South Africa

Cape Town

The Test Kitchen Neighbourhood (Woodstock)

The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock hosts the legendary Neighbourgoods Market every Saturday morning, where local producers sell fresh bread, charcuterie, craft coffee, and Cape Malay street food under a buzzing covered warehouse. Families graze their way through the stalls and browse the design shops that spill into the surrounding streets.

Cape Town

Gold Restaurant

This theatrical pan-African dining experience in the city centre serves a 14-dish tasting menu of dishes from across the continent, accompanied by live djembe drumming and marimba music throughout the meal. Children are welcomed onto the dance floor and even given a drumming lesson, making dinner genuinely memorable entertainment.

Cape Town

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

Ride the rotating cable car 1,086 metres to the flat-topped summit for jaw-dropping 360° views over Cape Town, the Atlantic, and the Cape Peninsula. Kids love spotting rock hyraxes on the plateau and scrambling along the marked walking paths at the top.

Cape Town

Boulders Beach Penguin Colony

This sheltered cove near Simon's Town is home to over 3,000 African penguins waddling within arm's reach on the boardwalks. Children are absolutely mesmerised watching the penguins swim, nest, and squabble just metres away.

Cape Town

V&A Waterfront

Cape Town's iconic working harbour combines hundreds of shops, restaurants, street performers, and boat trips in one walkable precinct. Families can graze at the Market on the Wharf, catch a harbour seal lazing on the jetties, and easily fill an entire day.

Cape Town

Robben Island

The ferry ride across Table Bay delivers families to the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, with former political prisoners often leading the tours. It is a profoundly moving history lesson that older children carry with them long after the visit.

Cape Town

Cape Point

The dramatic rocky headland at the tip of the Cape Peninsula rewards families with a funicular ride up to the old lighthouse and some of the most theatrical coastal scenery on earth. Keep an eye on your snacks — the resident baboons are bold and surprisingly quick.

Cape Town

Camps Bay Beach

Backed by the dramatic Twelve Apostles mountain range, this wide white-sand beach along the Atlantic Seaboard offers calm(ish) surf and a buzzy strip of cafés just steps from the sand. The tidal rock pools at the northern end keep younger children entertained for hours of creature-spotting.

Cape Town

District Six Museum

This intimate museum documents the forced removal of over 60,000 people from their homes during apartheid, told through floor maps, photographs, and the voices of survivors who sometimes guide visitors in person. It gives families with older children an honest and human-scale understanding of Cape Town's complex past.

Cape Town

Imhoff Farm

Tucked into the Cape Peninsula between Kommetjie and Noordhoek, this heritage farm is a wonderland of camel rides, a petting zoo, a crocodile ranch, and artisan shops all in one. The relaxed farm atmosphere and child-friendly restaurants make it a perfect half-day escape from the city.

Cape Town

Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel

Cape Town's legendary pink landmark hotel sits in 9 acres of manicured gardens at the foot of Table Mountain and has welcomed families since 1899. The pools, lush grounds, and famously lavish afternoon tea make it a genuine splurge that children and parents enjoy equally.

Cape Town

The Silo Hotel

Perched above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in a converted grain silo on the V&A Waterfront, this design-forward hotel has bulging porthole windows and rooftop pool views that feel surreal from the moment you arrive. Its waterfront location means the aquarium, harbour seals, and restaurants are all within a five-minute walk for families.