Has anyone been to Capetown/Stellenbosh SA.....experience?

badaulname

Hey everyone...

Heading to South Africa in January for around two weeks as part of college! Really excited about it and it will be a trip of a lifetime

Just wondering how people have found it over there..any tips etc. Will be pretty much on a schedule but any advice at all is welcome

Thanks
badaulname

SuperStarHoney

Beautiful country with loads to do, just enjoy!

Definitely don't miss the Cape of Good Hope and the usual round Capetown Table Mountain and Robben Island.

Stellenbosch is more chilled out, not loads to do there other than eat drink and be merry. The wine tours are excellent and scenery fabulous all around this area.

shanagarry

It's the height of summer so you should have good weather. However, it's also the height of the tourist season, so make sure you have all your accommodation etc booked well in advance as it can get very busy.

I wouldn't call Stellenbosch chilled - only during daylight hours! It's a university town, so lots of nightlife geared towards your age group. The best comparison is Maynooth probably. However, they will be on holidays while you are there so it might be a bit quieter.

Enjoy, and if you have any specific questions don't hesitate to ask.

fonzy157

+1 Robben Island-really interesting and fab views on the way back of table mountain etc!
Def try and do a wine tour around stellenbosch-did one and had a blast!
very cheap also:)

LaMer

It's a really great city, been a good few times and hopefully heading back over in January myself. The weather will be great, admittedly it'll be cooler by the coast than it will be in Stellenbosch, but I would'nt be complaining!

I'd recommend table mountain Robben Island, etc., and something which I'm hoping to do next year, get the train from Cape Town City Bowl out through Muizenberg to Simonstown, the scenery is meant to be unreal and then you can go and see the penguins afterwards, get eats overlooking False Bay and check out the town.

Also if you want to go to Robben Island, book well in advance as it was booked up last 2 times I was down in January.

Hennybug

"I'd recommend table mountain Robben Island, etc., and something which I'm hoping to do next year, get the train from Cape Town City Bowl out through Muizenberg to Simonstown, the scenery is meant to be unreal and then you can go and see the penguins afterwards, get eats overlooking False Bay and check out the town".

This is well worth doing, the penguins are fabulous and there are some gorgeous beaches along hte way. Try to get the train outside of work hours though, we took the train back to cape town @ 4pm and it was really scary, people literally hanging out of the open doors and armed guards!

shanagarry

Hennybug wrote: »

Try to get the train outside of work hours though, we took the train back to cape town @ 4pm and it was really scary, people literally hanging out of the open doors and armed guards!

Off peak is a good idea, but make sure that you don't arrive back to Cape Town station late as it and its environs aren't the safest of places. The weekend during the day is probably the best time to go. If you do go, be sure to stop off in Kalk Bay and have a walk by the harbour and grab some food in some of the great places there - the Olympia Deli is legendary, but be prepared to queue, or Kalkies at the harbour for straight off the boat, literally, fish and chips

LaMer

shanagarry wrote: »

Off peak is a good idea, but make sure that you don't arrive back to Cape Town station late as it and its environs aren't the safest of places. The weekend during the day is probably the best time to go. If you do go, be sure to stop off in Kalk Bay and have a walk by the harbour and grab some food in some of the great places there - the Olympia Deli is legendary, but be prepared to queue, or Kalkies at the harbour for straight off the boat, literally, fish and chips

Yeah Cape Town station can be dodgy, much like any other station on the continent, and even in Europe. Luckily Cape Town is a safe enough city, it's nice to take a walk from the War Memorial on Adderley street, up through Greenmarket Square, back out to Adderley up towards the Company Gardens, check out the Slave Lodge, statue of Jan Smuts, and theres' a building - I think the population registration building or something from the Apartheid era, has interesting plaques outside and benches proclaiming "Whites Only" "Non-Whites Only", I only found it recently enough, and then a walk around the Company Gardens and loop around on to long street to check out whats going on there.

badaulname

Hey Everyone!!

Thank you so much for replying I really appreciate it Sorry for not getting back sooner this clever idea of mine of going back to college and doing a Masters is getting old......craaaaaaaaazy busy!!!!:pac:

Def will take all your advice onboard and try hit some of the spots ye mentioned. We got the name of our hotel the other day, it made everyone so excited...trip of a lifetime!

Thanks again

Badaulname:D