Visiting Cape Town, a list of things you need to know
- Parking is almost never free in Cape Town, especially during business hours. Be ready to fork out anything from R5 to R25 per hour.
- South Africa has 11 official languages, but almost everyone speaks English.
- Cash is King. Haggle with the traders, they will usually give you a discount on curios.
- Foreign currencies can be exchanged for cash.
- Most stores and restaurants accept debit and credit card payments.
- A tip is strongly suggested for most services, some restaurants add 10% to the total bill.
- Our currency is the South African Rand (ZAR) available in denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200 notes and coins of R5, R2, R1, 50c, 20c and 10c.
- Free wifi is not widely available.
- Our websites use the .za TLD
- Our international dialling code is +27. Replace the leading 0 with +27.
- South Africa's airports have top notch wheelchair assistance.
- Firearms need to be handed in at the airport and are not allowed in certain public areas.
- The maximum luggage weight for local flights are 20kg check-in and 7kg carry-on.
- Cape Town has a strong South Easterly wind.
- Cape Town’s weather is unpredictable, but there is always plenty to do and see.
- Touring Cape Town is generally safe. Many companies and tour guides offer scheduled and guided tours.
- Temperatures can reach a high of 36 degrees and a low of 5 degrees Celsius.
- Postcards are still in fashion and available everywhere.
- Most attractions close at 5:00pm.
- Most tourist attractions are wheelchair and pram friendly.
- Public beaches have shark spotters and shark flags signalling whether it’s safe to swim or not.
- Cape Town has some of the cleanest Blue Flag beaches.
- Cape Town has its fair share of muggers. If it’s dark, don't wander alone!
- Cape Town has a great diversity of cultures.
- People beg at the robots (traffic lights).
- Our peak traffic hours are from 6-9am and 4-6pm.
- Our maximum highway speeds are 120km/h
- Our roads are well maintained and can be compared with that of the best developed countries.
- We drive on the right-hand side of the road.
- Reliable public transport is readily available in the form of meter cabs, the myCiti bus and Uber.
- Renting a car is easy
- Some foreign driver's licenses are accepted on SA roads.
- A number of long staying tourists and explorers buy vehicles in Cape Town. They then sell them just before they leave.
- We have dedicated bus lanes that are off limits to the public during the AM traffic rush.
- Our highways and main roads have speed cameras.
- We have petrol attendants to fill petrol (gas), we cannot do it ourselves.
- Road names change often.
- Cape Town has a lot of slang.
- Cape Town uses kilograms (not pounds).
- Some of our malls are open from 9:00 am-09:00 pm.
- Average working hours are from 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
- Smoking is not permitted in any public area.
- Our hospitals require payment prior to attendance.
- Our pharmacies (drug stores) require a written prescription for most medication.
- Cape Town is divided into suburbs.
- Our tap water is clean and potable.
- Most popular restaurants cater for vegetarians.
- In comparison to a lot of countries, our food is relatively cheap.
Cape Towns Best Attractions