The 26 Best Experiences to try in Cape Town in 2026

The carefully restored Time Ball Tower is a small but meaningful reminder of Cape Town’s maritime past. The tower was fully restored towards the end of last year, reconnecting the city to an era when the sea literally set time.

This is a stop that deepens your appreciation of the Waterfront, beyond shopping and dining, with a layered moment that adds historical texture to a modern, vibey precinct. Afterwards, why not pop over to the Cape Time Time Out Market across the way?

!Khwa ttu, situated about an hour's drive from Cape Town along the R27, blends open landscapes with San culture and storytelling. It offers a reflective and meaningful alternative to your standard day trip.

It’s a space where heritage, nature, and learning meet, making it one of those experiences that linger through a deeper appreciation for nature.

Babylonstoren requires no introduction for its deeply rooted approach to all things earthy and natural. Its latest addition, The Byzantium, is an immersive homage to bees and biodiversity. 

Beyond the honey and gardens, it’s a thoughtfully crafted experience where craftsmanship, nature and storytelling intersect - ideal for visitors who love engaging with a place as much as its produce.

Just over an hour from Cape Town, Elgin is a breath of fresh air. Its forests, rolling vineyards and endless fruit farms create a restorative escape that feels worlds away from the city. 

It's perfect for a slow morning exploring nature, enjoying artisanal food at the legendary Elgin Railway Market, or a spot of MCC wine tasting at the likes of Charles Fox. 

Why not opt for an overnight stay along the Palmiet River, a relaxed family getaway packed with watersports and fishing opportunities. 

A weekend ritual for locals, this market brings together farmers, bakers and chefs in a lively, community-driven setting. It's also in a modern, chic new location - closer to the main wharf of the V&A Waterfront.  

SEE: Oranjezicht Market Blueprint: Why SA needs hundreds more farmers’ market. 

Amura adds a refined, globally inspired dining experience to one of the city’s most iconic hotels, the Mount Nelson. 

After two years of planning, acclaimed Chef Ángel León has chosen Cape Town - one of the world’s top food destinations - for his first collaboration outside Spain.

Drawing inspiration from his rich Galician seafood heritage, León has brought a team from Aponiente to Amura, under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Luke Barry, to celebrate Cape Town’s Atlantic bounty.

Le Bistrot de Jan in Nice, France, has enjoyed great success, so its launch in the Mother City has caused quite a buzz.

This Provençal-inspired bistro brings chef-led dining and European flair to the city’s most visited precinct - at the newly refurbished Table Bay Hotel.  

For those unfamiliar with Le Bistrot de JAN, it has been described as 'a joyful celebration of indulgence, nostalgia, and South African-French flair; a tribute to the beloved bistro culture of France, reimagined through Jan Hendrik’s distinctly refined yet playful lens'.

Offering a curated selection of its world-famous French macarons, the arrival of Ladurée introduces a playful yet indulgent gourmet stop that reflects Cape Town’s evolving decadence when it comes to niche food experiences. 

This cult fashion and lifestyle market takes place quarterly - offering a blend of shopping with social energ as it amplifies Cape Town’s love of niche, curated experiences.  

Established by a husband and wife duo - Kirstin and Shane Copeland, the team behind Mystery Fun Club, a private art studio that showcases a range of pieces by local artists and offers tattooing services - the Super Mini-Market officially launched on 30 August 2025.

The culinary wizards of the FYN Group are behind this new restaurant at Boschendal Wine Estate. Arum celebrates a farm-to-fire ethos with its multiple dining areas and menu focused on flavour and attention to detail. They have also created five exclusive wines, available only at Arum. 

ICYMI - Local Intel: Jennifer Hugé

Heritage-led boutique stays, such as Labotessa, highlight the growing appeal of intimate luxury rooted in place.

This is an all-suite property overlooking historic Church Square, housed within a sensitively restored heritage building in Cape Town’s city centre, with an on-site café, terrace and Diptyque boutique.

Take a guided walking tour into Cape Town’s layered history through colourful streets, historic squares and unique stories that have shaped the city into what it is today. 

A visit to one of these museums provides essential context to Cape Town’s social history, focusing on memory, displacement and resilience.  

At the District Six Museum, founded in 1994, you'll step inside one of Cape Town’s most important cultural landmarks. It preserves the stories of the mixed-race community forcibly removed during apartheid. What makes it even more real is its guided walks and tours led by former residents. 

The Iziko Slave Lodge is a sobering yet necessary experience that deepens your understanding of the past, while encouraging thoughtful reflection on how those histories continue to shape the present.

The Baxter Theatre remains one of Cape Town’s most important cultural institutions - a place loved by many for its powerful showcase of local storytelling through theatre, music, and performance. 

SEE: Local Intel: David Kramer

This immersive light festival is set to transform the historic Company’s Garden into a glowing playground of light, colour and creativity. 

Billed as Africa’s first large-scale festival dedicated entirely to light-based art and immersive creative technology, it’s set to run from 9-12 April 2026.

Explores how street art has transformed the various neighbourhoods of Woodstock and Salt River - establishing them as creative hubs through murals that aim to tell stories of identity and change of its people. 

If you're not up for exploring on foot, this trusted way of exploring a city when you have a limited amount of time will not disappoint you. Even locals will find they learn a thing or two about South Africa's oldest city when they try the hop-on hop-off bus.

Housed inside a spectacularly repurposed grain silo at the V&A Waterfront, Zeitz MOCAA is the largest contemporary art museum dedicated to Africa and its diaspora.

The museum showcases cutting-edge exhibitions across multiple galleries, alongside striking architecture that has become an attraction in its own right.

Kirstenbosch is one of those places that invites you to stay longer than planned, whether you’re wandering the gardens, pausing on the Boomslang walkway or laying down a picnic blanket beneath ancient trees.

In summer, its outdoor concerts transform the garden into a shared creative cultural space - where music, nature, and community come together in a way that feels unmistakably Capatonian. 

SEE: The Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts 2026 line-up