The cold, wet winter months has finally passed and days have become longer and warmer. The first perfect sunshiny days have arrived and you know that Summer time is close by, the festive season, leaving the entire city bedecked with beautiful Christmas decorations. There is a distinct festive feeling in the air that always makes your heart skip a beat because you know you are guaranteed one of life’s greatest pleasures: Christmas in Cape Town.

The ambience...

All over Cape Town the locals celebrate the coming of Christmas with various activities that have over the years become traditions. Christmas strolls, carolling, festive harbour lights and the annual street light parade in the city centre brings both visitors and locals together to celebrate. Many shopping malls and convenient stores all take part in building the excitement of the season with store windows and aisles garnished with mistletoe, holly and mini reindeers.
Cape Town enjoys a soothing Mediterranean climate in the Southern Hemisphere so the sun generally shines brightly on Christmas Day. There are many holiday activities you can get involved in as a family in the festive season such as visiting the scratch patch museum in Kalk Bay, singing along to the charming Christmas carols at Greenmarket Square’s flea market or spend the day relaxing on one of Cape Town’s beautiful, untainted beaches.

The wining and dining...

Cape Town has some of the most exclusive restaurants in the country, many of them serving scrumptious seafood cuisine and other local and global specialties at amazingly low prices.
Many tour operators offer vineyard tours that take you on a picturesque journey throughout the many vineyards strewn across Cape Town. There’s nothing more classy than enjoying a vintage wine and excellent food under the South African sunset.
Many locals whose families are out of town spend their Christmas Eve at cosy live music venues with friends. Cape Town’s nightlife is very lively and diverse and you are bound to find a venue during the festive season that is tailor made for you.

The sightseeing...

Table Mountain is a must-see when you’re travelling to Cape Town. The cable car is a safe and secure way you can obtain a birds-eye view of the breathtaking views of the city. And in the festive season almost every day is a perfect summer’s day with clear skies ideal for mountain picnicking with the entire family.
Cape Town is a coastal city bordered with stunning, sandy white beaches and crystal clear waters. Boulders Beach is home to the mischievous Jackass penguins. These loveable animals know just how cute they are and when visitors come to the beach the penguins interact with them, by splashing around in the warm, shallow shores with the children and sunbathing on the massive boulders that gave this secluded, idyllic beach its name.

Helpful tips to keep handy when travelling to Cape Town:

• Cape Town has become a really trendy tourist destination which means that you will need to book your accommodation and rental cars at least a few months in advance or you’ll miss out. The ideal time period to visit Cape Town is before or after Christmas when the weather is at its finest.
• Even though the rand has become economically stronger in the currency markets, travelling to and around Cape Town is still remarkably cheap, especially if you’re travelling from the UK ( R13 = GBP 1). Wining and dining gives you great value for your money, with a first class restaurant meal for only R60 and a take out meal for even less.
• Wine is especially cheap. South Africa is home to some of the finest wines in the world and acquiring a vintage bottle fresh off the wine estate itself wouldn’t cost you more than a few pounds. Winery cellar door prices range from R40 to around R70.
• If you plan to have Christmas Eve dinner at an exclusive restaurant, make sure that you have reservations before your plane lands at Cape Town airport, as venues such as Constantia Uitsig can be fully booked for up to ten days.

It is quite obvious that there is a large social gap that remains between the rich and the poor in Cape Town, but overall Cape Town is a fairly safe and secure destination to spend your festive holiday in. Just like any other area in the world there are a few areas - which is a great distance away from the city - that you would probably want to avoid but the locals are very friendly and most of them will guide you around and warn you beforehand if you’re putting yourself in a risky situation. Ultimately, Cape Town is a peaceful, laid back city with many striking features and a very enjoyable alternative to a Christmas holiday.

About the author:

You2Africa provides a variety of work travel opportunities with sport, education and community project volunteering positions available in Southern Africa.