| Capetown | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Region | Western Cape |
| Population | 433 688 |
| Postal Code | 8001, 8000 |
| website | |
Capetown (Afrik. Kaapstad, dim. [ˈKɑːpstɑt]; eng.Cape Town, dim. [ˈKeɪptaʊn]) - the second city in terms of the number of inhabitants in South Africa.
Drive
By plane
Cape Town International Airport is South Africa's second largest airport (the largest being OR Tambo Internationa Airport in Johannesburg). There are many flights every day to Johannesburg, Durban and other major South African cities, as well as neighboring cities such as Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Gabarone, Maun and Nairobi. Further international flights are from Buenos Aires, Doha, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York and Atlanta. Many charter planes from Europe land in Cape Town during the summer months.
Prices for domestic flights have dropped drastically in recent years due to increasing competition.
The cheapest airlines are: Mango (http://www.flymango.com/),
Kulula.com www.kulula.com, British Airways: http://www.comair.co.za/ andhttp://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_za
South African lines are also worth recommending:http://www.flysaa.com
Airlink http://www.saairlink.co.za/
Kulula.com, as the name suggests, sells its tickets online. It also offers very affordable rental cars and accommodation in selected Protea hotels, all of which can be booked at www.kulula.com
By rail
The railway line from Muizenberg to Simonstad runs along the coastline of the ocean. Passengers can therefore admire the beautiful views. All passenger trains are managed by PRASA (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa), which has a long and short distance branch. Shosholoza Meryl focuses on city-bound trains, MetroRail provides intercity connections. Cape Town's main train station is in the city center at the corner of Adderley and Strand.
Possible rail connections:
There are two day trains to Johannesburg via Kimberley.
It runs to Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Pitermaritzburg on Mondays and Wednesdays.
To Port Elizabeth via George and Oudtshoorn runs on Fridays.
It runs to East London on Sundays and to Queenstown on Thursdays.
MetroRail has two comfort classes for trains running around Cape Town, MetroPlus also known as First Class and the Underground (Third Class). Passenger trains with MetroRail are an excellent means of transport between neighboring cities such as Stellenbosch, Strand, Paarl, Somerset West, Malmesbury, Worcester and to the southern districts (Claremont, Wynberg, Retreat) and to the beaches of Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Hish Hoek, Glencairn and Simonstad. Contrary to many reports you may read, MetroRail trains are safe, but it is advisable to avoid traveling at night. If traveling at night it is advisable to use the busiest carriages. The views of the Cape Town Simonstad route are majestic, from Muizenberg to Simonstad the train tracks run alongside the sea. Whales can often be seen, on stormy days, water droplets from broken waves fall on the windows of the carriages. For the best views, make sure to sit on the eastern side of the train (left if facing Simonstad) Trains to Stellenbosch run every two hours, if in a hurry ask at the ticket office for the next Stellenbosch train departing from Bellville and Eerste River.
By car
Watch out for pedestrians on highways and public roads. Most of the roads around Cape Town are very well maintained, making traveling by car very nice. Many of the main highways start in Cape Town. The N1 runs north-east via Paarl, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg to Harare in Zimbabwe. It is also the best choice if you are going to the northern Drakensberg and Kimberley Mountains. The N2 runs along the East Coast towards the Garden Route, George and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, across the Wild Coast to Durban and Swaziland. The N7 runs parallel to the west coast to the town of Springbok. in the Northern Cape Province and to Namibia. It takes you to Upington and Kgalagandi Transfrontier Park.
Renting a car in South Africa is cheaper than in Europe or in many other countries. Gasoline is cheaper compared to Europe. South Africa and other South African countries drive on the left-hand side.
Car rent
When renting a car, please remember that: South Africa has left-hand traffic. Cape Town has a very well-developed road network, so it's easy to get lost there. Many drivers in South Africa have bought their driving license. There is a lot of corruption in South Africa. Many drivers cannot read and write. When signing the contract, please check how much is the excess amount in a car accident. Some companies charge as much as ZAR 9500 (about PLN 3,600) for even a small damage to the vehicle.
CABS Car Hire, Cape Town International Airport,
tel. 27 (0) 21 386 5500 ([email protected]), open 24 hours a day.
Pace Car Rental, City and Airport Branches, tel. 27 (0) 84 840 2847 ([email protected])
Car Rental Services - CARS, City and Airport Branches, tel. 27 (0) 21 553 8000 ([email protected])
Avis, Cape Town International Airport, Tel. 27 (0) 21 934-0330, Open 24 hours a day.
Tempest Car Hire, Cape Town International Airport, Tel. 27 (0) 21 934-3853 (Toll Free: 0861 836 7378), Open 24 hours a day.
Cruise Table Bay Car Hire, 25 Aviation Crescent, Airport City, tel. 27 (0) 21 386-7699 ([email protected])
Hertz, Cape Town International Airport, tel. 27 (0) 21 935-3000, Open 24 hours a day.
Thrifty, Cape Town International Airport, Tel. 27 (0) 21 936 2116, Open 24 hours a day.
Drive Africa, 370 Main Road, Observatory, tel. 27 (0) 21 447 11 44 Passenger car and 4x4 rental. Car sale and repurchase for long term residence in Cape Town.
Penny K’s economical car hire, 24 Van Ryneveld Rd, Devilspeak, tel. 27 (0) 72 736 69 57
By bus
All major bus companies provide transport from Cape Town to most cities in South Africa and to Windhoek, Namibia. Some cities have up to 6 buses a day. The bus station is at the corner of Adderley and Strand Street, next to Golden Acre. For more information, contact your nearest tourist information office. Bus tickets can be purchased from Computicket. Cape Town also has Bay Bus routes. Greyhound 27 (0) 83 915-9000 Intercape Mainliner, 27 (0) 21 380-4400 Translux, SA Roadlink, 27 (0 ) 11 333-2223
By ship
Safmarine's container ship fleet offers berths for up to 10 people on the Tilbury (England) route to Cape Town. Ships run all year round, in both directions about twice a month. Bookings are accepted by travel agencies in England. Call Captain Richard Hellyere directly on 01703 334415 Contact in South Africa 021 4252470 RMS St Helena carries up to 128 passengers from Cardiff (Wales) to Cape Town via Tenerife, Ascension Island and St. Helena. There are 4 sailings annually in each direction. Contact UKCurnow Shipping LtdThe ShipyardPorthleven, HelstonCornwall TR13 9JA, UKtel. 01326 563434 RPASt Helena Line (PTY) Ltd, 2nd Floor, BP Center, Thibault Square, Cape Town 8001 Tel. 021 425 1165
Public collective transport
Worth seeing
Cape Town is not only the largest tourist attraction in South Africa, it is also one of the most interesting cities in the entire African continent thanks to its mild climate, natural beauty and well-developed infrastructure.
The city prides itself on several famous natural sites attracting masses of tourists from all over the world. The most famous is Table Mountain, part of the recently delimited Cape National Park. You can get to the top of the mountain on foot or by cable car. Cape Point is considered the dramatic (due to the storms prevailing there) end of the Peninsula. Many tourists ride along the Chapmans Peak scenic route that connects Noordhoek to Hout Bay for views of the Atlantic Ocean and rocky mountain slopes. It is also possible to climb Signal Hill to admire the views of Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town. Many tourists also visit beaches that are popular mainly with the local population. Due to Cape Town's unique geographic location, it is possible to reach several very different beaches in one day, with different atmospheres and natural surroundings.
Even though the water in the Atlantic Ocean is considered cold, the difference in temperature between the two opposite ends of the city is astonishing. In the part called Atlantic Seaboard, the average water temperature is a little over 13 ° C, in False Bay it is much warmer, the average annual water temperature there is 16 ° C and is comparable to the temperatures of the northern Mediterranean (Nice, for example). During the summer months, the water in the False Bay reaches temperatures of over 20 ° C with maximum temperatures as high as 22 ° C. On the other side of the city, the water is much cooler due to the cold Benguel Current flowing from Antarctica, while the waters of False Bay can be up to 10 ° C warmer at the same time due to the influence of the warm Algoa current and the warm southeast wind. Both coasts are equally popular, but the infrastructure on the beaches on the Clifton side is more developed. There is a well-known row of restaurants and bars facing Camps Bay Beach.
Boulders Beach next to Simonstad is famous for its African Penguin colony. Surfing is a popular water sport, Cape Town is the site of the Red Bull Big Wave Africa competitions every year. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (Victoria & Alfred Waterfront) was built in the 1980s on the docks and the old port. It quickly became the most popular shopping center among tourists, with several hundred shops, many restaurants, bars and the famous Two Oceans Aquarium. There you can see marine fauna of all shapes and sizes, from delicate seahorses and spiny sea urchins to colorful reef fish and voracious man-eaters. The rock aviary is inhabited by black oystercatchers, tanning penguins and golden-cubed penguins. Part of the Waterfront is still used as a port. Visitors can see ships depart and enter.
There is a marina called the Nelson Mandela Gateway, between which a ferry runs to Robben Island. Besides, it is possible to take the ferry from Victoria and Alfred Quay to Hout Bay, Simonstad and the seal colony on Duiker Island. Many travel agencies organize trips to Cape Flats, a neighborhood inhabited by mulattoes and khayelitsh where blacks live. An additional attraction can be accommodation in one of the many B & Bs and the experience of real African life. Cape Town is famous for its historic architecture created by combining Dutch, German and French traditions. The best-preserved historic buildings in the Constantia neighborhood, the old government building in the city center.
Along Long Street you can admire beautiful Victorian townhouses with boutiques, souvenir shops and antique shops specializing in books about Africa and in the first editions. The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest fully preserved building in South Africa. The fortress has walls 10 meters thick and five corner bastions, each named after a different title of the Prince of Orange. Currently, it houses the military district headquarters, as well as the army and sea museum, a collection of William Fehr paintings, a gallery of silver and furniture from the Cape Colony, and an exhibition of Asian porcelain.
It is worth a try
Nearest neighborhood
Cape Vineyards, in particular the towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, are popular destinations for day trips organized from Cape Town to admire the scenery and taste the wines. Constantia is the oldest vineyard in South Africa founded in 1685 by Simon van der Stel, and a great example of Dutch colonial architecture in the Western Cape Province. The fine wines produced here have more than 325 years of history, and whale watching is a popular attraction among foreign tourists. The most common are the Southern Biscay whales, which mate annually in the sheltered bays of the Cape Province. The nearby town of Hermanus is famous for the Whale Festival. The only one in the world "whale herald" works here, which in the season, that is in September and October, wanders the streets and blows the horn announcing where whales have been last seen. It is estimated that in 2004 Cape Town was visited by 1.5 million tourists who spent around EUR 1 billion. The most popular tourist destinations include Camps Bay, Sea Point, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, City Bowl, Hout Bay, Constantia, Rondebosch, Newlands, Somerset West, Hermanus and Stellenbosch. Cape Town Tourism http://www.capetown.travel/ is the official government organization responsible for advertising and assistance to tourists and businesses. They provide a wealth of detailed information and bookings for Cape Town attractions, sightseeing and accommodation.
Science
work
Shopping
As with most big cities, Cape Town has many noteworthy shopping centers.Bayside Center, is located on the corner of Blaauwberg Road and Otto Du Plessis Drive, Tableview, Tel. 27 (0) 21 557-4350 ([email protected]), Shops open 9.00am to 7.00pm Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 5.00pm Saturday and from 10.00 to 14.00 on Sundays.
Blue Route Mall, on the corner of Tokai and Keyser River Roads, Tokai, tel. 27 (0) 21 713-2360 ([email protected])
Canal Walk, Century Boulevard, Century City, tel 27 (0) 21 555-3600 ([email protected])
Cavendish Square, Vineyard Road, Claremont, Tel. 27 (0) 21 657-5620 ([email protected]), Open 9.00am to 7.00pm Monday to Saturday and 10.00am to 5.00pm Sundays.
Constantia Village, on the corner of Constantia Main and Spaanschemacht River Roads, Constantia, tel. 27 (0) 21 794-5065 ([email protected])
Kenilworth Center, on the corner of Doncaster and Chichester Roads, Kenilworth, Tel. 27 (0) 21 671-5054
Longbeach Mall, on the corner of Buller Louw Drive and Sunnydale Road, Noordhoek, tel. 27 (0) 21 785-5955 ([email protected])
Maynard Mall, on the corner of Main and Wetton Roads, Wynberg, Tel. 27 (0) 21 797-1714
Mainstream Center, on the corner of Main Road and Pricess Beach, Hout Bay. Shops are open from 9.00am to 7.00pm Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 5.00pm on Saturdays and from 10.00am to 2.00pm on Sundays.
N1 City, Louwtjie Rothman Drive (exit Monte Vista Boulevard), Goodwood, tel. 27 (0) 21 595-1170
Tyger Valley, on the corner of Bill Bezuidenhout and Willie van Schoor Avenues, Bellville, tel. 27 (0) 21 914-1822, [124]. Shops are open from 9.00 to 19.00 Monday to Friday and from 10.00 to 17.00 on Sundays and Saturdays.
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Breakwater Road, Cape Town, Tel. 27 (0) 21 408-7600, Shops open from 10.00am to 9.00pm daily.
Gastronomy
Entertainment
Accommodation
Sparingly
33 South Backpackers, 48 Trill Road, Observatory, Cape Town tel. 27 (0) 21 447 2423, [email protected] Boutique style hostel, every Tuesday you can join the legendary creative afternoon tea. Price R120 per person, breakfast included.
African HeART Backpackers, 27 Station Road, Observatory, Cape Town Tel. 27 (0) 21 447 3125, [email protected], R120 per person including light breakfast and FREE internet ..
Sunflower Stop Backpackers, 179 Main Road, Green Point, Cape Town Tel. 27 (0) 21 434-6535, [email protected], from R100 per person.
African Train Lodge, 3 Old Marine Drive, Monument Station, Cape Town tel. 27 (0) 21 418-4890, bookings @ trainlodge.co.za, Overnight in rebuilt railway carriages in the very center of the city, next to the train station. Price from R100 per person.
Alive PTL, Beyers Road, Woodstock. Woodstock is not a safe place for tourists. Beyers Road has a bad reputation, avoid nearby Gympie Street. R70 prices per person.
Ashanti Lodge, 11 Hof Street, Gardens, tel. 27 (0) 21 423-8721, [email protected], R110 per person or R60 per person for camping.
Cape Town Backpackers, 81 New Church Street, Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, tel. 27 (0) 21 426 0200 ([email protected]), [140]. Listed by the British newspaper The Independent in January 2009 as one of three places worth visiting in Cape Town. stay (the other 2 places are 5 star hotels). They won the Best Hostel in Africa competition organized by Hostelworlds in 2006 and 2007 and rated highly in 2008. It's clean, welcoming and has a nice atmosphere. From R110 per person.
Carnival Court Backpackers, 255 Long Street, Cape Town ([email protected]) Guest rooms and dorms at very low prices. Linen provided. The place is very clean, the service is nice, there is also a balcony and a bar. From R70 for a dorm to R250 for a double room.
Castle Inn Backpackers, 76b Darling Street (on the corner of Harrington Road), Cape Town, Tel 27 (0) 21 465-1662, [email protected], Opposite the Castle of Good Hope and only 5 minutes from the train station. Cheap internet cafe. From R75 per person.
Cat and Moose Backpackers, 305 Long Street, Cape Town, tel. 27 (21) 423 7638 ([email protected]), From R75 in dorm to R230 per room.
Formula 1 Hotel, 17 Jan Smuts Street (on the corner of Martin Hammerschlag Way), Cape Town, tel. 27 (0) 21 418-4664. It belongs to an international network. Up to three people can sleep in each room. A few minutes from the train station. R369 from the room.
Green Elephant Backpackers, 57 Milton Road, Observatory, tel. 27 (0) 21 448-6359 ([email protected]) From R50 for campsite to R350 per room.Long Street Backpackers, 209 Long Street, Cape Town, tel. 27 (0) 21 423-0615, [email protected], R90 in dorm to R140 for private room.
Moderate
- Themika Guest Farm ** (Tulbagh accommodation), Tulbagh Road, 6820, Tulbagh, ☎ 27 (0) 78 567 2441, e-mail: [email protected]. Average R220 pp. Looking for accommodation in Tulbagh? Stay at Themika Guest House ** and enjoy a weekend of relaxation. This is group accommodation in Tulbagh is perfect for wedding groups and families. ☎ 27 (0) 78 567 2441, e-mail: [[1]]. Average R220 ppn. Looking for accommodation in Tulbagh? Stay at Themika Guest House ** and enjoy a weekend of relaxation. This is group accommodation in Tulbagh is perfect for wedding groups and families.
- Sunset Inn **** (Accommodation in Cape Town), 8 Winkle Way, Sunset Beach, Cape Town, ☎ 27 (0) 21 555 3468, e-mail: [email protected]. On average R780 per person. Are you looking for a place to stay in Cape Town? Sunset Inn is located only 50 meters from the beach overlooking the Table Mountain ☎ 27 (0) 21 555 3468, e-mail: [[2]]. On average R780 personally. Are you looking for a place to stay in Cape Town? Sunset Inn is only 50 meters from the beach overlooking the Table Mountain
Exclusively
contact
Security
Important phone numbers
107 - Ambulance
10111 - Police
10177 - Ambulance
082911 - Ambulance Netcare911
From a cell phone
112 - Ambulance
911 - Netcare Ambulance 911