Cape Town is a city that covers over 400 square kilometers with a population of close to 4 million. A city that big can seem intimidating to even the most seasoned traveler. Cape Town has something to offer for everyone. You can go wine tasting, hiking, surfing, partying, sightseeing, or on a safari. The options are really endless. So in all of this, what should you pick if you are there for a limited time. Keep reading to find out the perfect Cape Town itinerary 7 days. It will give you a taste of what Cape Town has to offer, and it will make you fall in love with this magical city.

Day 1 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Explore the city with a free walking tour

If you have just arrived in Cape Town chances are you are tired and this first day of relaxed exploring is perfect for that. You should spend the day just getting accustomed to the city and the atmosphere. You can walk around on your own or you can catch a free walking tour. There are multiple you can choose between, like the historic tour, the Apartheid to Freedom Tour or the tour of Bo Kaap. All are great options, and there are three different times during the day when tours start. That way you can even catch multiple if you want to. The tours are a great way to not just see the city, but also have someone explain what it is you are seeing.

Rent a bike and discover the luxurious parts of Cape Town

In the afternoon you can rent a bike on the Seapoint promenade and ride it through Cliffton and to Camps Bay where you can relax on a great, white beach and enjoy delicious dinner with an amazing view. There are lots of options for both food and drinks, I personally love Ocean Basket. The areas Cliffton and Camps Bay are known for their luxury and high-class feel. Biking along the promenade you can enjoy the view of the ocean as well as admire the beautiful houses.

After dinner, you can head down to the beach and watch the sunset over the horizon before heading back for a great night sleep. If you have rented your bike from Upcycle you can pick it up in Seapoint and drop it off when you get to Camps Bay. That way you can just hop in a uber when you want to head back.

Day 2 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Explore Table View and Blubergstrand

After enjoying a refreshing breakfast you should hop on a mycity bus and head to Table View. Table View is known for its magnificent view of Table Mountain from the beach, as well as great conditions for water sports. The beach there is long and beautiful, and you will never forget the view. While there you should try out Kitesurfing. There are multiple companies that offer lessons and courses. Kitesurfing is a sport where you stand on a surfboard, but you also have a kite and you let the wind pull you instead of just the waves. It is hard, but you will have the time of your life. After a tough lesson, you can enjoy a well-deserved meal in Table View. You should opt for a place that has a view of Table Mountain, my personal suggestion is News Cafe.

Enjoy a night out in Long Street

Get ready for a wild night out in one of the best party streets there are. Lond Street in the Cape Town city center is pretty much just a really long street with mostly bars, clubs and restaurants on each side. There is so much to choose from here, whether you want a high-class bar, a techno club, fancy cocktails or shots for one rand, you can find it all here. Some places you should try out is the Spacebar where you can get your cocktail served in a huge jug, the Beerhouse where you can try 99 different kinds of beer and the Dubliner which is a favorite among travelers and the place to go for a real party.

Day 3 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Visit the Robben Island museum

In the morning you can head into the city center, specifically the V&A Waterfront, and from there you can catch the ferry out to Robben Island. The ferry leaves three times a day, 9am, 11am and 1pm. I suggest catching the first one both to avoid the crowds and so that the weather will be cooler. You can book the ferry and a guided tour ahead of time. The tours usually take about 3.5 hours. Robben Island has been a museum for a long time now, and it is a very unique museum. You should take the time to go there to learn more about Apartheid, Nelson Mandela and the darker side of South Africas history. The tour will take you though all the different parts of the prison, and what is very unique about this tour is that all the guides on the island was once political prisoners themselves.

Try surfing in Muizenberg

Cape Town is famous for surfing, and it is known as a real paradise among surfers. During your stay in Cape Town, you should definitely give it a try. It doesn’t matter if you have never set your feet on a surfboard before. There are tons of companies that offer lessons, also to complete newbies. If there is one perfect place to try surfing for the first time it is Muizenberg. Muizenberg is a suburb on the coast of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. It is most famous for its colorful victorian beach huts along the beach. You can try out a private lesson, do a course as a group or if you are experienced you can just rent a surfboard. No matter you will have a great afternoon exploring the waves and the ocean.

Day 4 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Watch the sunrise from the top of Lions Head

Start your day really early with a hike up Lions Head to watch the sunrise. Lions Head is the peak to the west of Table Moutain. The hike itself takes about 90 minutes. You should check ahead of time when the sunrise is and time it so that you arrive at the top in time. The hike is relatively easy. It starts with a dirt path and finishes with a more rocky part. In the end, you can also choose between a harder or easier route. They only differ in about five minutes, but the harder route is a lot steeper and can be a bit scary and intimidating.

On the way up you will have the beautiful view of the city sparkling in the dark below you, and the moon above you. Remember to bring headlights or flashlights with you. As you get to the top you will have a wonderful view of all of Cape Town, the coast and Table Mountain, and you can watch the sunrise above it all.

Go on a winetour

After your early morning hike, you deserve a treat. It is time for one of the best things that Cape Town can offer, and a must on any Cape Town itinerary; a wine tour. Just to the east of Cape Town lies the Winelands. These suburbs are known for their gorgeous scenery and delicious wine. A guided wine tour is the easiest way to explore this area. The tours will usually take you to a few different vineyards and they have everything set up. You just get in the van and go from place to place. At every vineyard, you get to taste a few of their wines, and this is usually done in amazing scenery.

The rows of grape-plants, the lush, green valleys, and the old Dutch houses are unlike anything. At each place, you can also buy bottles of the wines if you find any to your liking. You usually also visit somewhere where you eat lunch and you might even get to do a chocolate and wine, or a cheese and wine pairing. The tour is also a great way to make new friends and bond with other travelers. There is nothing like good wine to bring people together.

Day 5 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Cape Peninsula tour

Now it is time for one of the most famous tours in Cape Town, and that is the Cape Peninsula tour. Taking a tour of the Cape Peninsula is usually a full-day tour. This is something that needs to make it to your Cape Town itinerary no matter what. Touring the Cape Peninsula you get to see so much. You will drive down to the Cape Point and the Cape Point Nature Reserve, and on the way there you will pass the Twelve Apostles, Hout Bay, Noorhoek and you will drive along the Chapman Peak Drive. You will spot a lot of beautiful scenery and cute small towns. When you enter the nature reserve you will see a lot of fauna and flora. You can spot ostriches, lots of baboons and even zebras, and so many others.

You will also drive to the classical Cape Point sign where you can take some pictures. There is also a small hike that you can take up to a lighthouse where to view is just breathtaking. On the hike, you will also most likely pass some baboons which is very cool. After the national park, you will head out to Simons Town for lunch, and from there you will pass through different towns and you also get to see the colorful houses of Muizenberg. After lunch, Bulders Beach is on the plan. That is where you can see penguins roaming in the free. It will be a day you will never forget.

Day 6 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Get your adrenaline pumping with shark cage diving

If you are an adrenaline junkie you will love how this day starts; shark cage diving. This is something that is becoming more and more popular and earning a spot on many people’s Cape Town itinerary. It is an activity that really gets your blood pumping. You get up close and personal with one of the most infamous animals in the world, the white shark. If you want to do this you should make sure that the company you go with care about the animals, the environment, their staff, and general safety. You do not need a diving license to participate.

Watch the sunset from Table Mountain

You cannot visit Cape Town and not visit Table Mountain. This mountain is one of the most characteristic sights in Cape Town, and even in all of South Africa. There are different routes you can choose between. The most popular one is Platteklip Gorge. It is the most direct and takes about 2 hours to the top, if you are fit you can do it quicker. It is quite steep, and you need to prepare for the heat. The sun is directly on you most of the hike so you need sunscreen, sunglasses, and lots of water. If you want to hike a less crowded route or you want to opt for a more difficult or longer hike there are plenty of other options. There are routes that start at the back of Table Mountain for example.

You should time it so that you hit the top in time for sunset. It is beautiful, you get to see Cape Town in daylight, sunset, and dark. When you want to go back down, you can hike back down or you can take the cable car. Remember to take some extra precautions if you decide to hike back in the dark. The cable cars are a great option. They take you down quickly and you get a wonderful view on the way down. Also, do not be alarmed by the spinning. They turn slowly so that everyone gets a 360-degree view. I was not prepared for this and it definitely startled me.

Day 7 of your Cape Town itinerary:

Take a tour of a township

In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refer to the often underdeveloped racially segregated urban areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(South_Africa)

If you want to learn more about the history, culture and the authentic Cape Town you should add a township tour to your Cape Town Itinerary. The townships in South Africa were created during Apartheid for segregation, and many of them have kept developing and still are. Many avoid going there because they are associated with crime and violence, but if you take a tour through one you will notice that many of your preconceptions are wrong.

A lot of people are also skeptical about the morality of touring around in the townships, they do not want to make anyone uncomfortable or take advantage. However, that is not at all how most tours are. Most of them promote understanding between people of different backgrounds and they will teach you about the hardships, but also show you the unique culture, the hope, and the happiness. This is something that more people should try out and add to their Cape Town itinerary.

Have dinner at Mama Africa

One place that you need to have dinner at while in Cape Town is Mama Africa in Long Street. It is a restaurant that offers traditional African soul food in an unusual and exciting environment. They have dishes like crocodile, ostrich, springbok, and warthog. Remember that if you want to eat here you will need to make a reservation ahead of time.

Paraglide of Signal Hill

Finish off your week in Cape Town in the most epic way, paragliding. Signal Hill is the hill that leads up to Lions Head and it is known as the perfect place for a picnic and to watch the sunset. It is also known for one other thing, and that is the possibility to paraglide off it. It is tandem paragliding, which means that you paraglide with a professional and that people who have never done it can experience the rush in a safe environment. You run off the hill, get captured by the wind and sail on it over the ocean before landing. Most companies offer pictures and videos that you can take with you to remember the experience.

What is on your Cape Town itinerary?

If you are planning a trip to Cape Town make sure to check out where to stay in Cape Town