So my mother raised me to be frugal and we’ve always prided
ourselves on finding the best things to on vacation at little or no cost. So, here’s my list so far of no to low cost
attractions in Cape Town.
#7 The Labia
There are two art circuit theaters called The Labia here in
Cape Town. There are some strange films
but, you’ll also find some mainstream movies there that are considered
“art-y.” You won’t find the “Lorax” or “Avengers”
films here but others like “Young Adult” or “Shame” (current as of this blog
post) play regularly and it will only cost you R35 to see a movie there
compared to R80 at the big theatres.
Plus popcorn is only R10 and a Coke in a glass bottle for R12. For under R60, you can have an entire
movie-going experience at an old-fashioned theatre.
#6 Nelson Mandela Gateway
Commonly known as the Gateway to the ferry to Robben Island,
this beautiful building is also a museum with interesting exhibits of its own. While waiting for the people to come back from
the Robben Island Tour (which you should probably splurge for, too), you can
look around the museum which currently has an exhibit about a Jewish, communist
couple that was involved in the resistance and the husband became a political
prisoner while the wife and children faced many challenges and exile
themselves. The exhibit seems to be
rotating but there will surely be something interesting there at any given
time.
Nearby you’ll find Nobel Square which houses bronze statues
of the 4 South African Nobel Peace Prize Winners and many quotes written in
multiple languages recognizing their work and contributions to peace. Also, the giant Coca-Cola Man is a very interesting
Waterfront attraction.
#5 Hiking the Mountains
There’s plenty of hiking to do in Table Mountain National
Park.
Table Mountain: 1.5-3 hours up the rocky, stair-like pass to
the flat top overlooking the city and beach.
NOT free to go down the Cable Car but it’s a nice ride since it spins
you around so everyone in the car can see all angles of the view. FREE to hike down but I would have been too
nervous to run down like some of the brave, fit people out there and “hiking”
down would require a lot of sitting and sliding.
Lions Head: 45 minutes-2 hours up the steep, well maintained
path that turns into skinny, rocky trails where you have to hug the cliff and
even use chains and handlebars to reach the very, very top. Completely free up and down and there’s a
convenient sign on the drive there that says whether it’s safe to climb or not.
Devil’s Peak: It’s on my list. All I know so far is that
it’s free and that the trail goes past a reserve that houses some zebras.
The 12 Apostles: I don't know yet if you can climb these but
wouldn’t it be awesome to say that you hiked the Devil’s Peak then the 12 Apostles
in 12 weeks?
#4 Old Biscuit Mill (or one of the many other lovely
farmer’s markets or organic festivals)
Pesto Princess Queen size tub of Basil Pesto for R45 ($5.60
while the USD is strong) and a full freshly-baked that morning baguette served
from a old trailer for R15 (less than $2).
Don’t get me wrong. Old Biscuit Mill has its scene and the gourmet
sandwiches can be decently pricey.
However, if you buy smart, you can have breakfast (baguette with basil
pesto), lunch (baguette with basil pesto), snacks (baguette with basil pesto),
and just add some shredded cheese to have a well-rounded dinner (gourmet pesto
grilled cheese on baguette). Yes, that
was my meal schedule last Saturday…and I still have plenty of pesto left over
to spice up some other meals (macaroni and cheese with pesto…grilled fake
chicken patty sandwich with cheese and pesto…curried vegetables with
pesto?...well I’m not sure about that one.)
#3 Green Point to Camps Bay boardwalk
This tour is completely free and wonderful in so many ways
(See Blog Post 6). To recap…
First, Cape Town is such a dog friendly city, there’s no
shortage of dogs to play with along the way.
In my quasi-experimental study, 100% of the respondents enjoyed talking
about their dogs. Tip: Just ask someone about their dog and you and the dog can
enjoy some bonding time while the owner goes off about their furry family
member.
Second, if coming from the Waterfront, you’ll encounter a
breaker wall that sometimes sends waves crashing over the barrier and onto the
sidewalk much to the delight of children at heart or dismay of tourists with
cameras. Basically, a “Waterpark at the
Waterfront” that doesn't cost you $35/ticket.
Third, everywhere from the City through the Southern Suburbs
all the way down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope is part of the
national park system. Along the boardwalk,
you’ll find some beaches which would probably be nice in the summer and even a
place where you can walk down to the rocks right in the ocean by the breaker
wall. Enjoy the rocks near the staircase
(careful, they might be slippery or covered in teeny-tiny baby snails) but you
probably shouldn’t venture out to the larger ones…one local woman passed on the
warning that people have been killed there when the larger waves come in.
Fourth, playgrounds are so creative here in Cape Town…along
this path you’ll encounter some standard playgrounds but also a field of horse
statues with horns in their mouths and…other ends…that connect the horses to
each other so playground attendees can enjoy conversations across the field
from one another…Where else can you literally say that the words your friend
must be talking from a horse’s a**?!
Tip: Combine #4 with #3 and you’ve got yourself a great day!
Tip tip: The boardwalk from the Waterfront to Camps Bay is
an estimated 10K…perfect run or what?
#2 Penguin Park at Simon’s Town
As you’ll see in Lonely Planet, they do charge a good chunk
of Rand to enter the museum or penguin beach but those are totally
unnecessary. There’s also a well-maintained
National Park boardwalk that walks you right through penguin nesting grounds
and down to a rocky overlook where the penguins like to hang out and bask in
the sun. Exploring a little further,
there’s a tight squeeze trail that heads out to Boulder Beach where you can
watch individual penguins enjoying the peace and quiet or swimming in the
shallow waters near the edge. Here
you’ll also encounter Simon’s Town-ians strolling down from their beachfront
mansions to walk their dogs.
Certainly, Sea World can’t match a wild penguin show and
natural breeding grounds for $50/ticket.
You could even try to ride the train there for free
but…WARNING…if they ask for your ticket and you don’t have one they’ll take you
into a little room, intimidate you, then demand that you pay for your
ticket. Really, it’s probably better to
just buy the USD1.50 ticket…first class, that is.
#1 Top attraction and surprise of the year…..
[insert image of soft-serve cone]
R2.95 cones at McDonald’s!***
Seriously, this takes the cake…for a person who visits
McDonald’s only once a year for a minty Shamrock Shake and an occasional Sweet
Tea, I’ve been there at least 3 times since I discovered this amazing deal
about a week and a half ago. R2.95 was a
mere 42 cents when we found out about the deal and now only 36 cents since the
Rand has taken a plunge in anticipation of upcoming Greek elections.
Fortunately, there’s no McDonald’s in Rondebosch so my ice cream cone diet is
restricted to trips downtown when I can convince the others to stop at
McDonald’s with me (believe me…not a hard thing to do).
***NOTE: I would not otherwise condone the consumption of
McDonald’s products or support of their factory farming mega-dynasty. Please only support the soft-serve
Well, I hope this helps some other frugal travelers find
their way in Cape Town. Overall, the
cabs are cheap in comparison to Ann Arbor; the food at the fancier restaurants
is comparable in cost to a standard meal at Macaroni Grill though they don’t
fill you up on that delicious bread before your meal arrives like most
Americans look forward to…some will provide modest appetizers; renting a car
might be the cheaper way to go but watch “Jerusalema” and you’ll surely think
twice; and you certainly don’t need to pay R80 to ride that Ferris wheel at the
Waterfront to see the best views in town.
