Ditch the Car! Touring Cape Town on 3 Wheels, 2 Wheels and on Foot

Any experienced traveller will agree that the mode of transport that you opt for when travelling has a significant impact on your experience of a particular place. A trip involving being trucked around in a tourist bus will result in a very different experience from one spent on your own two feet.

With its sumptuous weather, craggy topography and endless list of photo opportunities, Cape Town is a city that lends itself to laid-back travel approaches. If you’re the excited holder of a pair of airline tickets to Cape Town, consider breaking away from the tempting hire car option and looking at exploring the city up close instead.

Being a Pedestrian Isn’t Pedestrian

Charles Dickens used to notch up some 30 kilometres in walks each day. There’s certainly something to be said for exploring somewhere new on foot, and although you’ll be limited in terms of the distance you can cover, you’ll appreciate the depth of your travel experience. Not to mention the photo opportunities that always seem to crop up when you’re promenading about.

Cape Town’s stunning vistas and glorious weather make it perfect for a walking tour, so pull on some comfortable shoes and hit the streets. For some, happening across the Labia Cinema and the National Art Gallery on an unmapped walk can be serendipitous, but others will prefer a guided walk. Fortunately, there are plenty of tour companies that offer guided walks around the city, including historical and arts-oriented tours. There are even culinary tours for those itching to try the bobotie and other street food on offer.

In addition to the options afforded in the city itself, there are hundreds of possible walking routes up to and around Table Mountain. A stroll along one of the pristine beaches is a perfect way to fill in some spare time. If you’re after a Dickens-length hike, wander along the sandy length of Muizenberg Beach.

Travelling by Tuk-Tuk

Of course, in times when the humidity is oppressive or blisters are prevailing, the New Zealand traveller will want some respite from the marathon-length strolls that can be involved in exploring a foreign city. For novelty, frivolity and the opportunity to cross something off your bucket list, it’s hard to go past Cape Town’s humble tuk-tuk network.
Although tuk-tuk use has in the past been curtailed by red tape, recently passed legislation has ushered in a renaissance for these little vehicles, which are beloved by travellers worldwide. Do note that the trip limit for these zippy little devices is limited to three kilometres, so your tuk-tuk travels will be less about the commute and more about the experience of trundling down the city streets with your smartphone at the ready.

Pedal to the Metal

“The bicycle, the bicycle, surely should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets,” said Christopher Morley and he is not alone in this belief. For many, cycling is the perfect way to get off the beaten path and explore a city at your own pace. Not to mention that in a place with weather as warm as Cape Town’s it can be a relief to feel the wind in your hair and on your shoulders.

Fortunately, hiring a bicycle in Cape Town is a breeze. It is a city renowned for its cycling culture. Home to a dazzling network of bike routes and trails, as well as plenty of bike-friendly cafés, Cape Town enables you to easily stop off when your legs need a break and your stomach needs some sustenance.

Of course, if you’re less about leisurely sight-seeing from the back of a set of fixed-speed vintage wheels and more about the need for speed, sign up for the Cape Argus Pick ‘n’ Pay Cycle Tour. Staged on the second weekend of March each year, this 109-kilometre race sees tens of thousands of cyclists descend upon the city to seek a personal best.
The options for getting about Cape Town are too many to list, but there’s something to be said for bypassing the removedness of a tour bus and opting for an up-close and personal experience instead.

About the Author: Stephanie Kingsley is a travel writer from Auckland.

Picture of woman on bike in Cape Town by Warren Goldswain. Victorian-era Beach Huts, Muizenberg Beach, South Africa, Image From Flickr’s Creative Commons by Paul Mannix.