CAPE TOWN IN ONE DAY

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Day 3: Cape Town in one day: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Bo-Kaap or Malay Quarter, Long Street, Green Market and Signal Hill

We start the first day with the planned route of Cape Town in one day but first of all, we must check the weather forecasts, based on these, decide what will be the objectives of this first day of the trip to South Africa in 25 days.
With this firm idea, it is 7 in the morning when we go down to the breakfast room of the Circa Luxury Apartment Hotel, our accommodation in Cape Town these first nights of the trip, where we enjoy a full breakfast while we check and check the weather forecast for today, which is not exactly all the good we expected.

It seems that Cape Town in South Africa today does not want to show us its best face and the forecast of the day is quite windy and very cloudy, so after checking on the Table Mountain website that the funicular is inoperative, we decided to make a change of plans approaching this morning first thing to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, one of the places on the route of Cape Town in one day We were scheduled to visit tomorrow before going to Robben Island.

Something very common in Cape Town is the wind and with it it usually happens that the funicular that leads to Table Mountain It is inoperative. That can even happen several days in a row, so it is highly recommended to always have a plan B, as we have done, with which you can combine places on the planned route of the Cape Town in one day and the following days waiting for the most appropriate time to enjoy Table Mountain.
Another option would be to walk up, but the ascent takes about 3-4 hours for what we have read and is quite demanding, so we do not get to contemplate it.
That said, to check the funicular status and the weather, we recommend you look at the official Table Mountain website, where you will find all the updated data.
Book your Table Mountain funicular and tourist bus ticket here or this tour of Cape Town and Table Mountain.

Table mountain

After this change of plans when it is 7:30 in the morning we collect from the parking lot the rental car in South Africa that we picked up yesterday and we started the trip to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, the first stop of the route today Cape Town in one day.

The 11-kilometer journey from the area where we are staying, in the center of the city, to the botanical garden takes about 30 minutes that allow us to begin to get a much clearer idea of what driving in South Africa will be and which is much more fluid and easy than we expected or at least what we are experiencing in this first contact.

We arrive at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden a few minutes before 8 in the morning, at which time they open at this time and after leaving the car in the free parking, we pass through the ticket office where we pay R70 per person and we get a map of the Garden by R5 more that helps us locate, next to the cartels what will be the route we will do during our visit.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, on the route through Cape Town in one day

Considered as one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, is without a doubt, an essential on any route by Cape Town in one day Since in addition to being an incredible place to escape for a few hours from the city you can enjoy exceptional views of the eastern part of Table Mountain.
Although you can walk different paths, of different durations and characteristics, we recommend the following in addition to the central areas of the garden, where you can see different spaces with different themes, all of them incredibly well integrated into the environment.

Braille Trail (0.45km) 15 minutes: This is a brief self-guided sensory tour through natural forests and wetlands.
Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway (700m) 15-30 minutes: The "Boomslang"It is an elevated walkway that runs through and over the Arboretum trees, with spectacular panoramic views. This walkway mimics the skeleton of a snake and is one of the most well-known and visited areas of the garden.
Heritage Trail (2km) 2 hours: This trail takes you through 2 kilometers through the history and development of the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. We did not complete it, but we did go through several of the areas that pass through the central parts of the garden and it is really very well organized and detailed.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

Arboretum: This is the area that is under the previous walkway and where you can see more than 450 species of trees from South Africa in a beautiful forest environment where birds also abound.
In addition to seeing it from the upper part of the catwalk, we advise you to cross it through the lower part, crossing its paths.
Annuals: We access the garden through this area and we have to confirm what they say: it is spectacular in spring, from August to October.

Cape Town in one day

In addition to these that we indicate, there are many more areas, which you can see indicated on the map that we share below and n the triptych that you can buy next to the entrance. As we mentioned before, we would spend 2-3 hours on this visit to enjoy it with peace of mind.

You can see the map of the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden here

More practical information to prepare your trip to South Africa
- 10 essential places to see in South Africa
- 10 essential places to see in Cape Town
- The best tips for traveling to South Africa

Tips for visiting the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

The entrance fee is R70 per person and R5 if you want to buy a small triptych with basic garden information and a map of the routes that can be made.
The garden is open every day from 8 am to 7 pm during the summer months summer (September-March) and from 8 am to 6 pm in winter (April-August).
Although you can adapt the visit to the time you have, we, after the experience, would not recommend you less than 2 hours to get to know the garden and be able to do some of the main trails.
As we mentioned earlier, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is very well organized and you will find different cartels along the entire route, with explanations of the places you are going through.
If you do not have a rental car, you can reach the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden with the multiparada tour by tourist bus, which stops at all places on this route by Cape Town in one day.
Another option is to opt for this full-day tour of the Cape Peninsula and penguin colony or this tour that reaches Cape of Good Hope. Both include a visit to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

Map of the route to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

It's 10 in the morning when we finish the 2-hour visit to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and after looking at the weather forecast and checking again that Table Mountain is still closed, we decided to continue with the route we had marked for today, returning to Circa Luxury Apartment Hotel, where we leave the rental car and from where we begin to travel the most central area of the city now walking, which will take us to know the other places we had marked for this Cape Town in one day.

The first of the places on this part of the route that we will pass through is District Six, where the famous District Six Museum is located, located practically 1 kilometer from the place where we are staying and that allows us to begin to know a little more closely the city, this time on foot, something that allows us much more contact real and direct that by doing it by car.
And although we cannot say that this is precisely an unsafe area, we find some streets that do not have all the charm we expected and that, as we will see later, we only find in certain parts of the city such as Long Street or Bo-Kaap.
This makes us confirm something we expected and is that Cape Town, is a city where you would not know where you are, since it looks like a mixture of Europe and Africa, with small Asian and American nuances, which they do among all a puzzle with pieces that sometimes do not just fit and in which extreme poverty continues to be observed, which at small blows, is shown to tourists who arrived in Cape Town.

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish to know Cape Town by travelers:
- Multiparada tour of Cape Town by tourist bus
- Funicular ticket of the Table Mountain and tourist bus
- Robben Island: tickets for the ferry and pick up at the hotel
- Combined tour of the municipality and Robben Island
- From Cape Town: Cape Point and penguins
- Full day around the Cape Peninsula and penguin colony

District Six

After abolishing slavery in 1838, many black slaves, in addition to Muslims and Jews, settled in this area of the city, gradually making it one of the places with more social life and in the sixth district of Cape Town.
This was truncated by the apartheid which in 1965 declared the area as "white area"causing the neighborhood to be demolished and throwing all the debris into the sea.
To this day you can still see samples of this destruction on Richmond Street as well as in two churches in the area, which its inhabitants did not allow to demolish to show the unity that had existed for years in this multicultural neighborhood.
It is in this neighborhood where we are in the famous District Six Museum that we do not visit since today we are somewhat adjusted by the change of plans, but we leave it pending to be able to know it in the next few days.

City bowl

Taking advantage of the fact that we are in this area of Cape Town, when it is 11 am we decided to approach Charly's Bakery, a well-known bakery that became famous for the television series and that has become a reference in the city. Logically and how could it be otherwise, we are not satisfied with seeing it only on the outside and having a talk of a few minutes with the owner, so we sat in one of his months to enjoy a caramel cheese cake, a cookie traditional, coffee and coffee with milk for 9.81 euros to change, we have to say we feel great and give us strength to continue with the route of the Cape Town in one day.

Charly's Bakery

After this stop, we start again heading to the most central area of Cape Town, passing through the Cathedral of St. George, a neo-Gothic building that during the time of racial segregation welcomed people of any race to reach Bo -Kaap or Malay neighborhood, one of the essentials in any tour of Cape Town in one day.

Bo-kaap

Also known as the Muslim or Malay neighborhood of Cape Town, this place is currently one of the most visited after the power of Instagram has put it in the showcase for its charming colorful houses, which have made it one of the most photographed places in the city.
Its best known street is Wale Street, where the houses are in the most striking colors and even if you are lucky, a parked car that seems to be part of a movie set, we advise you to get lost in the streets parallel to it, such as Chiaponi Street, where there are also many colorful houses, which will allow you to see another area of the neighborhood, less crowded but as much or more charming than the main one.

Bo-kaap

Although the area to visit is quite small, if you want to take pictures we recommend you spend about an hour to explore it, since as we told you, this is not only the main street, but also the parallel streets.

A few minutes past 12:30 noon when we leave the Malaysian neighborhood of Cape Town to head to Long Street, very close to the latter and one of the most charming and ambitious places in the city.

Long Street in Cape Town

Main artery of the city center, also known as the City Bowl for being located in the hole left by the mountains that surround it, this is one of the streets that you can not miss in Cape Town, since as we mentioned, it is one of the liveliest places in Cape Town.
In addition to its atmosphere, it is here that there are many of the city's most recommended restaurants, as well as shops, which mostly occupy the northern part of the street and many of the most outstanding historical buildings.

Long street

Practically an hour is the time we are on Long Street, traveling the street a couple of times in each direction, delighting in the charm of many of its buildings, some of them even picturesque, among which we find that environment that we had read so much and that we had not found until this moment. And although we stay in the center, you have to take into account that it is the financial area, a place that from 6 pm is practically empty, as on weekends, so if you want Enjoy the atmosphere, this area of the city we believe is perfect to stay.

Long street

It's almost 2 in the afternoon when we decide that the time has come to start looking for somewhere to eat and thanks to Claudia's recommendation, we approach Raw and Roxy, a vegan vegan restaurant located next to Green Market Square where we We ordered an assortment of more lasagna dishes and two juices for R330.
Really spectacular! Super recommended!

Raw and Roxy

From here when it is practically 3:30 in the afternoon we continue with the City City route in 1 day and we go to a cafeteria that is right next door where we ask for a couple of coffees for R21 Runs each that give us enough energy to continue with the day, now approaching Green Market, very close to here, where we get lost for a few minutes Among the dozens of small craft shops that invade the square every day of the week except Sunday.
Although we had read that it was a good place to buy some souvenirs, we have to say that they have not just convinced us, perhaps also because they arrived only a day ago and still do not have in mind the idea of shopping.

Green market square

Between Burg Street and Longmarket Street is this square well known for the craft market that takes place every day except Sundays, where you can find virtually any souvenir you want to take with you. Of course, it should be borne in mind that both quality and provenance are not entirely clear, so although it is a very lively place, it may not be the best option for your purchases.
More remarkable are the buildings that surround it, of different styles, that give the square a special charm and make it a place to visit in Cape Town.

Green market

After this walk and take a walk around this area of Cape Town, it takes a few minutes to 4 in the afternoon when we return to the Circa Luxury Apartment Hotel to take the rental car and head to Signal Hill, one of the most recommended city that will become the last point of the route today by Cape Town in one day.

Signal hill

Located 7 kilometers from the most central area of Cape Town this is, without a doubt, one of the best views of both Cape Town and the surrounding area, including Table Mountain and Lio's Head, two of the most famous icons of the city.
As you ascend with the car, you will see that the views are incredible and although you can stop in the area of the shoulder, we recommend you be careful since the road is not very wide and from the highest area, the 360º views are spectacular .
Keep in mind that access is free and there is a parking lot enabled in the highest area where you can leave your car safely.

Going up to Signal Hill

Another thing to assess is that if the day is cold or windy, as has happened to us, the height here is much more noticeable, so it is convenient to come prepared with some warm clothes.
If there is no wind you can make this spectacular paragliding flight to see Cape Town from the heights.

Signal hill

Signal Hill is one of the most famous spots to watch the sunset in Cape Town. Although that is our intention as the afternoon progresses, the sky is covering and seeing that the forecast is not too favorable, when it is just after 6 pm, we decided to end the route of the Cape Town in 1 day, returning to the Circa Luxury Apartment Hotel where we fall giving thanks for the incredible start of South Africa for free.

Views from Signal Hill

Map to get to Signal Hill by car

Security in Cape Town

Something that we want to comment before finalizing this post refers to security in Cape Town, one of the things that you have asked us the most. Although we have only been in the city for a couple of days and therefore do not believe we have enough information, we do want to record the feelings we have had in the city regarding safety.

Although at no time has anything happened to us, at dusk, we have not felt safe in the city, so most of the days we have dined soon and have chosen to go to the hotel before the sun went down.
When staying in the financial zone it was empty in the afternoon and the weekend, something we believe, has added unsafety To that feeling.
We advise you that if you are going to move by car, do it with the latches closed and avoiding moving at night. While it is true that as we have said before, nothing has happened to us, we believe that it is best to take some precautions to avoid unpleasant moments.
In the same way we have to say that in all the tourist places of Cape Town we have felt totally safe.

Signal hill

Today's route by Cape Town in one day He has taken us to know the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, where we arrived by car, and then approached the Museum Quarter, Long Street, Green Market, Bo-Kaap or Malay and Signal Hill.

Day 4: What to see on the Cape Peninsula: Camps Bay Beach, 12 apostles, Chapman's Peak, Noordhoeck, Kometjie, WhiteSand, Scarborough, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Beach, Fish Hoek, Muizenberg Beach