Cape Town Hotels

One of the beneficial outcomes of the 2010 World Cup no doubt, will be the preponderance of attention paid to attractive Cape Town. The legislative capital city of South Africa and popular tourism hub is as complete a vacation destination as one can conjure.

With enviable beachfront and a vivid milieu in Table Mountain, Cape Town's geography is both idyllic and practical. The Atlantic Ocean provides beautiful coastal scenery and recreation, while a lush, hilly interior endows the area with world class vineyards.

Attractions

Cape Town is flush with tourist attractions to suit just about every taste. Robben Island may be the most popular and notorious landmark within the city limits. The former penitentiary and foremost symbol of apartheid was where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life.

With a history of formal European settlement that dates back to 1652, when Cape Town was a way station for the powerful Dutch East India Company, the city has a rich architectural heritage. Multicultural Cape Malay Bo-Kaap on the slopes of Signal Hill and peaceful Constantia are the best areas to view the smart Cape Dutch design aesthetic.

Long Street is a funky bohemian lair in the cool City Bowl sector of town. With great bookstores, shops, restaurants and bars, the area is a wonderful reflection of Cape Town's ethnic diversity.

For superior beach time, Cape Town is a paradise. With sandy coastline on the Atlantic Seaboard, False Bay and West Coast, choice is never a problem for those who want to tan in the buff, surf, swim, sail or photograph exotic wildlife. The most popular are Clifton Beach, Camps Bay, St. James and Bloubergstrand.

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is the principal tourist site in South Africa, with more than 20 million visitors a year. With Table Mountain as a backdrop, the harbour area is replete with restaurants, shops, hotels and some of the most expensive real estate on the continent.

No visit to Cape Town, or South Africa for that matter, is complete without a tour of nearby wine country. Purveyor of some of the best New World wines, the areas around Franschhoek Valley, Stellenbosch and Paarl offer superlative vineyard tours.

Events

Other than the obvious 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cape Town has many regular events on tap for tourism enjoyment.

The Standard Bank Jazzathon and Cape Town Jazz Festival, held in January and March respectively, feature a slew of local and international acts.

Pristine Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens offers free concerts every Sunday at sunset, from November through April.

One of several excellent museums in Cape Town, the South African National Gallery hosts regular special collections, as well as a superb permanent collection of native art.

Held every December, the Mother City Queer Project is the most popular and progressive gay and lesbian festival in Africa.

For food and wine fanciers, the City Harvest Festival in April is a wonderful showcase of all that Cape Town has to offer. A celebration of the area's rich culinary bounty, the festival line-up includes live entertainment, workshops and plenty of occasions to imbibe and gorge.

Climate

Cape Town has a beautiful Mediterranean climate with cool temperatures and heavy rainfall in the winter months, courtesy of close proximity with the Atlantic Ocean.

• Winter (May to July) 8-18°C

• Spring (August to October) 9-21°C

• Summer (November to February) 13-27°C

• Fall (March to April) 9-23°C