Cape Town

A short history

The city was founded in 1652 as a supply station for the Dutch East India Company, which makes it one of the oldest colonial cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Its position at the tip of the continent — where the cold Benguela current meets the warm Agulhas — made it a critical resupply point on the sea route between Europe and Asia for more than two centuries, until the Suez Canal opened in 1869 and the traffic went elsewhere. Table Mountain has anchored the skyline through all of it.

Why travellers love it

Mountain, ocean and wine country sit within an hour of each other, which is a combination almost nowhere else offers in a single trip. The exchange rate works in most visitors' favour, and it is a genuinely different continent from everywhere else on this list — the longest flight here, and the one that feels furthest from home.

Before you go

Many nationalities enter South Africa visa-free for short stays; check what applies to your passport. November to March is the southern summer and the best weather. Table Mountain's cable car closes in high wind, often at short notice, so go on the first clear morning rather than saving it for the last day. Take the usual precautions of a large city about where you walk after dark, and ask your hotel rather than guessing.

Highlights

• The Table Mountain cable car
• The Cape of Good Hope
• Wine tasting in Stellenbosch
• The penguins at Boulders Beach