Cape Town Coastal Regions

As much a part of the city as Table Mountain, Cape Town’s coastal regions boast some of the city’s most sought-after addresses as well as the Cape Peninsula’s best sunsets.

Beginning at the V&A Waterfront, the Atlantic Seaboard is a string of ocean-facing city suburbs that hug Cape Town’s western coastline. Bustling Sea Point and its quieter neighbours of Granger Bay, Bantry Bay and Green Point are part of the city scene but a 5-minute drive takes you to two of the most popular and scenic beaches in the country: Clifton and Camps Bay. During the long Cape Town summer the atmosphere here is electric. Both beaches come alive with festivals, sports events and parties, and they are undoubtedly the places to see and be seen.

Things quieten down at the tiny suburb of Bakoven before development abruptly falls away and the coastal road winds lazily along unspoiled mountain slopes to Llandudno and Hout Bay. Beyond Hout Bay you’ll find the sleepy seaside villages of Noordhoek and Scarborough before the Cape Peninsula ends at Cape Point Nature Reserve, always worth a trip in good weather especially as the famous penguin colony at Boulders Beach lies close by.

Returning to Cape Town on the False Bay side of the Peninsula will take you through small coastal villages such as Simons Town, St James and Kalk Bay where the Indian Ocean scenery is just as dramatic as the Atlantic side and whales are often seen in spring.

Accommodation in Cape Town’s coastal suburbs, particularly along the Atlantic Seaboard, is as you might expect: superb. Graceful, exclusive and very luxurious living is available at discreet boutique hotels and cliff-hugging private villas, providing the perfect means to enjoy the sunset after a day exploring the Cape Peninsula.

It should be noted that despite the alluring nature of the clear blue Atlantic, the water temperature on the Atlantic Seaboard ranges from 10 – 15°C and can best be described as ‘bracing’. The Indian Ocean that laps the eastern beaches of the Peninsula is slightly warmer.