Flights to Cape Town

Cape Town International Airport

Coordinates:

Cape Town International Airport, formerly known as the DF Malan Airport, is the second largest airport in South Africa. The airport is currently undergoing some major changes and renovations at a total cost of R1,3 billion in preparation for the expected additional air traffic due to the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

You can reach Cape Town International Airport from the following airlines:

Domestic / National:

1Time (Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Johannesburg)
British Airways operated by Comair (Durban and Johannesburg)
Kulula.com (Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, George and Lanseria)
Mango (Bloemfontein, Durban and Johannesburg)
South African Airways (Durban and Johannesburg)
South African Airlink (George, Kimberley, Nelspruit and Upington)
South African Express (Bloemfontein, East London and Port Elizabeth)

International:

Air Botswana ( Gaborone and Maun)
Air France (Paris – Charles de Gaulle)
Air Mauritius (Port Louis)
Air Namibia (Luderitz, Oranjemund, Walvis Bay, Windhoek-Eros, Windhoek – Hosea Kutako)
British Airways (London – Heathrow)
Delta Air Lines (Dakar and New York – JFK)
Emirates (Dubai)
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)
LTU International (Dusseldorf, Munich, Dublin [seasonal] and Lufthansa – Frankfurt)
Malaysia Airlines (Buenos Aires-Eziza and Kuala Lumpur)
Qatar Airways (Doha)
RedAir (Barcelona and London-Stansted)
Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
South African Airways (Frankfurt and London-Heathrow)
South African Express (Gaborone, Maputo, Walvis Bay and Windhoek – Hosea Kutako)
Turkish Airlines (Istanbul – Ataturk)
Virgin Atlantic (London – Heathrow)

Cape Town Information

The city

Cape Town, the provincial capital of the Western Cape and the legislative capital of South Africa, is famous for its natural beauty and famous landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point, two of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. It is also the second most populous and one of the largest cities in South Africa.

The climate

The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with well-defined seasons.
Summer in Cape Town starts in November to the end of March. It season is hot, dry and windy. Summer temperatures are mild and the average maximum temperature is 26C (79F).
Winter starts in May and lasts until September with an average minimum temperature of about 7C (45F).

Cape Town Tourism

Cape Town’s good climate, well-developed infrastructure and natural setting make it South Africa’s most popular tourist destination. In 2004, 1.5 million tourists visited the “Mother City” (the other name for Cape Town).

Table Mountain

One of the beacons being Table Mountain, well known for its great hiking trails for more experienced hikers or Cableway for those who prefer the “easier” way to the top of the mountain.

Popular areas to stay

The most popular areas for visitors to stay are Sea Point, Hout Bay, Camps Bay, the City Bowl, V&A Waterfront, Rondebosch, Constantia, Somerset West, Stellenbosch and Hermanus.
The city offers varied accommodation for tourists, ranging from backpackers-hostels, B&Bs to some of the top rated hotels in the world.

Whale watching

Whale watching is a popular activity for tourists, making Hermanus one of the most favorite towns to visit from August to September, the Southern Right Whales breeding season.

The Artscape Theatre Centre

This is the main performing arts venue in Cape Town and it caters for all tastes and preferences, from comedy shows, live music shows, ballets, operas and orchestras.

Kaapse Klopse

The annual Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, performed by the Kaapse Klopse, is held on January 2 and is a feast of colour, fun and musical instruments, showing some of Cape Town’s culture background in a remarkable festive atmosphere.

Cape Town Beaches

Cape Town’s beaches are very popular among tourists. If you prefer a more vibrant atmosphere with restaurants and coffee-shops, Clifton (on the Atlantic Coast) is the place to be. Those who would like to go for a swim and sunbathing, could go to the False Bay beach with warmer water of about 10 C (18F).

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

This is the place to be if shopping is one of your favourite things to do. The V & A Waterfront is built on top of the docks of the Port of Cape Town and what makes this so spectacular is the atmosphere. It hosts hundreds of shops and restaurants, most of them with a view of ships entering and leaving the docks. Ferries to Robben Island, Hout Bay or the Cape Fur Seal colonies are available from the Waterfront as well as tours to some of Cape Town’s black and coloured townships.

The Cape Winelands

Daytrips for sightseeing and wine tasting to the towns of Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch in particular are very popular among tourists. These beautiful towns with mountains surrounding it, is where some of the country’s best wines are made.

Cape Town Transport

Air

Cape Town International Airport serves domestic and international flights and has direct flights to most of the cities in South Africa.

Road

Cape Town has three national roads:
The N1 to Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Zimbabwe.
The N2 to Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London
The N7 to Namibia and the Northern Cape.

Sea

The Port of Cape Town is the city’s main port and the harbour of Simon’s Town is main base of the South African Navy.

Rail

The luxury train for tourists is called the Blue Train. It terminates at Cape Town Railway station to many different suburbs and outskirts of Cape Town and the rest of South Africa.

Taxis

There are two kinds of taxis in Cape Town, metered taxis and minibus taxis. The minibus taxis are mostly used by the working class of South Africa as public transport. Tourist should use metered taxis and they should be called to a specific location because they are not allowed to drive around the city to pick up passengers along the way.