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Cape Town is the kind of city that keeps on giving.
Just when you think you know it, just when you think that you’ve seen absolutely every nook and cranny, every “lesser-known” spot, and just when you think you’ve learned everything there is to know about South Africa’s most beloved city, something else comes up, like a strange piece of history, an unexpected record, or a detail so delightfully odd you simply have to learn more about it!
If you enjoyed Part One of our Cape Town facts series, settle in, because we have even more interesting, eclectic and absolutely fascinating facts about Africa’s most famous city!
Why is Cape Town Famous?
Most people know Cape Town for Table Mountain, for Robben Island, and for having the kind of sunsets that you can’t help but photograph, even when you already have a camera reel full of them.
But the city’s claim to fame is a lot deeper than its beautiful looks.
One of the best known Cape Town facts is that it is South Africa’s oldest city, and it was founded in 1652 as a refreshment station for Dutch East India Company ships rounding the Cape.
Fast forward hundreds of years, and today it is the seat of South Africa’s Parliament, one of the country’s three national capitals alongside Pretoria and Bloemfontein, and it is one of the country’s most visited destinations.
It was also the first city outside of Europe to receive the international Blue Flag status for its beaches. And in 2024, Condé Nast Traveller readers voted it the world’s best city for food.
Cape Town is many things at once, and all of them make it famous!
Why is Cape Town Popular with Tourists?
The honest answer is that it is almost unfairly well-stocked with things worth doing.
Within a single day, a visitor can ride a cable car to the summit of a 280-million-year-old mountain, walk through a neighbourhood full of 18th-century Cape Malay architecture, lunch at a restaurant ranked among the world’s finest, grab a decadent cake or pastry from one of the city’s many, many bakeries, and end the afternoon watching the sun go down over the Atlantic from a clifftop in Camps Bay.
The city welcomes approximately 2.8 million international visitors each year, and the number who return is telling.
Cape Town might be the place where you can see a lot in a day, but to get the full experience, it is worth spending a little more time exploring, so that you can see it all.
8 (More) Cape Town Facts That You Absolutely Need to Know
Cape Town is a great city to visit if you are curious. In part 2 of our series, we have 8 more Cape Town facts worth knowing:
- It is where the first heart transplant took place
If you are something of a biology nerd, you will love this fun fact.
On the 3rd of December 1967, at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, the world’s first successful human heart transplant was performed by Professor Christiaan Barnard. Understandably, this operation and its success was a massive medical breakthrough. The recipient was a grocer, Louis Washkansky, who had end-stage heart disease.
The operation required a medical team of more than 30 staff and it took almost 9 hours to complete.
Washkansky live for 18 days after the transplant, dying from pneumonia which he contracted due to a weakened immune system.
The original theatre now functions as the Heart of Cape Town Museum, and guided tours are available.
- It has more than 2000 plant species
Unusual for most cities perhaps, and certainly one of the Cape Town facts that you might not know, is that Cape Town is a floral kingdom, quite literally. The Cape Floral Kingdom is both the smallest and the most varied on the plant, home to well over 9 000 plant species, 2 200 of which can be found on Table Mountain’s slopes.
To put it into awe-inspiring perspective, Table Mountain has more plant species than the entire United Kingdom and many of these species are found nowhere else on earth.
- Table Mountain has more than one name
This is one of the lesser-known Cape Town facts, and one that is quite special.
While the world knows it as Table Mountain, The Khoikhoi people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Cape, called Table Mountain “Hoerikwaggo”, meaning “Mountain of the Sea”.
The name Taboa de Cabo, meaning “Table of the Cape”, was given by Portuguese explorer António de Saldanha in 1503 after becoming the first known European to climb it.
- It has the oldest colonial building
The Castle of Good Hope, completed in 1679, is the oldest colonial building in South Africa and is still an active military base.
When tensions arose between the Netherlands and Britain, Commander Zacharias Wagenaer, was instructed to build a fort from stone, replacing an older fort, which had been build using wood and clay.
During the building process, the Dutch East India Company was unwilling to spend money, and so building stopped a few times.
When it was built, it sat at the water’s edge but as the sea has since receded significantly, the castle now stands several hundred metres from the shoreline.
- It’s wine culture dates back hundreds of years
Cape Town is home to Groot Constantia, South Africa’s oldest wine estate. The farm was established in 1685 by Simon van der Stel, it is just 20 minutes from the city centre, and it remains one of the most visited estates in the country.
Groot Constantia is most famous for its sweet win, the Grand Constance, which has been enjoyed by Napoleon, as well as various kings throughout the ages.
- It has a famous wind
The infamous “Cape Doctor” is the name given to the strong, dry, and really persistent south-easterly trade wind that sweeps across the Cape Peninsula each summer, typically between November and February. This wind creates the cloud that sits atop Table Mountain and it can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h!
It earned the name from its perceived ability to clear the city of air pollution and locals either love it or find it incredibly annoying, feelings that can easily come and go within the same afternoon.
- It has a street that architectural fans love
Cape Town’s Long Street, one of the oldest streets in the city, stretches 1.7 kilometres from the Cape Town Convention Centre through the CBD to Kloof Street.
It is popular because it is one of the most architecturally layered streets in South Africa, mixing Victorian buildings with Art Deco facades and the occasional Georgian townhouse.
Along with the buildings, the street is also home to cafes and interesting bookshops, and at night, it comes alive again, with rooftop bars and various other entertainment.
- Lion’s Head looks nothing like a lion
Many who visit Lion’s Head expect to see just that in the rock formation but, the distinctive peak that rises between Table Mountain and Signal Hill, was not named because it resembles a lion.
Dutch settlers in the 17th century named Signal Hill “Leeuwen Staart” (Lion’s Tail), and the space between the two peaks was thought to resemble a crouching lion.
The top was named “Leeuwen Kop”, Lion’s Head, from that reading of the landscape.
And one last bonus Cape Town fun fact!
Two couples are estimated to get engaged on the summit of Table Mountain every single month. Given the setting, this is not particularly surprising, is it?
Does African Travel Concept Offer Cape Town Tours?
Yes we do, and if we may say so ourselves, our Cape Town tours are rather great, not just because we know all the best Cape Town facts.
African Travel Concept has been creating bespoke southern African itineraries since 1997, and Cape Town is one of the places most visited by those who travel with us.
Our Cape Town tours range from the Gourmet Cape and Winelands Experience to multi-destination itineraries that include a trip through the Mother City with a Kruger National Park safari.
Every tour is guided by local experts, who’ll share the best Cape Town facts, and who can bring the city’s history, food culture, and landscape to life in a way that no self-guided map can replicate.
For travellers who want to experience Cape Town properly, booking a tour with us is a very sensible place to start.
The three must-know Cape Town facts are: Cape Town is South Africa’s oldest city, founded in 1652. It is one of three national capitals of South Africa, serving as the seat of Parliament. And it is home to Table Mountain, one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, which at an estimated 280 million years old is one of the oldest mountains on earth.
Internationally, Cape Town is best known for Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Cape Winelands, and its coastline. Among food lovers, it is increasingly recognised as one of the world’s top culinary destinations. Among historians, it carries enormous significance as the site of South Africa’s earliest European settlement and the long story of apartheid and liberation that followed.
Cape Town, like any large city, has areas that require awareness and common sense. The main tourist areas, including the V&A Waterfront, the City Bowl, Camps Bay, and the Winelands, are generally very safe and well-frequented. Travelling with a reputable tour operator adds an additional layer of ease and local knowledge.
All eleven of South Africa’s official languages can be heard in Cape Town, with Afrikaans, isiXhosa, and English the most widely spoken. The city’s linguistic range reflects centuries of migration, settlement, and cultural exchange, and is part of what makes it such a genuinely cosmopolitan place.
November through February is peak summer, with long warm days, a buzzing atmosphere, and the best beach conditions. March to May brings quieter streets, beautiful autumn light, and slightly cooler temperatures ideal for walking and wine tasting. September and October are wonderful for wildflowers, particularly the fynbos and Namaqualand blooms within driving distance of the city.
