Sun, sea and sundowners: 20 Cape Town summer musts

Summer in Cape Town comes with a few house rules: wear sunscreen, expect the South-Easter and arrive early or midweek. This list follows those rules. It leans towards quiet coves, weekday slots and open roads, plus a few day trips that need a full tank and a packed lunch.

Bookmark the page. We update it through the season as new events land and favourites reopen.

1. Pack a picnic for a Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert

Spread a blanket on the lawn, open the cheese board and let the mountain do the lighting. Kirstenbosch’s Sarah Struys describes the concerts as being about ‘connection, joy and the beauty of experiencing good music in harmony with nature’. Arrive when the gates open to claim a good patch of grass. Catch up on last season’s line-up and check SANBI for the current programme.

• Location:

  Rhodes Drive, Newlands |

  Times:

  Gates open 16:00 | Concerts start 17:15

2. Watch a film under the stars at The Galileo

Blankets, backrests and a movie that starts once the sky darkens. Pick a weekday screening for more elbow room, or follow the screen to a wine estate on a Saturday. Our Galileo guide has more, and the schedule lives at thegalileo.co.za.

• Location:

  Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Gate 2, Newlands, plus rotating venues |

• Times:

  In recent seasons doors opened at 18:00 on weekdays and 17:00 on weekends, with the film starting after sunset

3. See a show at Maynardville

An open-air theatre in the middle of Wynberg Park, known for its Shakespeare season. Book a weeknight, bring a cushion and a jersey for when the evening cools, and check the programme before you buy tickets.

• Location:

  Wynberg Park, Wynberg

4. Book a weekday picnic on a Constantia wine estate

Several estates in the valley serve picnic baskets on the lawn under old oaks. A weekday booking keeps the lawn calm and the tasting room unhurried. Bring a hat and appoint a driver.

• Location:

  Constantia Valley

5. Find a quiet Atlantic cove

Camps Bay gets very busy in December and January, so head for its calmer neighbours. Cape Town Magazine’s team rates Clifton Third as the quietest of the major beaches, and one staffer escapes to Bakoven midweek. Glen Beach, next door to Camps Bay, offers more peace and some shelter from the wind. Go before 10:00 and bring a windbreak.

• Location:

  Clifton Third, Glen Beach and Bakoven, Atlantic seaboard

6. Swim at Dalebrook tidal pool

False Bay’s tidal pools catch warmer water than the Atlantic coast. Dalebrook sits close to the mountain and loses the sun early, so a morning dip is the smart move. Check the tide tables before you go, because the pool fills and drains with the sea.

• Location:

  Dalebrook, Kalk Bay

7. Settle in at Windmill Beach

A small, sheltered beach tucked behind the Simon’s Town Country Club. It’s among Cape Town’s off-the-radar beaches and it rewards a slow afternoon with a book and a cooler bag.

• Location:

  Corner of M4 and Bellevue Road, Simon’s Town

8. Walk the length of Long Beach

Kommetjie and Noordhoek share a long stretch of open sand that swallows crowds. Walk it at sunset with your shoes in your hand.

• Location:

  Long Beach, Kommetjie and Noordhoek

9. Spend a weekday morning in the Company’s Garden

Cape Town Magazine’s own team counts the garden among their hidden gems. Wander the shaded paths, say hello to the squirrels and take a coffee to a bench before the lunch crowd arrives.

• Location:

  Government Avenue, Cape Town city centre

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10. Take the ferry to Robben Island

The ferry leaves from the Nelson Mandela Gateway for a tour of the island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Book a weekday sailing well ahead, and know that rough seas can cancel crossings.

• Location:

  Nelson Mandela Gateway, V&A Waterfront

11. Spend a weekday night in Paternoster

About 150km up the West Coast, this fishing village keeps its whitewashed-cottage look thanks to strict building rules. SA Tourism describes crayfish sellers by the road and waves crashing as you arrive. Eat seafood, stroll the beach and let the Atlantic do the talking.

• Location:

  Paternoster, West Coast

• Distance:

  About 150km from Cape Town via the R27

12. Visit Cape Columbine Nature Reserve

Frommer’s recommends avoiding weekends and school holidays at this reserve near Paternoster. Go on a weekday for coastal walks, the lighthouse and an empty stretch of rocky shore. Spring is the flower season, and summer brings the sea breeze.

Location: Cape Columbine Nature Reserve, near Paternoster

13. Drive up to Elands Bay

About two hours from the city, Elands Bay is a surfer’s town where the left-hand waves are seldom very crowded. Non-surfers can visit the rock art cave nearby or watch from the beach with a flask of coffee.

• Location:

  Elands Bay, West Coast |

  Distance:

  About two hours from Cape Town

14. Go fossil hunting at the West Coast Fossil Park

A little-known stop near Langebaan with excavation sites and mountain bike trails. Visit in the early morning before the heat builds, and pack water. Browse more West Coast ideas before you go.

• Location:

  Langebaanweg, West Coast

15. Browse the shops in Darling

The town looks small from the main road. Step off it and you find restored Victorian buildings, galleries and cafés in the side streets. Go on a weekday for a slower pace.

• Location:

  Darling, West Coast

16. Do nothing in Greyton

About 140km from Cape Town, this Overberg village suits walking, cycling and long lunches. Guests regularly describe it as quiet, and it’s a good place to rest your phone.

• Location:

  Greyton, Overberg

17. Wander McGregor

Whitewashed cottages, quiet streets and a pace that makes weekends feel longer. Choose a weekday visit and keep your agenda loose.

• Location:

  McGregor, Breede River Valley

18. Spot wild horses at Rooisand Nature Reserve

Kleinmond, about 110km from Cape Town, sits inside the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. Bring binoculars for the birds, and keep an eye out for the wild horses that roam the reserve.

• Location:

  Rooisand Nature Reserve, Kleinmond

19. Drive Clarence Drive from Gordon’s Bay to Betty’s Bay

One of the most scenic coastal stretches near the city, with the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Stop at Stony Point to watch the penguin colony from the boardwalk. Gordon’s Bay’s Bikini Beach is sheltered from the summer southerlies if you want a swim on the way.

• Location:

  Gordon’s Bay to Betty’s Bay, along the False Bay coast

20. Book a weekday Winelands lunch

Pick a smaller estate, reserve a table for a Tuesday or Wednesday and take your time over the menu. Weekday tastings run at a gentler pace than Saturdays. Choose a driver or book transport.

• Location:

  Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and surrounds

That’s the list. Which one are you ticking off first? Keep an eye on Cape {town} Etc, because we add new ideas as the season unfolds.

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Also read:

Stellenbosch Street Soirees return for summer with wine and live music

**Picture: **Tembela Bohle / Pexels

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