Table Mountain & Cape Town City Tours

Table Mountain rises about 1,085 m above Cape Town, and its flat top is visible from almost everywhere in the city. You can ride the cableway to the top in a few minutes or hike up, then walk the paths across the summit for views over the city, Robben Island and the Cape Peninsula.

Most of our tours pair the mountain with the city below it, so you see the main sights of Cape Town in a half or full day.

Getting to the top

• The cableway. Cabins with a rotating floor give a full view on the way up. The ride takes about five minutes.
• Platteklip Gorge. The most direct hiking route, about two to three hours up on a steep, rocky path.
• Lion's Head and Signal Hill. Lion's Head is a shorter hike, popular at sunrise and sunset. Signal Hill has a road to the top for an easy view of the city.

City sights we include

Bo-Kaap

Brightly painted houses and the history of the Cape Malay community. See Bo-Kaap.

Company's Garden

The garden was planted in the 1650s to grow food for passing ships. Today it is a shady park next to the parliament buildings and museums.

Castle of Good Hope

The oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa, completed in 1679.

District Six Museum

Tells the story of the families forcibly removed from this part of the city under apartheid.

V&A Waterfront

Shops, restaurants, the Two Oceans Aquarium and the Zeitz MOCAA art museum, in a working harbour.

Kirstenbosch

The national botanical garden on the eastern slopes of the mountain, with a treetop walkway. See Kirstenbosch.

Good to know

• Wind and cloud. The cableway closes when it is too windy or when cloud covers the top. Check on the morning, and keep a second day free if you can.
• Maintenance. The cableway closes for about two weeks every year for maintenance, usually in winter.
• Go early. Queues are shortest in the first hour. Pre-booked tickets save time.
• Bring a jacket. The top is often much cooler and windier than the city.
• Hike safely. Hike with a guide or in a group, carry water, and start down well before late afternoon.

Best time to go

March to May often has the calmest, clearest days. Summer has long evenings but the strongest wind; winter brings more cloud and rain, with clear days in between.

Ways to book

Choose a half-day city and mountain tour, a hop-on hop-off bus with a cableway stop, or a private guide. For full days, combine the mountain with the Cape Peninsula or Robben Island.