Cape Town, South Africa
5 essential things to see and do in Cape Town this winter
Here’s what to see and do in Cape Town during winter
Cape Town in winter has a quieter kind of magic – misty mornings, golden-hour hikes and cosy corners you’d miss in high summer. While the city’s known for its beaches and sunshine, winter is when it shows a more introspective, soulful side. This season isn’t just about what to do – it’s how to do it. That’s what we’ve focused on here – the essential experiences that draw you into the textures, flavours and stories of Cape Town in winter. Ready to fall in love with the Cape all over again? Grab your coat (and appetite) and let’s uncover Cape Town’s coolest season together.
Top photography courtesy of Klein Constantia
01
Cape Malay cooking experience in Bo-Kaap
Step into Bo‑Kaap – Cape Town’s most colourful and historic Muslim‑heritage neighbourhood – and join a cooking tour led by passionate locals like Zainie, who runs The Bo-Kaap Cooking Tour. The experience kicks off with a stroll through the neighbourhood’s colourful streets, past mosques, spice shops and family homes, all while your guide shares stories of Bo-Kaap’s layered history. Once inside the kitchen, it’s hands-on from the get-go. You’ll learn to fold samoosas just so, roll rotis until they’re soft and golden and mix masalas from scratch, layering aromas that fill the room with warmth. The highlight is sitting down together to enjoy what you’ve made – fragrant chicken curry, buttery rotis and sweet, sticky koeksisters.
The Bo-Kaap Cooking Tour
46 Rose St
Schotsche Kloof
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of The Bo-Kaap Cooking Tour
02
Constantia wine tour
The Constantia Valley is the cradle of South African wine and winter is the perfect time to explore its calm, cool embrace. The Constantia Wine Tour gives you a proper introduction to South Africa’s oldest wine region, where vineyards have been growing since 1685. You’ll visit estates like Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia on half- or full-day tours that include cellar visits, guided tastings and the option to stay for a farm-style lunch or curated cheese platter. It’s all done in small groups with plenty of time to wander, ask questions and soak up the scenery. At Klein Constantia, you can hop in an open-top Land Rover for a ride through the vineyards before sampling their legendary Vin de Constance dessert wine inside a Cape Dutch manor house. In winter, the whole valley feels cinematic – mist drifting through vines, stone homesteads glowing with fireplace heat and Table Mountain looming in the distance.
The Constantia Wine Tour
Klein Constantia Rd
Constantia
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Klein Constantia
03
Wild food winter walk with Veld and Sea
Led by forager and educator Roushanna Gray, Veld and Sea’s wild food winter walk is an immersive exploration of Cape Town’s edible landscape – coastal cliffs, fynbos slopes and herb gardens that hold more than just pretty views. Based at their Cape Point headquarters, the experience starts with a steaming mug of fynbos chai before heading out into the misty Peninsula terrain. You’ll learn to identify and taste wild greens, seaweeds, succulents and seasonal berries – plants that thrive in the moody chill of winter. The walk wraps with a hot bowl of foraged soup in a glasshouse filled with natural light, where conversations drift between food, ecology and traditional knowledge systems. You leave not just with a few edible plants and a PDF field guide, but with a new kind of appetite – for seasonality, sustainability and quiet wonder.
Veld and Sea
7976 Plateau Rd
Cape Peninsula
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Veld and Sea
04
Get lost in the illusions
If you’re craving something unexpected on a rainy day in Cape Town, the Museum of Illusions delivers an indoor experience that’s anything but ordinary. Opened in May 2025, it’s part of a global network that started in Zagreb – but this local outpost, set in Kloof Street, brings its own sense of play. Inside, more than 60 exhibits invite you to interact, photograph and puzzle over visual tricks – floating tables, clone rooms, vortex tunnels, infinite mirrors and tilt rooms that defy gravity. It’s a light-hearted and thought-provoking activity, perfect for winter days when you want to stay warm, stay curious and maybe see the world a little differently.
Museum of Illusions
10 Kloof St
Gardens
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Museum of Illusions
05
Try a chocolate workshop at Honest Chocolate
For something on the sweeter side, head over to Honest Chocolate’s studio in Woodstock for a chocolate workshop. These sessions walk you through the full bean-to-bar process using organic Tanzanian cacao from Kokoa Kamili – one of Africa’s leading ethical producers. You’ll learn about cacao’s journey, taste samples and watch expert chocolatiers temper, roast and mould. Then it’s your turn – you get to dip and decorate your own bonbons, with plenty of room for play (and mess). The studio’s warm, chocolaty air is reason enough to visit on a winter’s day – and the fact that you leave with your own hand-wrapped treats? That’s just the sweet finish. Don’t miss the opportunity to try their legendary hot chocolate after your session – there is no better winter treat than a warm cup of Honest Chocolate hot chocolate.
Honest Chocolate
7 Barron St
Woodstock
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Honest Chocolate
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