Free Walking Tour - Cape Town historic centre
City Sightseeing offers “free” walking tours through the historic part of Cape Town City starting from Long Street. The tour as such is free, but a tip of 150 to 200 ZAR (8 – 10 EUR) is expected, which is made clear at the beginning of the tour. I found that a fair price for a 90 min walking tour with a knowledgable guide and a sneak peek into the eventful history of the city.
Century City
Just a short Uber ride away from the touristic area lies Century city. This part of Cape Town has grown amazingly within the last 20 years. Fortunately, they kept the natural pond in its centre where it served as a local recreation area. When you take a nice walk around it, bring a binocular and your camera, as there are plenty of birds to see. If you have time and bird watching is your thing, it is worth accessing the protected centre for a small fee. Modern homes and a business area with lots of offices and hotels frame his idyllic place. Walking around after dark after dinner in a restaurant or coming back from a bar never felt unsafe to us here – in contrast to other parts of Cape Town.
The Beach - Camps Bay
Camps Bay is a beautiful beach, and a promenade framed by bars and restaurants and is accessible by Uber or the red busses (hop on hop off tour). When it wasn’t too windy, it was a great place to relax and enjoy the stunning views and the pretty cold water. Alternatively, I enjoyed sitting for hours on the balcony of Tiger’s Milk restaurant, enjoying a drink and watching people. Now and then there were some groups of performers hoping to earn some money. They just moved between the cueing cars of the rush hour and sang or showed their acrobatic tricks fearlessly.
The promenade
If you exit the V&A Waterfront at the back end, you reach a promenade walk that follows the coastline for quite a while. It’s a great way to stretch your legs and get some gorgeous sunset pictures.
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
To be honest: walking around here didn’t feel like being in South Africa – it could have been anywhere in the world. There are lots of booths where they sell handcrafted things, but everything seems very posh. You’re as safe here as anywhere where there are lots of tourists. On the upside: you can surely find something beautiful to buy, and it’s a nice place to be.
Oranjezicht Market
Just a few minutes walking from the V&A Waterfront, you can find this beautiful organic market. Cape Town’s eventful past brought people from many different countries into this area and with them came their culinary heritage. As a result, the cuisine here is very diverse, and you can find foods from nearly everywhere in this market. Bring cash so you can try the delicious foods and drinks they offer there, for they do not accept credit cards.
