Last weekend I was invited to join a City Sightseeing bus with a few friends of mine for an incredible day out enjoying the beautiful Mother City. Normally, I am the guy stuck behind the red bus in traffic, quietly cursing while I get more impatient by the second. It was a very nice change to be on the bus instead this time – the weather was absolutely beautiful allowing us to enjoy this trip to the max. I can only recommend anyone to take a day on a sunny weekend, hop onto the bus and enjoy a day exploring the city.
You do not know as much about your city as you should
The bus tour includes insightful commentary – told in 16 different languages – about the city, its history and its culture. Just plug in one of those earphones so that you can enjoy the insightful information while still being able to chat to your friends.
You are definitely going to learn new things about the city, things you didn’t know before, whether it’s about Cecil John Rhodes, indigenous plant life, historic battles, folk tales or humorous pieces of history.
I enjoyed some of the quirkier comments trying to explain how Captonians live their lives. Not sure if we really behave like that, but it was still fun to listen to – a few stereotypical comments here and there.
Just sit back and relax
I’m not the biggest fan of traffic and I hate finding parking in a crowded space. Travelling on the City Sightseeing bus was a very welcome change from the usual outings. You can just sit back and relax.
The one element I enjoyed the most is that the buses arrive at 20 minute intervals, so you never have to wait a long time to hop on board again to get to your next destination. You can enjoy each attraction in your own time, spend as much time as you want wherever you are, without having to watch the time. You feel like you are on holiday in your own city. I absolutely loved it!
It’s a whole lot of fun
There are two routes that you can choose: the red route and the blue route. We took the blue route which covers most of the Cape Peninsula starting at the Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront, making its way into the city on route to Kirstenbosch, afterwards you can enjoy wine tasting in Stellenbosch before heading to the World of Birds and the harbour in Hout Bay.
First we had a picnic at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where we also checked out the Boomslang Tree Canopy Walkway – it shakes a lot, I’m sure someone will fall off at some stage (he said jokingly – apparently it’s very safe). Around mid-day, we made our way back to the pick-up location again to enjoy some wine tasting in the Constantia wine region which offers stunning view and even better wines. Next up, Hout Bay Harbour and The Lookout Deck, where we enjoyed a very lazy lunch. Here I had one of the best calamari steaks, very affordable as well. On your way back to the V&A Watefront, the bus drove along the coast driving past Llandudno, Camps Bay and Sea Point. A lovely end to the entire trip!
Bonus: Tickets are only R150 per person
…and another great aspect about the City Sightseeing tours is that they are incredibly affordable. For R150, you can hop onto the red or blue buses any time you want – you aren’t limited by only one route. I’m not sure how any one will have time to fit in both trips but that’s beside the point. For tourists travelling around South Africa, they will also receive discounts when taking part in Sightseeing tours in Durban and Jo’burg. That’s very very smart.
It was a fantastic day out seeing the sights around Cape Town; a big thanks to the team at the City Sightseeing offices for inviting us. These buses aren’t just for tourists, why shouldn’t locals not join the fun as well!
P.S.: Please vote for City Sightseeing Tours at this year’s Klink Awards. They really deserve it!
