Travel to Cape Town

Well done! If you are reading this, it means that you are planning to travel to Cape Town? Right?

Well, I am going to tell you a little secret: it's the best decision you have ever made! I can still remember the day I have made this decision... I was so excited and something warm inside me was telling me that this trip will change my life...And it did! Big time!

So beware and ready to have no desire to leave Cape Town once you have been here! And, as a result you might do everything you can to stay...and live here! This is the risk you take when you travel to Cape Town! :-)

Now, once you've made the decision to 'just' visit Cape Town, you need to organize your trip. I'm going to try to help you with that, based on my experience! And also, I am going to give you all advice and useful tips that I can think of to make your travel to Cape Town...a lifetime experience! ;-)

You can fly with South African Airways who offers affordable fares for good service. And there are other reliable airlines, my favourite one is Emirates (excellent service, good food, comfort, 30kg allowed for the check-in baggage+ 7kg for your cabin bag...).
For more info on international flights to Cape Town, click on here.

There are up to 900 domestic flights per week! Not too bad for an African country! ;-) There are several national airlines which offer great fares such as www.flymango.com, www.onetime.co.za . My favourite is www.kulula.com. , just listen to what they say! The hostesses and the pilot love to have fun and make jokes before taking off and landing...

If you want more information on national flights and South African airlines, click here.

Few people know that it is actually possible to come to Cape Town by boat . This is a luxury way to get to Cape Town with no worry about time and a bit of adventure.

The great news is you'll always find millions of amazing things to do in Cape Town in winter or in summer!

However, if I were you I would organise my trip for October because the tourism season hasn't started yet. The prices for accommodation are still reasonable as high season starts in November.

October is then not that crowdy and above all it is the peak of the whale season,

Another great month to travel to Cape Town is March, because most tourists have left and the weather is bliss! Again, the prices are better than in high season!

In the Western Cape including Cape Town, the best time would be the summer months, from November to March, as winter tends to be rainy.
For more info on Safaris in the Western Cape, click here.

November to March: summer (14-30°C/57-77°F) April to June: Autumn (11-22°C/51-72°F) July to mid Sept: Winter(06-18°C/43-63°F) Mid Sept to October: Spring(13-20°C/55-68°F)

You can check the weather on Weather SA which is quite an accurate website. This will give you a fair idea of the kind of climate you're going to experience.

Now, it's important to know, when you travel to Cape Town in autumn(from April to June) or in winter (from June to September), you can sometimes experience the four seasons within the same day!

For the anecdote... When I arrived in Cape Town, I used to smile when people were saying to me that rain is so beautiful and romantic. I thought it was a joke even though they seemed rather serious!

I grew up in Cherbourg in the North West of France where the rain is part of your life, 280 days a year! Here it is the reverse! Now, after 9 years of living in Cape Town, I understand what they mean and I actually agree! Crazy me! Who would have ever thought that?!

Eh oui! It is so seldom to see, feel and smell the rain, that when it falls, it gives a good reason to stay indoors for once! Light a fire, prepare a nice cup of hot chocolate or a glass of wine and enjoy your book! You feel so guilty to do that when the sun is shining outside that you hardly do it!

And, have you ever noticed how bright the colours are and how fresh it's smelling when it has just rained?!

If you are planning to come during winter (from June to September) in Cape Town, you can enjoy a different side of Cape Town and still have fantastic holidays. Ah! And by the way, one of the best time of the year to see magnificent sunsets is in winter because the clouds turn into dramatic red colours...Amazing!

Ah! J'oubliais!...the wind! Do you know how we know that summer is around the corner? With the wind! Eh oui! The wind in Cape Town blows only in summer. It's one of the reasons why Cape Town is THE paradise for kitesurfers and windsurfers. If you have access to the internet during your trip, you can check the wind on Windguru to plan your day accordingly. There are beautiful sheltered beaches , that will enable you to have a wonderful sun bath even with the strong South East wind.

Thanks to the wind we're never too hot in Cape Town! I told you it's just a perfect place!

Alors, you can travel to Cape Town by plane, by boat, by car and for winter holidays or for sunniest days, you'll always have a memorable holiday...

The South African currency is the Rand . You can get it at banks in your own country even though some countries don't stock it or the easiest if to withdraw it with your credit card at any ATM machines in South Africa. There are ATM machines at almsot every corners and at the airport.
Note: Banks normally charge a fixed fee per withdrawal so I advise you to rather witdraw big amounts to avoid paying too much fees.

Well, it all depends when you come and what for! It should at least include:

- your passport (validity date must be over 6 months after the end of your stay in South Africa)

- A warm jersey. You never know when the wind will blow and even in summer the evenings can be quite chilly. The last thing you want is to spoil a romantic sunset because of goose bumps!

- your camera and I can promise you, you will use it a lot!

- your international driving license which will be required if you are planning to drive around. You can apply for it at your city hall / mairie. It is usually valid for 10 years and it is free.

- walking shoes, as there are amazing hikes amazing hikes to do in and around Cape Town,

- sunglasses because the sun is awake nearly every day...

- swimming costume, a must to enjoy all beautiful beaches all beautiful beaches Although, I'll be surprised that you actually get to swim! Cape Town is a city of 2 oceans: Atlantic and Indian! On the Atlantic side the water never goes above 14°C (57.2°F) while the Indian ocean heats up in summer and can reach up to 23°C (73.4°F).

- don't bring any fancy clothes if you don't want to because you won't have to! Even in very fancy and luxurious restaurants, you won't have to wear a tie or a jacket. Nice shoes and shirt and you'll be perfect!

- a top with long sleeves and a pair of trousers against mosquitoes if you are planning to go on safari.

- sun lotion because the South African sun is naughty and can burn you badly.

-a good guide about Cape Town if you haven't find everything you need in my website! ;-)

- If you bring any electrical items with you, remember that South Africa, like in the UK, use a 240v system. However, the plugs are not the same. The South African variety is round, and nearly about the same size as the British plugs. Fortunately, there are adapters available at the airport and in most chemist shops (drug stores) and I can definitely recommend this one:

If you would like even more packing tips, click on essential vacation packing tips.

Are you planning to travel to Cape Town with your baby?
Don't worry about bringing all the equipment with you, you can hire whatever you need with Babylite.

It's on purpose that I've chosen to talk about the safety, specifically at the very end of this section as most media talk only about that and it always upsets me as this is the last thing which should be said about Cape Town!

Yes there is crime but mostly in townships and no it's not going to affect your holidays if you apply the same rules that you normally apply in any other big cities in the world. These rules are... don't go around flashing your wallet or camera, etc., and don't put yourself in unnecessary danger.

I also encourage you to check the list of frequently asked questions to get more information about the budget you should plan while you travel to Cape Town, the safety and vaccinations...

Have you thought of a Travel Insurance - Trip Cancellation during your travel to Cape Town?

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