How to spend a day in Cape Town: the V&A, 2 Oceans, the Bays, and the Zeitz MoCAA.

Something surprising happens to the mind when one sees the Cape Town coast for the first time. It might be the blue waters and skies, that provide a vivid backdrop for everything around. The air is always pulsing with excitement and adventure, whatever the hour, whatever the season. Cape Town is a picture, an unforgettable moment waiting to happen at every corner.

By the waterfront, Cape Town is a breezy mix of the eclectic, and the glamorous, playground for the rich and famous. For the casual tourist or the students down from university, the destination offers a lapse in time, where dreamy vacations and party vibes ring out like a faint fantasy dream when one finally departs. A few places are worth a stop on a first-time trip.

The V&A Waterfront

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is perhaps one of the most intriguing and worthwhile attractions in Cape Town. If you had only a day to spend in the city, I would recommend spending it strolling at the V&A. Perched on the harbor, with the blue Atlantic and the Table Mountain spread out before you, this gem is set out like a platform on which all that Cape Town has to offer plays out like a never-ending act. On and off the water, everything from the Ferris wheel, to food markets, open-air performances, boat rides, shops, and cafes are all available for indulgence. Starting with a simple stroll through the Watershed, housing a collection of small business South African craftsmen and women, making one's way past the piers, over bridges and courtyards, and ending at the massive shopping mall, is more than enough activity. The myriad of colorful architecture, entrepreneurship, culture, and innovation happening in one place is inspiring and definitely not one to miss.

inside the Watershed

beautiful view of the harbor and the Table Mountain

Camps Bay

A sandy beach and swimmable blue waters for Cape Townians are as essential as lifeblood. So evident when angry residents rushed to dive headfirst into the waves, in a radical show of defiance at the COVID-19 restrictions on going to the beach during the summer months, earlier this year. While I might not understand this level of dedication to swimming, I understand the cruelty of forced disconnection from nature.

Camps Bay beach and several other beaches in the neighborhood, including Clifton, offer varying degrees of privacy, entertainment, luxury, and restrictions on what is considered the proper dress code for the beach ( read nudity).

If water and sand in uncomfortable places of the anatomy are for you, then you won't want for choice. Take a blanket or towel, pack a picnic basket, hire a beach umbrella, slather on your sunscreen, read a good book, and don't sweat the small stuff. You're in Cape Town.

2 Oceans Aquarium

For marine and aquatic life lovers, the 2 Oceans Aquarium is an amazing place to spend at least an hour, especially if you have kids. It is right next door to the V& A Watershed area. The exhibitions and diversity of marine life on display are truly amazing. This was my first ever aquarium visit and it definitely gave me something to hold everything else to its high standards. The place offers outstanding engagement with visitors, expert guides, and meaningful information on ocean and marine life sustainability. Beautiful!

The Zeitz Mocca

For museum and art lovers, a day at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is all the fun you will need. Sitting on the outskirts of the V&A Waterfront surrounded by the ship harbor, and a working ship maintenance dock adjacent to the Table Mountains beyond, the museum is truly in the most fascinating company. A marvel of architecture, historical, cultural, artistic, and commercial significance, the museum acts as an archive of sorts for momentous facets of the African condition. Situated into what used to be large grain silos, it has recently been the home to truly remarkable exhibitions like the acclaimed Alfredo Jarr, Rwanda Project, and Senzeni Marasela, Waiting for Gebane.

However, the museum's greatest relevance is its ability to act as a reminder of the value of artistry to the human condition and an invitation to entrust places of record like museums with moments that shouldn't be forgotten. I suggest putting aside 2 hours to carefully enjoy each exhibition, taking in the awe-inspiring work of art that is the building itself, taking the spiraling stairs up to the roof-top, and standing on the constellation-like artwork at the top.

Have you been to Cape Town？ What are your favorite places?

From Cape Town,

Pat.