bay. You can pick up and drop off bicycles at different stations, so this is a super convenient way to explore Cape Town by bike!
Best of all, bike rental costs R200 for 3 hours, which would be plenty of time to cycle along the coastline from the Waterfront to Camps Bay. In fact, you could get there and back in that time.
I’ve included a map below to show you the route I’m talking about!
14. Enjoy Dinner and a Movie at the Labia
The Labia is Cape Town’s oldest movie theatre, and it’s beloved for its vintage charm. Plus, they offer some great deals that allow you to see a movie and grab dinner at a local restaurant for R200 or less per couple!
For example, on Mondays you can get two burgers at the Wolf House restaurant and two Labia tickets for R200. Or, on Thursdays, you get two pastas at The Sanctuary instead.
You can check the full list of specials here, but basically, you order your dinner special at the restaurant, pay, and then hand in the receipt to get your movie tickets at the Labia later on. Check here to see what’s on!
15. The Sky Hi Ride
The Sky Hi Ride is a drop ride perched on the 28th floor of the Hotel Sky in the CBD. I think it’s safe to say that it combines a birds-eye view of Cape Town with a serious adrenaline rush! And at R200 per ticket, why not go for a ride?
Personally, I’ve always been a little too scared to do this, but I will one day! It’s open from 12 pm – 8 pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and you can get your tickets via Webtickets.
16. Make Your Own Chocolate Bar
This bean to bar workshop is a must for chocoholics! If you fancy learning about African chocolate, trying different types, and making your own personalised bar, then don’t miss this class!
It takes place in the foodie hub of Maker’s Landing, and at R190, I think it’s well worth checking out. It would be a great indoor activity for a rainy day.
17. Signal Hill Sunset Bus Tour
Watching the sunset from Signal Hill is a really famous thing to do in Cape Town, but if you don’t have a rental car, Ubering there can be a bit of a nightmare, as it gets so busy!
So instead, I highly recommend booking this sunset bus tour. This way, you get to cruise around the city in an open tour bus before enjoying a breathtaking sunset from Signal Hill.
Best of all, you’re welcome to bring a picnic on this tour for the full Signal Hill experience! And since your transportation is all sorted with this tour, why not sneak a cheeky bottle of wine into your picnic basket…?
Grab your spot on the sunset tour here!
18. Do a Distillery Tour
If you’re more into rum than wine, don’t miss this epic distillery tour. Innocent Spirits was founded by a best friend duo who have won several awards for their rum making, and this tour offers a fascinating glimpse into rum production.
Oh, yeah, and you get to taste 4 different local craft rums, as well as two gins for “dessert”! How cool is that?
I must say, given that you get a distillery tour and 6-spirit tasting, this tour is extremely well-priced at R130. Plus, the owner and host, Andrew is so friendly and will truly show you the meaning of South African hospitality.
You’ll be smiling from ear to ear by the end of the tour – and not just because of the alcohol!
Grab your distillery tour spot here, with free cancellation!
19. Take Advantage of a Happy Hour Deal
Happy hour deals abound in Cape Town, and most of them will let you score two drinks for under R200. So why not take advantage?
There are tons of places boasting a fantastic happy hour, but I’ve rounded up some of the very best deals below:
- 2-4-1 on beers or cocktails at 14 Stories
- R30 mimosas at Arnold’s
- R20 glass of wine at Van Hunks or two Tafel lagers for R45
- 2-4-1 cocktails at Fable
- Discounted classic cocktails at Cafe Caprice
20. Take an Audio Tour of Muizenberg
Hippy Muizenberg is Cape Town’s surfing hotspot, but it’s also a quirky village with an interesting history. So, if you’d like to know more about it, you can purchase this audio tour and let the app take you on a guided walk around Muizenberg.
This audio tour costs R99 and is perfect for anyone who wants to dive deeper into Cape Town’s history. There aren’t really many tours of Muizenberg available, so this is the perfect way to discover more about life behind the Lentil Curtain.
You can grab your audio tour here!