The Perfect 3 Days in Cape Town, South Africa
Not sure how to spend 3 days in Cape Town, South Africa?
You’re in the right place! I’ve spent 8+ months living and working from Cape Town over the course of 4 separate trips and can’t wait to share some of the most incredible things you need to do on a short stay in this incredible city.
Read to book your trip? You can find the best options for accommodation of all budgets on TripAdvisor.
*This guide assumes you have 3 full days in Cape Town and are arriving the evening beforehand.
Day 1: First Day in Cape Town
Morning
Start your time in Cape Town with a delicious breakfast or brunch out!
If you’re staying around Kloof Street/Gardens, you’ll have plenty of cafes to choose from but I’d go with either Nourish’d or The Ladder.
Nourish’d is a vegan restaurant that serves smoothie bowls, burritos and other healthy yet delicious food that’s perfect in the morning!
The Ladder is also one of my all time faves and has something for everyone. I personally can’t get enough of their warm tempeh stack.
Afternoon
If you’re visiting Cape Town in the summer or warmer months, you need to go to some of their insane beaches!
Spend your afternoon at the beach – you can choose any from this list of beaches I’ve put together but if you’re limited on time, you need to see Clifton.
I’d recommend stopping at Clifton for a little while then maybe going a bit further down to Llandudno beach or some others that are a bit further out of the city because they’re all truly beautiful!
Evening
When you’re ready to leave the beach, head back to your accommodation to change into hiking gear.
I’d recommend hiking up Lion’s Head for sunset if you have the energy!
It takes about 45 minutes – 1 hour to reach the top, depending on your fitness level and it’s a great place to watch the sunset.
Otherwise, you can check out some of these other sunset spots in Cape Town that don’t require a hike to reach!
Day 2: Surf and Penguin Day!
Morning
Start your day in Muizenberg!
It’s about a 30 minute drive from Cape Town (you can also take the Myciti bus or Uber to get there) and it’s a great beginner surf spot.
Take a surf lesson if you’ve never gone surfing before because it’s so worth it! You can also easily hire all the equipment you’ll need right in Muizenberg.
Afternoon
Wash off and head over to Boulders Beach in the early afternoon (pictured above^)!
You can find lots of good food options in Muizenberg before you head over and I’d recommend bringing some snacks if you plan to be at the beach for a while because there aren’t many shops around.
When you get to the beach entrance, follow a path down to the right and you’ll get to a separate beach access entrance.
This is where you can get on the beach and see the penguins up close! Just don’t forget to keep your distance because they’ll bite you if you invade their personal space.
You can find updated pricing details for entry to Boulders Beach here.
Evening
Spend the evening relaxing at the Galileo Open Air Cinema!
The cinema is open from October – May each year and you’ll find a range of movies to choose from.
Tickets start at R145 ($7.50 USD) and I recommend booking a slot at the Kirstenbosch Gardens location.
Kirstenbosch is a beautiful part of Cape Town that you typically have to pay an entrance fee to visit but it’s included in the open air cinema ticket and you can enter the gardens up to 2 hours before the movie starts, giving you plenty of time to check it out!
*Pro tip: Tickets at Kirstenbosch sell out quickly, especially in the summer, so look about a week ahead of time to secure your spot.
And if the weather forecast isn’t looking great for the dates you’re interested in or the tickets are sold out, you can always catch a movie at the Labia Theatre!
It’s a small local theatre in Gardens (right behind Kloof Street) and is a really cool spot to catch a movie.
Day 3: Table Mountain
Morning
Make sure you’re fueled and ready to go for another exciting day in Cape Town!
You can’t come to the Mother City without experiencing Table Mountain.
I recommend hiking up and then taking the cable car down.
There’s a couple of different hiking paths you can take, depending on the level of difficulty you’re okay with and how long you want to be hiking.
I’ve done a few different paths and it’s taken around 2.5-3 hours to reach the top.
Afternoon
Spend the afternoon taking in the views from the top of Table Mountain!
When you’re ready to head back down, you can hike or hop on the cable car (I’d highly recommend) and then stop in town for lunch.
Evening
Head to the Oranjezicht night market (if it’s a Wednesday night when it’s open in the summer), otherwise head to Mojo Market for dinner.
Cape Town has SO many markets with a wide range and selection of food to choose from so it’s perfect if you’re not sure what you want because you can test out a couple of different places.
Cape Town Itinerary 4 Days
If you’re not quite done with Cape Town, you can add on this extra day to your itinerary!
Morning
Visit the District 6 Museum to learn more about the history of South Africa and Cape Town, more specifically.
A self-guided visit is only R60 and with an ex-resident guide it’s R75.
You can find all ticket info here.
Afternoon
Head to the colourful neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap for a Cape Malay cooking class!
I used to live in Bo-Kaap for a couple of months and would’ve loved to do one of these classes, however, they’re not very vegan-friendly.
I think they have vegetarian options and if they do introduce a vegan option, I’d love to join in!
I found this cooking class that looks incredible and while I haven’t done one yet, I have a friend who did it and really enjoyed the experience.
It’s a top rated tour that includes the following:
- 2.5 hour class
- All ingredients to cook with
- Equipment
- Chef instructor
- Soft drinks
- Lunch
Bo-Kaap is filled with culture and it’s a really cool neighbourhood to check out.
Evening
Spend the night enjoying some sundowners at Saunder’s Rock Beach and taking a stroll along the Sea Point Promenade.
Here are some of my all time fave spots to catch a sunset in Cape Town.
Cape Town Itinerary 5 Days
Looking for another day to add?
Why not spend it at the Cape Winelands?
Cape Town is known for its incredible wines and you can see the best of it on the Wine Tram through Franschhoek!
I booked this tour with a couple of friends at the end of 2023 and had a great experience. You get picked up from various points in Cape Town and the bus takes everyone up to the wine tram.
You choose which line you want to be one and they stop at different wineries throughout the day. I recommend stopping at no more than 4 wineries so you can thoroughly enjoy your time.
? Read a more in-depth account of my experience on the wine tram here.
?? And book your own wine tram experience when you’re in Cape Town.
I’ve also created a 7 Day Cape Town Itinerary here, which includes important info about budgeting for your trip, activities, safety tips and more!
Do I Need to Hire a Car in Cape Town?
Nope!
If you’re only visiting Cape Town for a short stay, you can easily get by without a car.
However, it really depends on the type of travel you enjoy most. I’ve only ever hired cars to go on trips outside of the city because Uber is pretty affordable.
That said, for some activities and to reach certain areas, a car would be useful.
? Or you can choose from a variety of affordable car hires here.
How Many Days Do You Need in Cape Town?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – You can never have too much time in Cape Town!
There’s SO much to do in and around this city that the more time you have, the better. If you’re able to extend your stay or add on a week or two, you won’t be bored.
Where to Stay for 3 Nights in Cape Town
If you’re only going to be visiting Cape Town for 3 nights, you should choose a central location!
Luckily, there are many good spots to be based.
I personally always choose Kloof St/Gardens or Green Point/Sea Point area when I’m planning a trip but there are plenty of other great places to stay.
Read more here for specific recommendations and neighbourhoods that are best to stay in.
Best Places to Eat in Cape Town
You can find just about ANY food you want in Cape Town!
There’s an extensive range of restaurants and cafes to choose from and you can’t really go wrong.
If you want an affordable restaurant with insane views, check out my recent post here.
South Africa is known for its range of different meats to try, however, Cape Town is extremely vegan and vegetarian friendly so you’ll find numerous options, no matter your dietary restrictions!
Plus, you NEED to try out some of my favourite cafes in the city. Cape Town is where I truly fell in love with coffee and now I can’t believe I was missing out for so long.
When Should I Visit Cape Town?
I’ve already touched on this a bit on this blog in other posts but if you’re just stumbling upon it for the first time, I highly recommend visiting Cape Town during the shoulder season.
Don’t get me wrong, the weather in the summer is INCREDIBLE but it’s packed with tourists and locals struggle to enjoy their own city.
Plus, the price of everything goes up during the summer months because of the influx of tourists so if you can plan a trip in spring or autumn, you’ll have a much better experience!
I was most recently in Cape Town at the very end of March and that’s the start of shoulder season.
Most of the crowds start to die down by April because it’s getting a bit cooler and there are less beach days, but you still have plenty of days that are mid-20s and great weather to enjoy all that the city has to offer.
So March-April is the sweet spot for weather in the spring and I’d say October-November is the same in Autumn (depending on the year because sometimes the winter weather can linger a bit).
You can find more info about visiting Cape Town in October here.
3 Days in Cape Town, South Africa Await
That’s a wrap on this itinerary for 3 days in Cape Town, South Africa!
I genuinely hope you found it useful and can utilize this post and others on South Africa to help you craft the itinerary of your dreams.
I’ll be back shortly with another blog but in the meantime, you can connect with me on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube!
Cheers,
Amy xx
