I'm heading to Cape Town in a little over a week for a conference. I have one "free" day before it begins. Does anyone have any suggestions for cheap and safe interesting activities to do around Cape Town for that day? I'm a female and will likely be with only one or two other women. I'm traveling to Tanzania after the conference so I've got the safari thing pretty well covered. Thanks!

You can

1) go out to the winelands. A number of towns in the area, with may wineries, excellent restaurants.

Or,

2) visit Table Mountain then visit Boulder Beach for the penguins and continue south to Cape Point.

Your hotel can arrange a guide/vehicle.

Both will keep you busy for a full day.

my vote is choice #2
both are good

Kirstenbosch Gardens is also a lovely place to visit.

A winery with a lot of history is Vergelegen. It's very close to Cape Town, and it has 300 year old trees that were planted by Van Der Stel himself. It's a great place for a lunch in a beautiful setting.

Thanks for your responses. I guess since I might only have this one day, and probably realistically only a 1/2 day due to jet lag, I am leaning towards Sandi's second suggestion. I really would love to see penguins, cape point, and table mountain. I'll check with my hotel. Does anyone have any specific tour suggestions? If I go with a tour, will I be thrown on a bus with a ton of tourists?

Thanks!

Another question! I am staying at the Southern Sun Waterfront. Does anyone know how far away the Greenmarket Square is? Is it in walking distance or should I try to include it on a tour? Thanks again.

eco2,

My suggestion to you would be to do the Cape Peninsula tour that Sandi has suggested. To do so I would recommend that you contact Hylton Ross tours http://www.hyltonross.com/

Hylton Ross are very reliable and as a company they do scheduled tours and also organise personalised tours. Yes you will be with about 6 other tourists on a scheduled tour but this still remains a good option if you are on a budget and want to see as much as possible of our great city in one day.

Enjoy Cape Town and the conference.

Very proudly part of the wonderful nation of South Africa

We did the Hylton Ross tour in 2003 that Selwyn mentioned, and we loved it. We did two tours with them, one 1/2 day to the winelands, and a full day to Cape Point.

Both were spectacular and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hylton Ross. There were six of us that booked the Cape Point tour, so it was only us 6 in a van that would have seated 10 or so. On the winelands tour, just my husband and I booked it, but there was only two other people on the tour.

Both driver/guides were very knowledgable, friendly and had a great sense of humour. They made us feel as though we were going out on trek with old friends.

I would do Robben Island, an incredibly moving experience.

Thanks for your suggestions! If I only have a half a day, can I still do Cape Peninsula or Robbens Island? Do any tours include Table Mtn. before Cape Peninsula or can we just get a taxi to Table Mtn? Thanks!

Please do not miss the drive around the Cape Peninsula. I cannot remember a drive anywhere in the world with the variety of striking views. And we were not even able to take the Chapman's Peak Drive, as it was closed for a reason I cannot remember..

Perhaps to do this, and Robben Island, you have to leave CapeTown very early. Do not hesitate!

Robben Island can be busy, so suggested you pre-book if this is something you wish to do.

Table Mountain is often covered in a tablecloth of clouds, so there's no guarantee the cable car will be operating. But, if you wake and see the mountain top is clear, you can certainly take a taxi to/from.

During this time of the year, the black clouds roll into CPT at night, where it gets very windy and downright cold. Daytime temps, though, will be lovely in the mid-70s.

Cape Point, including Boulders Beach is more than a half-day tour.