Flights to Cape Town

Gorgeous seaside city

Cape Town is a breathtakingly beautiful city that attracts numerous visitors. From world-famous mountains to lovely seaside landscapes, food, wine, culture and history, the South African town has it all.

Best time for a Cape town trip

Cape Town can be enjoyed at any time of the year. The weather is, however, nicer in summer, from December to February when it is hot and dry. In winter, between June and August, it gets wetter and nights can be quite cold. Numerous festivals are organized during the year, including the Cape Town Jazz Festival in late March-April and the Cape Town Beer Festival in late November. As for holidays, Freedom Day is celebrated on April 27 and Heritage Day on September 24, with various parties and events held around the city.

Important information

Visas are not necessary for British citizens but passports need to be valid for at least 30 days after leaving the country and have two blank pages left. It is necessary to check with a doctor which vaccines are required way ahead of the planned travel date. The levels of crime are high in South Africa and visitors should be careful, researching which districts are best avoided in particular at night, and hiring a local guide if necessary. It is also important to carry a form of ID such as a copy of your passport. The prices in South Africa are generally much lower than in the UK with a beer costing around ZAR25 and a bottle of wine about ZAR35. Cape Town is two hours ahead from GMT (SAST), i.e. an hour ahead of the UK (BST) in summer and 2 hours in winter. There is no daylight saving time. 

Cape Town transport and accommodation

From the airport, the MyCiTi shuttle bus goes to Civic Centre Bus Station every 20 minutes between 4.20am and 10pm, with tickets costing about ZAR60. Budget accommodation is easy to find, as guesthouses and hostels are widely available, with rooms starting at about ZAR140, while 3-star hotels cost approximately ZAR800 per person per night. Public transport is cheap in Cape Town, with both minibuses and public buses. The latter are operated by MyCiTi and Golden Arrow. Visitors need a rechargeable chip card to travel with MyCiTi buses. Taxis charge around ZAR8-10 per kilometre.

Airport Cape Town CPT

Cape Town International Airport is the second largest airport in South Africa after Johannesburg-OR Tambo.

• URL: Official website
• Parking: Yes; 5000 paid short and long term spaces
• Nearby cities: Cape Town (18 km), Somerset West (26 km), Noorder-Paarl (44 km), Worcester (85 km)
• Directions by car: The airport is about 20 km or 14 miles south east of the inner city on the N2 motorway.

Location

First in use in 1955, the airport is about 20 kilometres or 14 miles south east of the city centre, on the N2 (Settlers Way) towards Macassar. Between the airport and the city there is currently no airport shuttle. However, at the terminal taxis are widely available and the private bus company "Magic Bus" also provides a transfer to the Airport, but must be reserved in advance.