Best Car Rental Cape Town

Cape Town History

Cape Town is the oldest city of South Africa. Many human communities have been populated at this beautiful location, and a number of cultures have existed.

The Khoisan was amongst the first human communities that lived close to the location of Table Mountain. They are descendants of the nomadic, and its evidence was found in the form of rock art, which is expected to be dated back to 27 thousand years ago.

The first explorers that came to the Cape Town were the Portuguese in the 15th century. They arrived in Cape Town while searching for an alternative route for trading purposes across Asia. They landed at what is known today, as the False Bay in 1488. They had to spend some time on the land due to a storm at the sea. The Cape of Good Hope was named after this incident, as it was an ideal alternative to the long sea route to Asia.

The explorer that followed was Vasco de Gama who arrived in the year of 1497. After his discovery of the sea route, Spanish and more Portuguese people began using the route for trade purposes. The first Englishmen to visit the Cape Town were Sir Francis Drake in the 16th century.

Cape Town Weather

Due to its unique location between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, Cape Town enjoys a perfect set of weather conditions. The summers are pleasant, winters are mild, and the rainfall is moderate throughout the year. The sea breeze always brings a lovely change to the atmosphere of the location.

The summer continues during the months of December to February, and the winters are in the months of June to August. The summer season is adequate for the tourists, as the days are as long as 11 hours. The sun shines throughout the day, and the sunny evening sets the moods for party, and these climatic conditions make Cape Town a favourite location for film and TV crews as well.

Cape Town sees the spring season in the months of September and October, and the autumn season come in the months of April and May. The beauty of Cape Town is at its peak during these seasons, as the flowers are blooming and the climate is not very windy. These seasons are also popular for whale watching, and seeing the vineyards are their best.

However, besides all of this consideration towards the weather, the tourists should know that Cape Town is popular for having four seasons in the same day. Therefore, the tourists should check the local weather forecast before planning to go for hiking, or any outdoor activities.

Cape Town Arrival

There is one airport in Cape Town known as Cape Town International Airport. This is the only airport in Cape Town serving both Internationaland domestic flights. The airport has Internationalstandards, so the passengers do not have problems clearing the customs, going through the security, and collecting baggage. All these checking procedures combined take less than an hour after arrival.

The airport is about twenty minutes away from the city and the waterfront. The city and waterfront are close to each other, and are almost at a walking distance.

To facilitate the passengers of the Cape Town International Airport, there are a number of major car rentals located at the airport. The tourists and the visitors can also book these services online by checking, and comparing the prices, and the quality being offered. The companies also have their kiosks in the airport building.

Cape Town Transport

There are a number of transportation services available in the city of Cape Town. These services include taxis, busses, rikki?s, minibuses, and commuter trains. However the most utilized form of transport all over the Africa is minibus taxi and car hire.Rikki?s can also be availed in the centre of the city. Small bright coloured vans can be hailed like taxis. The metro trains have destinations in the suburban areas, and the commuter trains are popular for ride than the transportation, as at times it travels so close to ocean that the spray soaks the travellers. Topless bus is a good means of seeing Cape Town and touring around.However, the services of the public transport in the city are being constantly improved. Therefore, the services might not always be working at their best condition. Due to this reason, it is always a good idea to take care of the transportation needs before starting the journey.Another good method of travelling in the Cape Town is hiring a car, which is available at very reasonable prices. It is a comfort, as the roads are in very good condition. The travellers can tour towards the Winelands, and explore some of the remote beaches at the coastline. However, for hiring a car in Cape Town, the driver must have an Internationaldriving license, and a minimum of five years of driving experience.

Cape Town Attractions

Cape Town is the most popular Internationaltouring spot in South Africa and plays hosts to a large number of tourists each year. It has historic, natural, and modern attractions that are necessary for the visitors to see.

Cape Town Eating

The traditional cuisine of Cape Town is Internationally known all over the world. It is served widely at all the restaurants, and hotels in the city. The most popular ones are sosaties braaied, sweet Malay curry, sweet & sour pork, spaghetti Bolognese, veal schnitzel, and roast beef & Yorkshire pudding. Fish and seafood is also very popular in Cape Town, and as there are two oceans, therefore the seafood is available in excess amount. In Cape Town, the tourist can find delicious seafood like lobster, langoustine, prawns, hake, kabeljou, king lip, sole, white-steenbras, red-steenbras, Cape salmon, yellowtail, angelfish, tuna, bluefish, snoek, perlemoen, calamari (squid), octopus, oysters, and mussels.

The quality of meat served in Cape Town is very good. Therefore, the non-vegetarians should definitely not miss this opportunity to explore their options. In winter, usually all the restaurants and hotels introduce a number of good items of beef in their menus. Chicken and ducks are also available in various restaurants, and the most popular dishes in this category include lamb-chops, kebabs, boerewors, and braaiing.

Some popular restaurants and cafes of Cape Town include Cape Manna, Granny FeelGood's, Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen, Biesmiellah, Savoy Cabbage, Panama Jacks, Zucca, Africa Cafe, Emily's, Paranga, Mamma Africa, Kaapse Tafel, Camps Bay Beach Club, Tide, Sandy B, The Charl, Village Cafe' & Pub and Tong Lok Milnerton.

The tourists can hire a car to roam around the city at ease from hire a car Cape Town.

Cape Town Nightlife

The nightlife of Cape Town has a vibrant atmosphere, and there is little that can be compared to it, as the sun goes down. There is a wide range of diverse options that provides the opportunity to the night owls to discover the other side of the city.

A number of trendy restaurants serve as the ideal place to spend the night, however, many luxury hotels and guesthouses transform into thriving nightclubs, bars, cocktail lounges, and comedy clubs to allow the people to party.

There is every kind of entertainment available in the after hours. There are clubs that are dedicated for entertainment with jazz music, and there are drum ?n bass club. Some of the hotels popular for their hip night scene are Hippo Boutique Hotel, Sugar Hotel, and Sea Castle.

The most popular lounges, bars, and clubs of Cape Town are The Bang Bang Club, FTV Fashion bar, The Assembly, Fiction Dj Bar Lounge, The Bronx, Beulah Bar and The Loft, Asoka Son of Dharma, Barmooda, Buddhabar, Cuba?a, Dizzy's, Ferrymans Tavern, M-Bar & Lounge and Oblivion Wine Bar. The clubs include Bossa Nova, Ignite, Opium, Pulse, Rhodes House, Springbok Pub, and Tin Roof.

The local transportation service of the city is not very convenient or comforting.

Cape Town Shopping

Cape Town is a shopping paradise for the people who believe in the slogan of ?shop till you drop?. For the tourists, the shopping procedure in the city is a lot easier as most shops accept Internationalcredit cards, and travellers cheques. Foreign exchange bureaus and ATMs can be easily found in the major shopping malls of the city, which allows the visitors easy access to the money.

A good spot to begin the shopping spree is a V&A Waterfront. The V&A Waterfront is the ultimate shopping place for the tourists, as it has two shopping centres, and two craft markets. The Waterfront has something to offer to everyone, as it has supermarkets and clothing boutiques. Red Shed art and craft market is also located in the V&A Waterfront, and it is considered as a very significant place for the authentic African crafts lovers.

The Greenmarket square and St George?s Mall is a place that offers variety of stalls. There is almost nothing that cannot be found in this market. However, it is always better to check the quality of the product before handing over the cash, as the quality should not always be expected to be good.

Pan African Market is located at the Long Street. It has arts, jewels, crafts, and artifacts from all the countries of Africa at acceptable rates. The visitors can also have their hair braided, and enjoy authentic African food at the cafes overlooking the street.

Other good places for shopping Cavendish square, Canal walk, Montebello design centre, crafts markets, treasure coast, roadside stalls, and farm.

Cape Town Disabled Visitors

Cape Town is considered as one of the most beautiful cities in the world Internationally popular for its beaches and astounding beauty. There are facilities for all kinds of tourists in Cape Town including its disabled visitors.

The Cape Town International Airport has a number of comforts for its disabled passengers. There are special lifts, ramps and toilets for the disabled. There is easy supply of equipment for the passengers like wheelchair and special staff is available who can communication using the sign language with people. However, it is advised to inform the airline authorities beforehand to avail all sorts of comforts.

There is a variety of accommodations available in Cape Town. However, most of these are not equipped with all the facilities to make the disabled at ease. Therefore, the people with special needs should choose comparatively larger and good quality hotels, or apartments to avail such facilities. There are special toilets, bathrooms, telephone booths, and wheelchair ramps available for the disabled.

For tourism activities, there are also facilities available at the sightseeing locations. Cape Point Nature Reserve, Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Gardens have a special touch and smell area for the convenience of visually impaired. At the location of Table Mountain, there are wheelchairs available, and the cableway is made accessible for the physically challenged. There are parking bays that are completely dedicated for the disabled people.

Cape Town Accommodation

Cape Town is the most popular Internationaldestination in South Africa amongst tourists, and visitors. Cape Town has a beautiful natural location, and a number of attractions, which brings about a diverse range of travellers every year to this city. The city offers an array of choices for the accommodation of the tourists and travellers.

Cape Town has many accommodations to suit the requirements of its visitors. There are luxury hotels, affordable hotels, self-catering hotels, resorts, guesthouses, bed and breakfast hotels, backpackers and holiday rental villas, cottages, and houses. The tourists could also choose an accommodation according to the location of the place. There is a range of accommodation to buy or rent all over the city.

Some of the most recommended hotels of the Cape Town are its convenient five, four and three star hotels, which are a good choice for the tourists. The top five starts hotels in the Cape Town are Cape Grace Hotel, Table Bay Hotel, The Bay Hotel, Radisson Hotel, and The Commodore. The top four-star hotels in Cape Town include The Ambassador, The Portswood, The Cullinan Inn, V&A Hotel and The Peninsula. The Top 3 star hotels in Cape Town are Breakwater Lodge, Fountains Hotel, Park-Inn Hotel, Cape Town Hollow and Cape Diamond. The top Boutique hotels of Cape Town are O on Kloof, Metropole Hotel, Hippo Boutique H, Primi SeaCastle ,and Primi Royal.

Cape Town City

The beautiful city of Cape Town is the second most populous city of South Africa. It has great significance, as the legislative capital of South Africa and a number of government offices including the National Parliament are situated here. Cape Town is one of the most popular cities for tourists in South Africa.

Cape Town has been the cultural and economic hub of South Africa and was the largest city of South Africa until the development of Johannesburg. Cape Town has a beautiful natural location in the Cape Floral Kingdom. It has the renowned landmarks like the Cape Point and Table Mountain.

The tourism attraction of Cape Town is greater than the city of Cairo due its well-developed infrastructure, beautiful natural locations, and good climatic conditions. The beaches of Cape Town are also very popular among tourists and locals residents alike. The city has a unique geography, which allows the tourists to visit different beaches with different set of atmosphere within the same day. False Bay has warmer beaches and the beaches at the Atlantic coast have considerably cold water. The Boulders Beach near Simon?s Town is popular due its colony of African penguins.

The city of Cape Town is well known for its architectural and cultural heritage. Cape Dutch in Cape Town is popular for having the highest density of style building in the world.

Cape Town Useful Contacts

While visiting a foreign city, it is always better to have some of the emergency numbers stored at an accessible location in time of need. The most important numbers are those of your beloved ones who should be called in time of any emergency. Following to that should be the numbers of emergency help, and the embassy of your state.

The cell phone users can dial 112 and the operator will redirect their call to the required location. For an emergency service, you can dial 107, and to get the ambulance, the number is 10177. To get in contact with the police squad dial 10111 and the sea rescue can be reached at 021 405 3500. The number for the fire department is 021 535 1100 and the mountain rescue service can be reached at 021 948 9900.

The City Park Hospital can be reached at 021 480 6111, and the number for Victoria hospital is 021 799 1111. The Claremont Hospital can be contacted at 021 670 4300, and you can contact Kingsbury Hospital at 021 670 4000.

The Passport and Visa Department of Home Affairs can be contacted at 021 462 4970, and the number for Tourist Safety Unit is 021 421 5115/6. To obtain any kind of information from Cape Town International Airport, you can dial 021 937 1200, and for inquiries about arrival and departures, you can dial 021 934 0407.

Tourists Car Rental Cape Town can obtain easy transport service.

Cape Town Festivals

Cape Town is an Internationally popular destination for its beauty, and outdoor activities. It has some of the best and most attractive festivals in the world.

There are a number of musical and entertainment festivals, and events held at Cape Town. These festivals include North Sea Jazz Festival, which is held at the city centre. This event offers a full weekend of Jazz music, where many artists perform, belonging to South Africa, Africa and abroad. This festival is held in the month of March.

Klein Karoo National Arts Festival is a complete arts festival, where artists perform music, theatre, dance, cabaret, and poetry. This festival is for the whole family, and it is held at the ostrich farming town of Oudtshoom in Karoo. The event takes place in March or April. Cape Town InternationalComedy Festival attracts comedians from America and Britain, and highlights emerging talents. This festival is held in early September.

Food and wine festivals are also held in the beautiful city of Cape Town. These festivals include Cape Times V&A Waterfront Wine Affair, which showcases above 75 wines under one roof, and it takes place in May. Another food festival held in the city is Cape Gourmet Festival, which goes on for two weeks in May. A number of food items are put on display prepared by Internationaland National chefs.

Some of the sports events held at the Cape Town include Cape Argus/Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour and Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. Other festivals held at Cape Town include Design Indaba Expo, Cape Town Book Fair and Cape Town Fashion Week.

To make the journey of tourists and locals easier there are a number of car hire services available in Cape Town.

Museums And Monuments In Cape Town

South Africa is rich in social and cultural history, which is dated back to the dawn of time. More than four thousand buildings and other objects in South Africa have been declared as National monuments. Cape Town also has rich cultural heritage and a number of monuments are found here.

The South African Museum in the Cape Town dates back to 1825, and is the oldest museum of South Africa. The museum focuses on the anthropology of the region, and has exhibits like rock art from the early tribes of South Africa. Geology and marine life exhibits are also present in this museum including 21m skeleton of a Blue Whale.

District 6 museum, is a museum that documents the unreasonable destruction of an area, and the trauma the residents had to face. District 6 was a mixed race community until 1966 when the coloured people were forcibly removed from the area, and the area was cleared as an all white zone. However, after the residents recent return to the area, the museum holds a collection of photos, and accounts of the ordeal that they had to go through.

Castle of Good Hope is one of the oldest European buildings in South Africa, and was constructed between 1666, and 1697. The original castle was used as an earth fort. Today, the castle is used as a military base. However, tourists are allowed.

Other significant monuments in Cape Town are house of parliament, the city hall, slave lodge, the crypt, and the museum of gold.

Kid's Amusements In Cape Town

Cape Town is an ideal destination for family outings, and has abundant things for keeping the children busy. The perfect weather allows the families to plan many outdoor activities. The Cape Town has beautiful beaches, breathtaking mountain, nature reserves, historic estates, forests, and a number of parks for the children to get rid of their excess energy.

The children can enjoy watching theKaapse Klopse minstrel dancers, which are a part of New Year tradition. The visitors should plan about booking, or hiring a car beforehand, as the public transport is not in very good state. It is better to book child friendly accommodation and a child seat in advance in the peak season.

Cape Town Beaches

Cape Town has some of the best beaches in the world, and there is something to offer everyone. The beautiful beaches attract both tourists, and locals alike, as Cape Town is blessed with a blend of two oceans, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean; this gives the city two different styles of beaches.

The beaches of the Atlantic Ocean are located at the west side of Cape Peninsula. These beaches contain scenic and most picturesque sights. Beaches at this end have long sunshine hours and incomparable sunsets. The beaches and seas of the Atlantic Ocean are 3 to 4 degrees colder than the beaches of the Indian Ocean. However, it does not bother the visitors when they relax, and soak up in the sun.

The Table Bay beaches are more suitable for the sports activities where as the Atlantic Seaboard beaches are meant for relaxing and unwinding. The South Atlantic Beaches are blessed with natural beauty, and perfect weather condition for a family outing. The beaches of the Atlantic Ocean include Camps Bay, Clifton beach, Table View, Blouberg?s Big Bay, Misty Cliffs, Hout Bay, Scarborough and Llandudno.

The beaches of the Indian Ocean are located at the east side of peninsula, and are generally less crowded that the beaches at the Atlantic coastline. These beaches are great for swimming with the warmer seas, and under the safe supervision of lifeguards.

The False Bay beaches and Cape Heldeberg beaches at the Indian Ocean are suitable for sunbathing, surfing, fishing, and family outings. The beaches at the Indian Ocean are Muizenberg beach, Smitswinkelbaai beach, Macassar beach, Kogel Bay, Gordons Bay, Fish Hoek Beach, Hout Bay and Boulders Beach.