Just a short drive from Cape Town’s city center is the stylish beach suburb of Camps Bay. The white sand and blue water attract sun worshippers and watersports enthusiasts while shoppers and diners come for the craft markets and chic bars and restaurants. Backed by the Twelve Apostles mountain range, it’s also popular with hikers.

The beach at Camps Bay is wide, clean and family-friendly. Rent sunbeds and umbrellas from vendors along the beach. Due to regular rip currents, lifeguards patrol the beach in the summer months and, although cold, the water is nice for cooling off on a hot day. At the southern end of the beach is a tidal pool, which offers safe swimming for children. Bring a picnic and sit on the stretch of lawn that lines the beach. You can also use the barbecues here.

Take the pleasant walk from the beach to neighboring Glen Beach, where you can watch surfers ride big waves. 

Running parallel with the beach is the palm-lined Victoria Road, where you’ll to find a variety of cafés and restaurants, pubs and cocktail bars. Sit at a pavement terrace after a day of sunbathing, order a drink and enjoy one of Cape Town’s finest sunsets. Shoppers will enjoy browsing the boutique shops and street stalls for African handicrafts and curios.

Those in the mood for adventure can hike the well-marked trails that lead into the Table Mountain National Park and afford impressive views of the Cape Town peninsula and Twelve Apostles mountain range. A popular walk is to Lion’s Head, from where it’s possible to paraglide back down to Camps Bay or nearby Sea Point. Join a scuba diving tour and explore the various shipwrecks that lie just off the coast. Cage dives with great white sharks and cave dives are popular adrenalin-fueled activities.

Camps Bay is a 10-minute drive from Cape Town’s city center. Public buses stop at the beach, as does a hop-on hop-off tourist bus. If coming by car then you can park on the streets. Parking is free but it’s customary to tip the parking attendants.