Cape Town is South Africa’s earliest city and offers holiday makers brilliant shopping malls, eating at restaurants and other interesting attractions all below the back drop of the iconic Table Mountain. The Victoria and Albert Waterfront is the best area for a touch of retail therapy prior to discovering a place to eat where you can easlily sit outside and watch the world pass by all year round.

Interesting attractions in Cape Town include things like the Two Oceans aquarium, a craft market or you may wish to see the local artists perform at the amphitheatre. Robben Island was the jail where Nelson Mandela spent a number of years and it is open to people who can arrive by a quick boat journey.

Cape Point has claimed a large number of shipwrecks over the years and it is worth travelling to the site that is at the very end of Africa. The drive over Chapman’s Peak is as magnificent as the sight from Cape Point with its hairpin twists and turns and steep cliffs.

Along with finding a great deal of things to do in Cape Town, it is also the ideal starting point to experience the surrounding area of the Western Cape. The winelands of Paarl, Franshoek and Stellenbosch are well loved with both self drive and escorted tours. In between July and October, the town of Hermanus is known to be without doubt one of the recommended places in the world where you are able to whale watch from the shore.

The breathtaking scenery of Cape Town makes it an excellent spot to spend your getaway for folks looking for action, wining and dining or peace and quiet. A extensive range of accommodation is available geared to all budgets.

Johannesburg and Cape Town are among those South African cities that are all in a dither because soon the FIFA World Cup 2010 will start. The opener is South Africa against Mexico, and this contest will inspire many people around the globe to keep their eyes glued on their TV sets.

If soccer and sightseeing is your idea of a good time then South Africa is the place for you. The first games, in the new Cape Town Stadium, are beginning and expected to draw soccer fans and tourists alike. With the stadium able to hold over 68,000 people you can imagine what an experience you’ll have.

The area around Cape Town is renown to harbor some of the most scenic spots on earth. Many attractions of various kinds capture the interest of the visitors and tourists. The beautiful nature with its wild and exotic wild animals, as well as the culture and the friendly people turn a visit into an experience that is not easily forgotten. The most famous attractions of Cape Town will be mentioned below.

Visitors who want to ride the Cable Way to Table Mountain will find that it is a great way to view the city and areas surrounding it. It can transport individuals up and back in less than 10 minutes. The cable cars have a rotating floor so that the passengers will get to view a full circle of sites of the area. The experience is like no other.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront at Cape Town is the major tourist attraction with 10 million international tourists annually. This great centre offers entertainment as well as lively shops selling international and local products through 400 vivid stores.

At the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, you’ll find more than eighty restaurants so tourists can try typical meals from South Africa along with foods from other countries all around the globe. The working harbor surrounds this area, and its beauty is enhanced by Victorian architecture combined with an African influence. The whole space is exotic and beautiful.

The Kistenbosch Natural Botanical Gardens, which was established in 1913, cover 528 hectares, which makes them one of the world’s largest botanical gardens. They have all kinds of plants and flowers, with over 4,700 species found in South Africa. They are known all over the world for their attractive displays and well-kept appearance.

Musical performances are given during the warm months, and crowds of people come to picnic on the beautiful lawns. These gardens draw the attention of horticulturists and those who love plant life. They come to do research and study the South African flora.

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Cape Town is the provincial capital of the Western Cape and is famous for its harbour and well-known landmarks such as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is the most popular tourist destination in Africa. Tourists are also attracted to Cape Town by its good climate, the natural setting and the city’s well-developed infrastructure.

Cape Town’s Climate
The city is known for its Mediterranean Climate and well-defined seasons. Rainfall in mountain areas average around 1500 mm per annum, while valleys and coastal plains average 515 mm per annum.

Winters
Winters in Cape Town lasts from May to September. Cape Town winters are known for large fronts, heavy precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. It is a cool season with average minimum temperatures of 7 °C. It is also the time of the year for most of the city’s annual rainfall.

Summers
Summers in Cape Town are warm and dry and lasts from November to March. Cape Town becomes uncomfortably hot in February and March when the Berg Wind (mountain wind) blows from the Karoo interior.

Flights
Visitors from South Africa can get cheap flights to Cape Town by visiting bestflights.co.za

Attractions

Beaches
The beaches of Cape Town are not only popular with tourists, but local residents as well. Several different beaches can be visited in the same day due to the city’s unique geography. Beaches located on the Atlantic Coast tend to have colder water and water at False Bay beaches tend to be warmer by up to 10 °C.

Table Mountain
Table Mountain forms a large part of the Table Mountain National Park and is the back end of the City Bowl. A thin strip of cloud sometimes forms over the mountain and is called the “tablecloth”. Table Mountain Cableway or the hiking trail can be used to reach the top of the mountain.

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is built on the docks of the Port of Cape Town. The V&A Waterfront features hundreds of shops and the Two Oceans Aquarium, making it one of the city’s most popular shopping venues. Ferries depart for Robben Island through the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the waterfront.

Cape Malay Bo-Kaap
The Cape Malay Bo-Kaap is one of the most visited areas in Cape Town. Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, also known as the Kaapse Klopse, is held annually on January 2 or “Tweede Nuwe Jaar”. Teams of minstrels compete in bright coloured costumes with lively music and lots of entertainment.

Streets and Buildings
The city’s historical streets and buildings are a major draw for tourists. Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density of Cape Dutch style buildings in the world. These buildings are most visible in Constantia, the old government buildings and along Long Street.

Wine Tasting
Wine tasting and sightseeing are popular day trips in the Cape Winelands, especially the towns of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Worcester and Paarl.

Whale Watching
Whale watching attracts many tourist to the city. The nearby town of Hermanus is known for its Whale Festival, but whales can also be seen in False Bay. In August to November, the breeding season, the Southern Right Whales and Humpback Whales are seen off the coast. Throughout the year the Bryde’s Whales and Killer whales can be seen.

Places to Stay
Visitors of Cape Town usually stay in the following popular areas: Camps Bay, Sea Point, the V&A Waterfront, the City Bowl, Hout Bay, Constantia, Rondebosch, Newlands, Somerset West, Hermanus or Stellenbosch.

The History Of Cape Town
Bartolomeus Dias arrived at the Cape in 1488 and named it “The Cape of Storms”, which was then later named as “The Cape of Good Hope’. Ten years after, Vasco de Gama came to the Cape and from this time onwards the Portuguese acquired Eastern trade and the Europeans became well known to the Khoi-Khoi. It can be said that this was the reason for the Cape’s cultural diversity. Jan van Riebeek, in 1652, established a permanent settlement at the Cape, which was like a halfway station for ships to get fresh water and food. It also helped doing trade with the East. The Cape needed slaves because the crops that were planted to give us food were to be taken care of so the imported slaves made an enormous contribution to the Capes diverse cultural heritage.

Tourism
The Cape has a good variety of ethnic music, along with African dancers, which can be witnessed at the St George’s Mall. There one can find good traditional African music performed with instruments such as bongo drums, xylophones and flutes. On the first day of January the streets of Cape Town will be filled with rich cultural activity of the “Kaapse Klopse” or Coon Carnival. This annual parade consists of 20,000 people who will dance and sing, performing traditional tunes to start the New Year on a positive note. This time of the year is famous for the singing of the Cape’s Malay choirs and many church choirs, which forms a distinct part of the music and cultural heritage of Cape Town.

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Architecture And Robben Island
British, Dutch and contemporary African architecture form Cape Town’s foundation. The city’s Dutch heritage is reflected in traditional Cape-Dutch buildings, while its African residents (who typically cannot afford expensive residences) have managed to create innovative living spaces from unexpected designs and materials. This eclectic African style is often known as “shack chic”. Visitors to Cape Town can enjoy a scenic cruise to Robben Island, where political prisoners were held throughout South Africa’s apartheid years. In fact, Robben Island was home to Nelson Mandela for more than a quarter-century. Mandela later went on to become the nation’s president. Robben Island was also home to many other anti-apartheid activists and visitors today can visit the on-site museum, which honors the courage of those who fought for freedom.

The Castle Of Good Hope And Table Mountain
The most important tourist spot is the castle of good hope and Table mountain. The castle, being the oldest stone building in South Africa is situated in Cape Town city centre, forms the Western Cape’s military headquarters and has a wonderful museum and a good restaurant. Table mountain provides an exciting, popular cable car service for the tourists to reach a restaurant at the top of the mountain and to enjoy the beautiful view while dining on the mountain.

Cape town is a city with lot of tourist attractions. Getting a cheap flight into Cape Town is just as easy getting the attractive rates on their car hire deals.The city is also known for its variety of lodges, hotels, bed and breakfast houses, and back packers. The city will suit any type of tourist as it supports different type of people, food, and music and of course variety architecture.