The cableway. Buy the adult round trip online for R475 rather than R530 at the office. Tickets are valid for seven days, because the south-easter shuts the cableway for a day at a time in December and January; ride later in the week or ask for a refund online. The first car is 8:30 a.m. most of the year, 8 a.m. from November to April. Platteklip Gorge is the walk up.
Robben Island. Ferries leave the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. in season; allow three and a half hours. The standard tour is around R600 for an adult from abroad, booked online; a week or two ahead is enough outside December. Strong wind cancels sailings and the museum refunds or rebooks them, so keep a spare afternoon.
Safety. Walk in daylight on busy streets: the City Bowl, Kloof and Bree, the Sea Point promenade, the Waterfront. Do not walk after dark except inside the Waterfront; take an Uber or Bolt door to door, wait for it indoors, and never hail a car. Phone in a pocket, nothing on the car seats, doors locked, park where a car guard is watching. Hike in a group of four or more, in daylight, on marked routes, and tell someone your plan; quiet routes on Lion’s Head and Signal Hill have had muggings. The park’s emergency line is 086 110 6417, mountain rescue 021 937 0300, and 112 works from any phone.
MyCiTi. Good where it runs: the airport (route A01 to the Civic Center, about R80), the Waterfront, Sea Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay. No cash on board; buy a myconnect card for R40 at the airport kiosk and load R100. Fares rose on July 1, 2026.
Power cuts. Load shedding has been suspended nationally since mid-May 2025, with none forecast for 2026. EskomSePush is still worth installing; most hotels have an inverter.
Rand and tipping. Cards work almost everywhere and the park gates and Kirstenbosch are cashless, so carry small bills for tips. Tip 10 to 15 percent in restaurants, R5 to R10 to the car guard and the gas station attendant. Tap water is safe.
The Winelands without driving. Stellenbosch is 45 minutes away, Franschhoek an hour. The Franschhoek Wine Tram runs hop-on, hop-off trams and buses between estates on color-coded lines, R350 a person; book a few days ahead in summer and pick the line by its estates. For Stellenbosch, a tasting tour does the driving.
On the day. Check the status banner on tablemountain.net before breakfast. If the cableway is shut, swap the mountain for the island or the Winelands and come back later in the week; Chat in Waystop can propose the new order as an Apply card.