Cape Town (South Africa) is one of the most amazing cities on the edge of the African continent. At first glance, it amazes the traveler with its contrasts - wild African nature and colonial-style Dutch mansions, trendy shopping centers and inexpensive hostels for budget tourists, as well as the memory of apartheid that has ingrained in the bone marrow. But let's take a walk around this city and its environs, and also see photos that clearly demonstrate all its uniqueness and originality.
Geographic location, how to get there
Cape Town (South Africa) is located on a peninsula that ends at the Cape of Good Hope. Mount Table Mountain or Table Mountain rises majestically above it. Its flat top is depicted literally on all advertising brochures of the city. Maybe that's why the bay that washes Cape Town is called Table. The city hasown international airport, from where, by the way, you can get to almost any point in the country where there is a hub. Both regular and charter flights fly here, especially in winter, which is called summer here. From the airport to the center can be reached by train, train or tourist bus. Transport is excellent, literally every half an hour.
Climate
The latitude and longitude of the city of Cape Town (Africa, South Africa) are its geographic coordinates. They are next. The city is located at 33 degrees 55 minutes south latitude and 18 degrees 28' east longitude. This means that it is very close to Antarctica, and this greatly affects the climate. It is hot here from December to April, and these months are peak. However, once the sun sometimes goes behind the clouds, the temperature can instantly drop by 15 degrees, especially if the south wind blows. Therefore, the weather in Cape Town (South Africa) is often unpredictable.
But in June and July, travelers are guaranteed a rainy season. The nights are cold, and the air temperature during the day is not higher than 18 degrees. However, gourmets come here at this time as well. They say that it is during the rainy season in Cape Town that you can contemplate the most beautiful sunsets in the world and enjoy especially delicious seasonal seafood.
Sights of the city of Cape Town (Africa, South Africa)
The best way to get around the city is by bus. The main station, from where you can get anywhere in Cape Town, is called the "Golden Acre Terminal" and is located in the center, in the City Bowl area. If you don't go too farfar away, you can take a taxi or a private cab, it's not very expensive.
The Fort of Good Hope is considered the oldest building in South Africa. It was this fort that was built by Van Riebeeck in the seventeenth century as a base for the ships of the Dutch East India Company. Around the fortress, in fact, Cape Town began to be built. In 1936, the fort became a museum, and now there is no end to tourists.
It is also worth a look at the South African National Gallery, where the wooden products of local tribes side by side with the works of Dutch and French masters of the 17-19 centuries. Then you should take a leisurely walk around the city, admiring the mixture of different styles in its architecture.
And for a “snack” you can walk along the Victoria and Alfred Embankment, where crowds of tourists from different countries are always teeming. This is not surprising, because there are a lot of colorful restaurants, discos and bars.
Nature and surroundings
If you are already familiar with the center of Cape Town, it's time to move on. It is best to travel around the city by train or elevated metro. Train routes are laid out so that passengers can enjoy nature. For example, one of the trains runs along the ocean coast, so you can see blue whales jumping in the waves from the window.
The symbol of Cape Town has long been the beautiful Mount Table, a little more than a kilometer high. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens were opened here. Now they are among the seven most beautiful arboretums in the world. ClimbYou can get here on foot, but the best and most effective way to do this is by cable car. From the mountain you can see the whole center, the ocean, the beaches and the bay. The gardens contain all the plants that can only be found in South Africa.
The second landmark of the surroundings are the capes of Good Hope, which went around Vasco da Gama, and Cape Point. These places are truly unique. There is a lighthouse, which now serves as an observation deck, and where you feel like you are at the end of the world. And if you go down the footbridge into False Bay, you will get exactly where the legend of the Flying Dutchman once originated.
The geographical coordinates of the city of Cape Town (Africa, South Africa) show that it is not too far from the cape where the two oceans merge. Previously, Cape Hope was considered such a place. But now it is clear that this is Cape Agulhas, two hundred kilometers from the city.
Hotels, apartments and villas
If you want to stay for a few days or even spend your entire vacation in Cape Town (South Africa), then at your service are budget hotels and luxury hotels. Many of them are concentrated in the city center or on the V&A Waterfront.
Good five-star hotels include the Taj, the Westlin, and the Cape Grace. Hotels designed for the average tourist are Double Tree Hilton, Harbor Bridge Hotel and Suites and The Ritz. Well, budget travelers will like hostels and bed and breakfasts - Cube, Acorn House, B. I. G, Stoked Backpackers.
Thosethose who come to Cape Town with families and prefer apartments can choose expensive options - for example, Lowhill Luxury and The Glen - or cheaper ones (Daddy Long Legs and Caskades). If you arrived in the city on vacation, then it is better, of course, to stay in a suburban hotel on the coast or rent a cottage and even a villa with a garden.
Beaches
Cape Town attracts tourists with the opportunity to relax on the sea. All the beaches here are sandy, and eight of them have the Blue Flag for the purity of the water. The equipped and crowded coast with a lot of entertainment is Sunset, Clifton and Camps Bay. If you are looking for solitude, then Kommetii Beach is at your service. But note that the water on the Atlantic Ocean is cool. This is also something to keep in mind when visiting the beaches. The water is much warmer on the Indian Ocean side of the coast.
The most interesting beach in the vicinity of Cape Town is Boulders Beach. A colony of penguins has lived there since time immemorial. You can sunbathe and swim, and they will come up to you and look at you with interest. The main thing - take care of cameras from penguins - they do not like their shine, and they can break glass with their beak. But the beaches of Cape Town (South Africa) are most popular with surfers. It is better for beginners to try their hand at the Meisenberg area, and more experienced ones are recommended Kalk Bay or Misty Cliffs. The most suitable beaches for kitesurfing are Dolphin Beach and Langbaan Lagoon.
Shopping: whatbring
One of the most popular places for tourists who come to buy souvenirs is V&I Waterfront shopping center. There are 450 shops where you can buy clothes, jewelry, jewelry and leather products, and appliances. Boutiques selling famous brands are also located in this mall. However, some believe that the prices there are too high. Therefore, to purchase authentic ebony figurines or masks of different tribes, head to the Green Point Stadium Market. You can bargain there and get good discounts. This place is located near the mentioned shopping center. Malls are open until nine in the evening, and the rest of the outlets close at seven.
South Africa, Cape Town, attractions: reviews of tourists
Travelers have long fallen in love with this city. They consider it one of the most beautiful places in South Africa. Boating, trips to the island where the seal colony lives, to the former Robbin colony, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, climbing the cable car to Table Mountain, safari - from trips to Cape Town (South Africa), photos of which tourists post in reports, remains a kaleidoscope of vivid impressions for life. This is an incredibly beautiful, unusual city, with delicious food and not too expensive life.
Cape Town is exotic, you want to come back here. Yes, the crime situation here is not very good, but if you do not wander around the disadvantaged areas at night, but prefer to go sightseeing or swim in the ocean, nothing is wrong with youwill happen. There are many video cameras in the center, and the police always guard the peace and safety of tourists. It is a city of contrasts and different cultures. Every year it changes for the better, only its chic nature, incomparable seafood, excellent wine and pleasing prices remain.
