Cape Town - Getting Around
Public transport in Cape Town is famously unreliable, patchy and confusing. If you’re planning on getting out and about a lot, think about car hire - it’s plentiful, and the roads are decent enough for excursions around the city and its suburbs.
Callout Background Image
Taxis
Metered taxis are all licensed by Cape Town city council, costing around R8-R10 per kilometre, or a fixed price for longer journeys. Taxis are by and large safe, reliable and comfortable - with incidents of tourists getting ripped off comparatively rare. As ever, they’re harder to find in peak hours or late on the weekend. Look for them outside hotels, along the waterfront or at the city’s official taxi ranks, marked by a yellow Taxi sign.
Minibus
Minibus taxis are used widely by locals, but the route that runs from Green Point to Camps Bay is also popular with tourists, and a good option for getting to the beach. You can’t reserve them, and timetables are something of a misnomer, but they’re cheap and good fun, offering a window on South African culture and the chance to strike up a conversation with a local.
Callout Background Image
Buses
There is a network of public buses (Golden Arrow buses) running from the city centre to the Waterfront. Ask the driver if you’re not sure of the destination.
Train
Metrorail operates services from Cape Town station on the corner of Adderley Street and Strand Street. For safety, and comfort, invest in a first class ticket (they’re about double the price, but still reasonable). For a pleasant train tour, try the south bound service to Simon's Town, which hugs the coast of the Cape Peninsula. Don’t travel with any obvious items of value.