There are a number of options to get around the city including walking tours, the city sightseeing bus, minibus taxis and non-shared taxis, as well as bicycle, motorbike and car hire.

By Foot

Public transport in Cape Town (and South Africa in general) is not very good. Unless you are staying within walking distance of the beach in Camps Bay (or some other area where everything you want is close by) then you will find it very frustrating not to have your own transport.

By Train

All scheduled South African passenger trains are run by PRASA (the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa), which has different divisions for long-distance (inter-city) trains and commuter (suburban) trains. Shosholoza Meyl MetroRail operates commuter trains in major cities. operates inter-city trains and

Shosholoza Meyl has three classes of inter-city trains : Economy Class, Tourist Class and Premier Classe. In economy class there are seats only (no bunk beds), tourist class provides bunk beds for overnight trips (bring a sleeping bed or buy bedding on the train) and premier classe is luxurious and comfortable, with all meals and bedding provided. Economy and tourist class trains have a buffet car for food. Prices on the three classes vary accordingly.

Cape Town's main train station is located in the city centre, on the corner of Adderley Street and Strand Street. All trains to or from Cape Town arrive and depart from here.

There are inter-city trains to
- Johannesburg via Kimberley every day of the week, with two trains per day on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Economy and Tourist Class);
- Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg on Monday and Wednesday (Economy and Tourist Class);
- Port Elizabeth via George and Oudtshoorn on Friday (Premier Classe only);
- East London on Sunday (Economy Class only);
- Queenstown on Thursday (Economy Class only).

By Car

The vast majority of roads in and around Cape Town are in a very good condition, making travelling by car an easy issue. However, please be aware of hijackers at night or at traffic lights. Please ask your hotel staff or anyone familiar with the area about where it is safe and where it is not safe.

Several major highways start in Cape Town:

  • N1 runs north-east, passing Paarl, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg on its way from Cape Town to Harare in Zimbabwe. Also a good choice if you want to go to Kimberley and the northern Drakensberg.
  • N2 runs along the East Coast towards the Garden Route, George and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, through the Wild Coast up to Durban and Swaziland.
  • N7 goes north along the West Coast to the Northern Cape city of Springbok and to Namibia. Also follow it to go to Upington and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Hiring a car in South Africa is not as expensive as Europe for example. Petrol is also cheap compared to Europe, but might be a bit more than in the US.

By Bus

All major bus companies have Intercity connections from Cape Town, taking you to other cities in South Africa and to Windhoek in Namibia. There might be up to 6 buses a day to certain cities.

The starting point is next to the train station at the corner of Adderley and Strand Street, near the Golden Acre building. Please ask at the nearby tourist information or in your hotel for connections and where your bus is going to leave, as finding your bus can become difficult.

Over and above, there are a few bus services available while travelling from eastern Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya. The general route followed is Nairobi (Kenya), Dar-es-salaam (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia) and Harare (Zimbabwe) in order to reach Jo'burg. The journey from Nairobi takes about two to three days.

  • Greyhound, +27 (0)83 915-9000, 
  • Intercape Mainliner,  +27 (0)21 380-4400, 
  • SA Roadlink,  +27 (0)11 333-2223, 

Bus tickets can also be obtained from Computicket .

Cape Town is also on the Baz Bus route.

By Boat

Most of the larger cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises offer Cape Town as one of their destinations.

Please note that you can't pay for petrol or diesel with a credit card, only with cash or a South African bank issued 'Garage' card.

Cape Town also has a number of luxury chauffeur companies available that perform various services such as airport transfers, transport to corporate events as well as VIP bodyguards.

By Metered taxi

Metered taxis are controlled by the city council and can be considered safe and reliable. The price per kilometre is around R8-R10 and can often be read at the taxis side door. You can also set a fixed price with the driver, especially when going to a far away destination such as the airport which is about 21 km from city center and the fare can be bargained down to R180.

Please note that there is only one official taxi company at the airport. But you should ask your hotel to pick you up, as pick up service are provided by nearly all hotels, guest houses and so on.

By Minibus taxi

Minibus taxis are used widely by locals but tourists are generally discouraged from using them. They cover most of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area and are cheap, however they can get very crowded and are definitely less safe than metered taxis.

Some minibus taxi operators have seen the value in the tourist market and are starting to provide safe and legal alternatives to the traditional minibus taxis. They are more expensive than the traditional minibus taxis, but still far cheaper than metered taxis. During busy times of day (or year) you may have to wait a while and unfortunately, they do not take reservations.

  • Rikkis Taxis, 43 New Church Street,  +27 (0)21 418-6713 (), 
  • Sisonke Tourism Services,  +27 (0)21 696 4002 (), 
  • Tour 'n Travel,  +27 (0)21 706 3739 (), 

By Scooter or Cycle

You can also hire a scooter or a small motorbike. A number of places in the city offer this service and it is a great way to be mobile and save over hiring a car.

Unless you love the pain of cycling up and down mountains while dodging city traffic on narrow streets, cycling for transportation is not recommended. However, cycling in the area is very popular.