 | Cape Town today Cape Town is the cultural and political capital of South Africa. It is arguably the most important of the cities in South Africa. Today too, Cape Town’s natural beauty has been well preserved [Table Mountain, Cape Town’s many beaches, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point have been maintained beautifully] as well its architectural treasures [the Slave Lodge, Castle of Good Hope, Koopmans De Wet House etc]. It has become a tourist destination and the tourism industry has experienced a real growth in the last few years. Because of the revenue that it brings in |
 | Cape Town back then Historically Cape Town has always been an important city. Due to its status as a port/harbor it attracted the Dutch East India Trading Company who established their posts here in the early 1650s to facilitate trade with India, the Far East and the rest of Africa. The same trading company brought a number of slaves to Cape Town to perform menial jobs. The mansions and buildings erected by the Dutch during this period survive even today. Cape Town then fell to the British in 1795 and then again in the early 1800s who then eventually founded the Union of South Africa in 1910. |
 | The Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays This hotel is arguably the best in town; it is both extravagant and luxurious. The location is excel |  | Bay Hotel This hotel is close to the city centre and yet is secluded. It is located across one of Cape Town’ |
 | Cape Grace This is arguably the best of Cape Town’s luxury hotels. The location is picturesque- the waterfron |  | Ellerman House The ambience of this hotel is wonderful- the setting is Bantry Bay and the rooms offer a stunning vi |
 | Mount Nelson Hotel Probably the most well known of Cape Town’s luxury hotels, this hotel dates back to the turn of th |  | Coral International Cape Town The Coral International Cape Town is the first dry (alcohol-free) and Halal hotel in South Africa. I |
 | Amulet Goldsmith Buy a lovely piece of jewelry from this famous shop. Address: 14 Kloof Nek Road |  | Everard Read Gallery A wonderful selection of South African art is available here- although prices are exorbitant. |
 | Louise Hennigs This is the best store to buy leather products- the handbags are made using excellent quality leathe |  | N.C.M Fashions- African Pride This shop is renowned for the beautiful traditional African attire which is its specialty. Wonderful |
 | Waterfront Craft Market This market consists of a number of stalls where jewelry, arts and crafts, pottery, glass and rugs a |  | Green Point This flea market sells everything you can possibly conceive of, from shoes and clothing to music and |
 | Gun Run This event takes place annually in October. This is Cape Town’s own take of a marathon which stret |  | Cape Town Jazz Festival This event takes place annually. It is an international festival and draws a large number of jazz pl |
 | OBZfestival This annual festival heralds the arrival of summer. A number of activities take place including the |  | Meat Festival This annual festival is held in Calvinia a small town in the Northern Cape. Calvinia is famous for i |
 | My Coke Fest This event takes place annually though there is no fixed date for it. It is a 12 hour long concert a |  | Cape Town World Cinema Festival This event takes place annually. The venue is Cinema Nouveau. The focus is on films made in the Afr |
 | Wakame This restaurant looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean affording a breathtaking view of the sea. The sush |  | Black Marlin Located in False Bay overlooking the Indian Ocean the setting is beautiful. Seafood is the specialty |
 | Manolo The dishes served here are of excellent quality and are very creative; seafood, vegetarian and meat |  | Café Orca This eatery looks out onto the surrounding beach. Whilst the interior is un-fussed and nothing speci |
 | Rozenhof This restaurant is very busy; very much a combination of the reasonable prices and the good quality |  | Haiku This restaurant offers quality food. Dishes listed on the menu are diverse with everything being ser |
 | Fast Facts Location: Cape Town is located in the Northern part of the Cape Peninsula surrounded by a number of mountains including Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and the Devil’s Peak. Area: 2455 sq km Dialing code: +27 Area Code: 021 Emergency Numbers: Emergencies: 107 Fire: 021-535-1100/ 021-461-5555 Police: 10111 [flying squad]; 021-467-8000 Ambulance: 10177 Tourist Assistance [Police]: 021-418-2852 Lifeline: 021-461-1111 Sea Rescue: 021-405-3500 Vehicle Breakdown: 082-161-11 Telephone directory enquiry: 1023 [Local Numbers]; 1903 [International Numbers] Airport Enquiry: 021-934-0407 Railway Enquiry: 080-065-6463 Population: 3 million approximately Languages: English, Afrikaans, French, German, Swazi, Zulu Time zone: GMT/UTC +2 Electricity: 220/230 Volts Plug sockets accept the old British style plug with three round pins. Currency: South African Rand [R] Average January Temperatures: 21 °C Average July Temperatures: 12.5 °C Annual Rainfall: 515 mm |
