Cape Town is the most beautiful city worldwide and with any and everything a South African holiday maker or traveler could ask for the question left is how to get around the magical Mother City. This guide explores the best options to get around when you are on a Cape Town tour.
Cape Town Car Hire
If you are an independent traveler looking to travel the countryside on your own terms and at your own pace you will want the freedom and flexibility of Cape Town car hire. It’s the perfect way
to get the most of your Cape Town trip without having to stick to someone else’s schedule
or be punted on a packaged tour.
Not only are Cape Town car hire operators cheap and reliable but with most car rental
companies having depots at the Cape Town Airport as well as in Cape Town itself, picking up
and dropping off you car is hassle free.
Cape Town Buses
Clean, safe and not too packed the Cape Town Bus services are an excellent way to travel
between the City Bowl and the outlying suburbs and areas.
The bus trips round Cape Town cost between R14 to R20 depending on your destination. If
you are going to be in Cape Town for a week or more you can buy ten trip tickets for half-
price. Golden Arrow Bus Services are especially good and there is usually only a slight delay
on their bus arrival times.
If you are looking to do a tour of Cape Town tourist attractions, the open tour buses are the
best chance to enjoy a guided drive.
Cape Town Trains
For the more adventurous and courageous of Cape Town holiday travelers there are always
the Metrorail trains. The commuter trains have an extensive route through Cape Town and
the outlying areas.
Train tickets are pretty cheap but you have to be vigilant. Pick-pocketing and handbag grabs
are a huge problem on the Cape Town trains so keep an eye out, never travel after dark and
don’t stand alone in a carriage.
Cape Town Minibus Taxi’s
Minibus taxis were the black sheep of the Cape Town tourism and transport industry, with
a safety reputation that would put the KGB to shame. But with the recent upgrading of the
Cape Minibus services, taxi’s are now a fantastic locally flavored way to see Cape Town.
The trips are exciting and cheap, costing around R5 round the Cape Town City Bowl. Be
careful which operator and taxi driver you choose as some minibuses are still unroadworthy
and the skills of Cape Town taxi drivers are sometimes hair raising.
Cape Town Taxi Cab
A novel way to explore and travel through Cape Town is to use a Cape Town London style
taxi cab. The unique cabs are available round the City Bowl (The Cape Town CBD) and
nearby areas. They are not only a cheap transport option but get you to where you are
going quickly and in comfort.
How you travel Cape Town, whether you hire a your own car from a reputable Cape Town
car rental company or catch the train essentially depends on what you are looking to do and
how you want to get there. Most tourists opt for the independence of Cape Town’s car hire
options but if you are looking to experience some local flavor ditch the wheels every once in
a while.