Fabulously budget travel tips: Cape Town

Cape Town, South Africa’s coastal city, ticks just about every box on the vacation checklist – sandy beaches, abundant vineyards, fine dining, and historic places of interest such as Robben Island. You must take advantage of the advantageous currency exchange (£1 currently buys you over 18 South African Rand), and enjoy everything Cape Town has to offer on a budget, without compromising on comfort. Your flight will be the biggest outlay but if you travel off-season (the weather rarely dips below 20 degrees) you’re sure to find a bargain.

Staying

I stayed in a great beach location in Blouberg in this two bedroom apartment with a pool and secure parking. It’s ideal for a family of four, or two couples travelling together for £80/night. Find Airbnb deals all over the city from just £20. This guide to finding the perfect Airbnb accommodation is also very useful.

Hostelworld offers over 60 hostels with prices ranging from £10 to £30.

You can also find familiar budget brands such as Holiday Inn.

Also, the Check Inn’s economy rooms start at £26.

Sightseeing

We got great value out of our day on board the City Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off bus. I bought the tickets online in advance and saved 20% (around £9 for adults and £5 for children). This gives you all day transport around the city, an informative commentary, and a choice of routes which take you around all the major attractions including the all important Table Mountain. We purchased our discounted fast track tickets to Table Mountain on the sightseeing bus itself, saving us an enormous queue, and we were delivered straight to the cable car entrance.

The Cape Town Entertainer voucher book (£27 for the smartphone app) gives you fingertip access to over 300 2-for-1 discount vouchers for attractions, restaurants, spas, and activities. We loved the Cape Wheel at the V&A Waterfront where you can also find lots of places to eat as well as boat trips out into the harbour, all using your vouchers.

Getting around

We opted to leave our hired car securely at our accommodation to avoid parking woes, and used the very convenient MyCiti Rapid Transit buses – fares start from 80p in central areas. Uber is also popular, and there are trains out to some suburbs.

Free activities

Open air market shopping is a must. You can wander around stalls that sell crafts and jewellery at Greenmarket Square, or grab a bargain at the Sunday market at Green Point Market.

Watch out for free entry at all the city’s museums on commemorative days (such as Heritage Week) throughout the year.

Tantalise your taste buds with wine tastings at vineyards less than an hour’s drive from the city centre. More established vineyards will charge a small fee (around £3) for a tasting session and buying a bottle or three is very good value, too. Plan your vineyard visits here.

Relax on stunning beaches in trendy Camps Bay or Clifton. Hop on a sightseeing bus or the A01 MyCiti bus. The views will more than make up for the chilly Atlantic sea!