Cape Town

The mountain is the city's defining landmark, part of a national park rich in fynbos, a unique type of vegetation found nowhere else. The rotating cable car reaches the summit in a few minutes, and well-marked trails such as Platteklip Gorge climb to the top in around two to three hours.

TipThe cable car doesn't run in strong wind or thick cloud; check its status before you go, and go up early on a clear day.

The island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for eighteen of his twenty-seven years in jail is now a museum and World Heritage Site. Tours, often led by former political prisoners, visit the prison and his cell.

TipBook ahead: ferries leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, and trips can be cancelled in bad weather.

A working harbour turned into a district of shops, restaurants, hotels and museums, with views of Table Mountain. The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, in a converted grain silo, is a striking piece of architecture.

A historic neighbourhood on the slopes of Signal Hill, famous for its brightly painted houses and cobbled streets. It is the heart of the Cape Malay community, descendants of people brought from Southeast Asia, many of them enslaved. The Bo-Kaap Museum tells their story.

TipRemember that it's a residential area: be respectful when taking photos of people and their homes.

A celebrated garden on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, devoted to South Africa's native plants, with a canopy walkway called the Boomslang winding through the trees. On summer Sunday evenings, concerts take place on the lawns.

A sheltered beach near Simon's Town, home to a colony of endangered African penguins. Boardwalks let you watch them up close, and at the nearby beach you can swim among the granite boulders.

At the tip of the peninsula, a nature reserve of wild cliffs, beaches and fynbos, with ostriches, baboons and antelope. A path and a funicular lead to the old lighthouse at Cape Point, with views over the ocean.

TipNever feed the baboons, and keep food out of sight: they are wild animals and can be aggressive.

One of the world's most beautiful coastal roads, carved into the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, with sweeping views over the Atlantic. Combine it with Cape Point on a full-day drive around the peninsula.

White-sand beaches beneath the peaks of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, popular for sunbathing and sunset drinks. The Atlantic water here is cold, even in summer.