Find places in South Africa

Must-Haves

• Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (Tafelberg Road)
  The rotating cable car to the top of the city's famous flat mountain.

Fun for Everyone

• Two Oceans Aquarium (V&A Waterfront)
  Kelp forests, turtles and sharks that keep children and adults enthralled.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chapman's Peak Drive (Hout Bay)
  One of the world's great coastal roads, carved into the cliffs.

Must-Haves

• Robben Island Museum (V&A Waterfront)
  Tours led by former political prisoners of the island where Mandela was held.
• Zeitz MOCAA (V&A Waterfront)
  Contemporary African art in a striking converted grain silo.

Low Cost and Authentic

• District Six Museum (Buitenkant Street)
  Moving stories of a community forcibly removed under apartheid.

Fun for Everyone

• Bo-Kaap (Bo-Kaap)
  Brightly painted houses, mosques and Cape Malay cooking on cobbled streets.

Off the Beaten Path

• Iziko Slave Lodge (City Centre)
  One of the city's oldest buildings, telling the story of slavery at the Cape.

Must-Haves

• Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (Newlands)
  Indigenous gardens on the mountain's slopes with a treetop walkway and summer concerts.
• Cape Point (Table Mountain National Park)
  Dramatic cliffs, a lighthouse walk and the wild end of the Cape Peninsula.

Fun for Everyone

• Boulders Beach (Simon's Town)
  Boardwalks and a sheltered beach beside a colony of African penguins.
• Lion's Head (Signal Hill)
  A short, popular summit hike for sunrise and sunset views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Silvermine Nature Reserve (Tokai)
  Fynbos trails and a quiet reservoir far from the crowds.

Must-Haves

• Old Biscuit Mill Neighbourgoods Market (Woodstock)
  A Saturday food and design market in a converted mill.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Greenmarket Square (City Centre)
  An open air craft market on a historic cobbled square.

Great for Date Night

• The Pot Luck Club (Woodstock)
  Inventive small plates with city views from the top of the Old Biscuit Mill.
• Harbour House Kalk Bay (Kalk Bay)
  Seafood with waves breaking right below the windows.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Biesmiellah (Bo-Kaap)
  A long running family spot for Cape Malay bobotie, curries and samoosas.

Fun for Everyone

• Kalky's (Kalk Bay)
  Fish and chips eaten at harbour side tables beside the fishing boats.

Must-Haves

• Truth Coffee Roasting (Buitenkant Street)
  A steampunk themed roastery serving some of the city's best coffee.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Jason Bakery (Bree Street)
  Famous croissants and doughnuts in a busy little bakery.

Great for Date Night

• The Gin Bar (Wale Street)
  A hidden courtyard bar behind a chocolate shop, serving inventive gin cocktails.

Fun for Everyone

• Mojo Market (Sea Point)
  A big indoor market hall with food stalls and live music most nights.

Fun for Everyone

• Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts (Newlands)
  Sunday picnic concerts on the lawns through the summer.

Great for Date Night

• Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel (Gardens)
  A grand pink hotel famous for afternoon tea in leafy gardens.

Must-Haves

• The Silo Hotel (V&A Waterfront)
  Dramatic glass windows above Zeitz MOCAA with harbour views.

Must-Haves

• Apartheid Museum (Ormonde)
  Powerful, essential history of apartheid and the road to democracy.
• Constitution Hill (Braamfontein)
  A former prison that now houses the Constitutional Court.
• Mandela House (Soweto)
  Nelson Mandela's former home on Vilakazi Street.
• Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum (Soweto)
  Remembers the students of the 1976 Soweto uprising.

Off the Beaten Path

• Maboneng Precinct (Jeppestown)
  Galleries, street art and cafés in a revived inner city area, best with a guide.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sakhumzi (Soweto)
  A buffet of South African township cooking on Vilakazi Street.

Great for Date Night

• The Local Grill (Parktown North)
  A respected steakhouse with an excellent South African wine list.

Fun for Everyone

• Rosebank Sunday Market (Rosebank)
  A rooftop market of crafts, food and design every Sunday.

Fun for Everyone

• Cradle of Humankind (Muldersdrift)
  Fossil sites and caves at the heart of the story of human origins.
• Pilanesberg National Park (North West)
  A malaria free Big Five park a short drive from the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (Roodepoort)
  A waterfall and nesting black eagles on the edge of the city.

Fun for Everyone

• Gold Reef City (Ormonde)
  A theme park built around an old gold mine, with a mine tour.

Great for Date Night

• Marble (Rosebank)
  Wood fired cooking and a terrace bar with views over the northern suburbs.

Fun for Everyone

• Pretoria Jacaranda season (Pretoria)
  Streets turn purple with blossom each October.

Must-Haves

• The Saxon Hotel (Sandhurst)
  An elegant hotel where Mandela edited his autobiography.

Must-Haves

• Skukuza Rest Camp (Southern Kruger)
  The park's largest camp, beside the Sabie River with good facilities.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lower Sabie Rest Camp (Southern Kruger)
  River views and excellent game viewing on the doorstep.

Fun for Everyone

• Satara Rest Camp (Central Kruger)
  Open plains known for lion and cheetah sightings.

Off the Beaten Path

• Punda Maria Rest Camp (Northern Kruger)
  A quiet camp in the remote and bird rich far north.
• Olifants Rest Camp (Central Kruger)
  A clifftop camp with sweeping views over the Olifants River.

Must-Haves

• Sunrise game drive (Kruger National Park)
  Guided early drives from rest camps when predators are most active.

Fun for Everyone

• Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (Hoedspruit)
  Cheetah conservation and rehabilitation work up close.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lake Panic Bird Hide (Near Skukuza)
  A peaceful hide for hippos, crocodiles and kingfishers.
• God's Window (Panorama Route)
  A cliff edge lookout over the Lowveld.

Must-Haves

• Blyde River Canyon (Panorama Route)
  One of the largest green canyons in the world.

Fun for Everyone

• Bourke's Luck Potholes (Panorama Route)
  Swirling rock formations carved by the river.

Must-Haves

• Robberg Nature Reserve (Plettenberg Bay)
  A peninsula hike with seals, dolphins and big ocean views.
• Storms River Mouth (Tsitsikamma)
  A suspension bridge over the river mouth on a wild coast.
• Knysna Heads (Knysna)
  Sandstone cliffs guarding the estuary with sweeping views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Wilderness lagoon canoe trip (Wilderness)
  Paddle up the Touws River to a forest waterfall.
• Map of Africa viewpoint (Wilderness)
  A forest shaped like the continent and paragliders overhead.

Fun for Everyone

• Bloukrans Bridge Bungy (Bloukrans)
  One of the highest bridge bungee jumps in the world.
• Cango Caves (Oudtshoorn)
  Huge limestone caverns with guided adventure tours.
• Monkeyland (The Crags)
  A free roaming primate sanctuary with guided walks.
• Birds of Eden (The Crags)
  A giant walk through bird aviary over forest.
• Dias Museum Complex (Mossel Bay)
  A replica sailing ship and the old post office tree.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Knysna Oyster Company (Thesen Island, Knysna)
  Oysters straight from the lagoon in a casual setting.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Wild Oats Community Farmers Market (Sedgefield)
  A Saturday morning market of local produce and baking.

Great for Date Night

• Tsala Treetop Lodge (Plettenberg Bay)
  Suites on stilts among the forest canopy.

Fun for Everyone

• Durban beachfront promenade (Golden Mile)
  Kilometres of seaside walking, cycling and swimming beaches.

Must-Haves

• iSimangaliso Wetland Park (St Lucia)
  Hippos, crocodiles and wild beaches in a World Heritage Site.
• Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (Zululand)
  A Big Five park famous for rhino conservation.
• Drakensberg Amphitheatre (Royal Natal National Park)
  A vast rock wall and the Tugela Falls hike.

Off the Beaten Path

• Valley of a Thousand Hills (Botha's Hill)
  Rolling hills, crafts and Zulu culture an hour inland.

Fun for Everyone

• uShaka Marine World (Point)
  An aquarium and water park in a shipwreck theme.
• Umhlanga Lighthouse and promenade (Umhlanga)
  A seaside walk to the red and white lighthouse.

Must-Haves

• Moses Mabhida Stadium SkyCar (Stamford Hill)
  A ride to the top of the stadium arch for views of the city and sea.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Victoria Street Market (City Centre)
  Spices, curry powders and crafts in a bustling indoor market.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Capsicum Restaurant (Britannia Hotel, Overport)
  A local favourite for Durban curry and bunny chow.

Great for Date Night

• Ile Maurice (Umhlanga)
  Mauritian French cooking with sea views.

Fun for Everyone

• Florida Road (Morningside)
  The city's busiest strip of restaurants and bars.

Off the Beaten Path

• Phansi Museum (Glenwood)
  A remarkable private collection of southern African art and beadwork.
• Inanda Heritage Route (Inanda)
  The Gandhi Settlement, Ohlange and Mandela's 1994 vote site.
• Nelson Mandela Capture Site (Howick)
  A striking sculpture where Mandela was arrested in 1962.

Low Cost and Authentic

• KwaMuhle Museum (City Centre)
  The history of apartheid era pass laws in Durban.

Must-Haves

• The Oyster Box (Umhlanga)
  A classic beachfront hotel beside the lighthouse.

Must-Haves

• Spier Wine Farm (Lynedoch)
  A family friendly estate with picnics, art and a long history.
• Delaire Graff Estate (Helshoogte Pass)
  Mountain views, art and wine on a scenic pass.

Fun for Everyone

• Babylonstoren (Simondium)
  A vast fruit and vegetable garden, farm restaurant and wine tasting.
• Franschhoek Wine Tram (Franschhoek)
  Hop on hop off tram and bus tours between wine estates.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lanzerac (Jonkershoek Valley)
  A historic Cape Dutch estate with oak shaded tastings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Stellenbosch Village Museum (Dorp Street)
  Restored houses showing life in the town over three centuries.

Great for Date Night

• La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
  Celebrated tasting menus in the heart of the Winelands.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jonkershoek Nature Reserve (Stellenbosch)
  Mountain trails and waterfalls minutes from town.

Fun for Everyone

• Root 44 Market (Stellenbosch)
  A weekend market of food stalls and crafts with live music.

Great for Date Night

• Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek)
  A boutique hotel in the village centre, close to restaurants.