Cape Town Unlimited. All the information, accommodation, restaurants, activities, shops and business in Cape Town.

Cape Town Unlimited

South Africa's Beautiful Mother City

Cape Town is the second biggest city, although the largest in land area, in South Africa. The Greater Cape Town area has a population well in excess of 3.5 million people and covers around 2,500 square kilometres

Cape Town is the provincial capital of the Western Cape Province as well as the legislative capital of South Africa and undoubtedly the tourism capital of the country. Cape Town is also considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The City itself is set facing north between Table Bay and the magnificent sheer cliffs of Table Mountain thrusting upwards to 1,000 metres high, which in turn is at the head of the of the dramatic mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsula which juts out southwards into the Atlantic Ocean. The suburbs of Cape Town flow down either side of the spectacular spine of the peninsula. The western suburbs along the Atlantic Seaboard are very limited in size and population due to the narrow coastal plain between the mountains and the coastline, making for some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

 

To the east of the Peninsula lies the Southern Suburbs and the Cape Flats, where most of the population of Cape town live, is set on a plain which is known to be a rising marine plain. The Cape Flats stretches more than 20km eastwards before ending with the abrupt rise of an impressive range of mountains, stretching hundreds of kilometres northward, known as the Helderberg, Hottentots Holland, Stellenbosch, the Groot and Klein Drakenstein Mountains. South of the Cape Flats lies False Bay, a wide U shaped bay caught between both mountain ranges.

The northern suburbs stretch up the Atlantic coast and adjacent hinterland around the Durbanville hills. The Tableview suburb along the coast provides one of the most famous views of Cape Town City nestled at the foot of Table Mountain.

 

Cape Town is the most popular tourist destination for international travellers to South Africa, if not the whole of Africa. It has an excellent climate, especially its mostly rain free summer, a lovely natural setting, and a well developed world class infrastructure.

Cape Town's most stricking feature is, as mentioned already, Table Mountain. The top of the mountain can easily be reached via the Table Mountain Cable car which is an exhilerating experience, or for the more adventurous and energetic there are a multitude of hiking trails. For those who are not that fit to hike up the mountain but have a liking for adventure one can always ride up in the cablecar and then hike down the mountain. There are also hiking trails up the rugged Devil's Peak and the graceful Lion's Head on either side of Table Mountain. All three mountains are easily accessible from Cape Town City.

Another famous attraction is Cape Point at the southern tip of the Cape Town Peninsula. This dramatic and wild landmark set in the Cape Point Nature Resrve is well worth the visit. The whole trip from Cape Town down to Cape Point along the eastern side of the Peninsiula and back along the western atlantic side or visa versa is easily done in a day and makes for the most enjoyable and scenic route in Cape Town.

A very popular destination in Cape Town for both tourists and local are the city's exquisite beaches. On the Atlantic side the water is rather cold, averaging between 16 and 18°C and is not ideal for prolonged swimming, but is great for a quick splash to cool off in the heat of summer. Most of the beaches along the Atlantic coast are well developed, where a variety of restaurants and cafes can be found.

The beaches along the False Bay coastline have much warmer waters, averaging between 20 and 22°C and being in a protected bay the waters are calmer than the Atlantic beaches, making it ideal for those who love to swim and especially for children. With the exception of the beaches at Simonstown, Fish Hoek and Miuzenburg, the beaches along the False Bay coast are not well developed and it is very unwise to swim in places where there are no lifeguards and designated swimming areas.

One of the most visited tourist attractions as well as a very popular shopping destination for locals is Cape Town's Victoria & Alfred Waterfront situated on the western side of the docks in the Port of Cape Town. Not only can you shop until you drop at the V& A Waterfront, but this massive centre has a wealth of entertainment venues, restaurants, cafes where you can relax over a cup of tea, a glass of wine, a lunch or dinner whilst wathching the hustle and bustle of ships going in and out of the port, all with spectaular views of Table Mountain behind the city.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront also host the Nelson Mandela Gateway where you can board a ferry to the cultural and scenic attraction of Robben Island. Boat rides from here can also be found which will take you the ride of your life right around the Peninsula and back, visiting Hout Bay, rounding the Cape Point, up to Simonstown and along to Seal Island home to the Cape Fur Seal and back agian to Cape Town. Anotehr great attraction at the V&A is the Two Oceans Aquarium wher ethe amazing sea life form the Indian and Atlantic Oceans can be seen in all their splendour.

Another beautiful attraction in Cape Town is the famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. Kirstenbosch Gardens was established in 1913 to preserve the unique Fynbos Biome of the Western Cape and indeed was the first Botanical Gardens with the ethos of preserving local unique flora in the world. there are also a multitude of hiking trails up the slopes of the mountains from the gardens making for a perfect outing. Classical music concerts are frequently held at Kirstenbosch Gardens in the summer months. Something not to be missed.

Well what about the wines? Along the eastern borders of Cape Town lie the Cape Winelands where many venerable wine estates are situated and the many delectable wines of the Cape can be tasted and purchased right at the cellar The Cape winelands is an up and coming world class wine producing area and yes the wines, the hospitality and the beautiful scenery of the location of these wine cellars are more than well worth the trip. visit our sister sites: www.franschhoek.co.za, www.paarl-unlimited.co.za and www.stellenbosch-unlimited.co.za for more information about these magnificent wine estates.

Another great attraction in Cape Town on the spring side of winter is whale watching. The Southern Right Whales visit the shores of Cape Town to give birth at this time and these wonderful creatures of the sea are well worth the hunt to find them. Authorised companies also provide boating trips with whale watching in mind.

Cape Town, being a tourist hot spot, has a wide range of accommodation for visitors, everything from 5 star luxury to more affordable and comfortable guest houses, bed and breakfast, self catering accommodation, hotels and backpacker accommodation to suit every taste and of course your pocket. We will be featuring these accommodation establishments on our site soon.

The same goes for restaurants and Cape Town is a veritable cuisine paradise. Whether you are looking for international cuisine, seafood delicacies, local dishes like our famous Cape Malay Curry, South African Traditional dishes, or just light meals, lunches, or simply some fast food to satisfy your hunger, Cape Town has it all. We will be featuring restaurants on our site in the near future.

Looking to shop until you drop on a shopping spree? Cape Town has a vast array of shops where you can buy anything and everything. We will soon be adding shops in Cape Town on our site in the near future.

Looking for businesses and services. We will be adding a complete listing of the widest array of businesses and services in our business section soon. Here you will soon be able to find every kind of business and service in Cape Town

We are busy compiling all the events, activities, festivals and entertainment for our site to see what's happening and what to do in Cape Town.