Base yourself in the City Bowl and Gardens

The Mount Nelson opened in March 1899 as a hotel to rival London's best for Union-Castle Line passengers, and it has been painted pink since about 1918. It sits across the road from the Company's Garden, with gardens where guests can watch clouds drift over Table Mountain and Lion's Head. Staying here is a heritage…

The Neighbourgoods Market runs on weekends at the Old Biscuit Mill on Albert Road in Woodstock, with food stalls plus crafts and local goods. Traders accept cards and contactless, and there are ATMs on site. Parking on Albert Road is limited, so take MyCiTi route 261, which stops at the Old Biscuit Mill, or park…

From late November to March, Kirstenbosch hosts Sunday sunset concerts on its lawn stage with Table Mountain behind it. Gates open at 16:00 and music starts around 17:15, with acts from Afro-soul to full orchestras. Picnics are allowed, including your own drinks, as no alcohol is sold on site, though food is on sale…

The Cape Town Carnival takes over Green Point in March with a three-hour evening street parade, an entertainment village with food trucks and an afterparty. Watching from the roadside is free, with paid seated stands for those who want a guaranteed view. Somerset Road closes hours before the parade and MyCiTi buses on…

The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1914, makes the City Hall on Darling Street its main concert hall, with several symphony seasons through the year. Free pre-concert talks are offered to ticket holders, and parking on the Grand Parade is free and guarded according to the orchestra. Single tickets go…

The Pan African Market on Long Street fills several floors of a Victorian national monument with more than 30 stores and stalls run by traders from at least 14 African countries. Masks, textiles, drums, jewellery and art are on sale. Some shops stock manufactured goods, so talk to the owners and ask where a piece…

Greenmarket Square is a cobbled flea market in the city centre where informal traders sell batiks, beadwork, sculptures, jewellery and paintings. Open-market prices are usually negotiable, and Wikivoyage notes that visitors with foreign accents are often quoted two to three times the local price, so compare a few…

The District Six Museum on Buitenkant Street tells the story of a racially mixed neighbourhood razed under apartheid, in an old Methodist church, with photographs, mementos and a long memory cloth full of first-hand accounts. Bookings are essential and go through Quicket or the front desk, and the museum warns about…