UPDATE: CitySightseeing has launched a new township tour! Check out the LaGuGu Tour below!

Explore the beautiful city of Cape Town at your own pace with hop on, hop off tours. The tours follow a timetable and run every 20 – 30 minutes (tour dependent) – which means you can get off and explore each attraction at your own pace, and simply grab the next bus that comes along. Whether you’re a tourist or a local who wants to experience their own city, Sightseeing Cape Town offers something to suit just about any interest and budget. Here are some great ways to discover the wonders of the Mother City:

1. Red City Bus Tour

The Red City Tour buses run every 15 minutes, and depart from the tour office outside the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront. It stops at famous landmarks like the Cape Town Convention Centre, St George’s Cathedral, Castle of Good Hope, Table Mountain Cableway, Camps Bay, a number of top hotels, and includes a free diamond tour at Jewel Africa. Interested in history? Make use of the free Yellow Downtown Tour that visits the South African Museum, South African Jewish Museum, and District Six Museum.

Cost: R150 for a one-day ticket (R130 online), R250 for a two-day pass (R230 online), and R100 for a night tour (R90 online). The 2-day pass includes a FREE Canal Cruise, wine tasting tour, and night tour.

2. Blue Mini Peninsula Bus Tour

The Blue Mini Peninsula Tour has buses running every 20 minutes, departing from the V&A Waterfront. It visits attractions such as the Cape Town Convention Centre, Kirstenbosch Gardens, World of Birds, Imizamo Yethu Township, Mariner’s Wharf, Camps Bay, and a number of top hotels. The tour offers a change point where you can join a free Purple Wine Tour of Constantia Nek!

Cost: R150 for a one-day ticket (R130 online), R250 for a two-day pass (R230 online), and R100 for a night tour (R90 online). The 2-day pass includes a FREE Canal Cruise, wine tasting tour, and night tour.

3. Canal Cruise

Take a Canal Cruise along the canals of the V&A Waterfront and enjoy a view from a new perspective. Catch the bus at Stop 1 (Two Oceans Aquarium) or the bus at Stop 3 (at the CTICC). Cruises depart every 20 minutes.

Cost: R30 for adults, R10 for juniors (5 -15), free for kids under 5, and FREE with 2 day pass.

4. Night Tour

See the lights of the Mother City with a memorable Night Tour before stopping at Signal Hill for a sunset picnic. The tour lasts approximately 3 hours. Catch the bus from Stop 1 (2 Oceans Aquarium). Tours run daily.

Cost: R100 (R90 online)

5. Guided Township Walk

Learn how the Imizamo Yethu Township in Hout Bay came to be, and enjoy a guided walking tour to experience the culture from a first hand perspective. Catch any bus that passes Stop 22.

Cost: R65 for adults, R35 for kids (5 – 15) and free for kids under 5.

6. Bus and Chopper

Combine the Red OR Blue one-day tour with Cape Town Helicopter’s Two Oceans 25 minute flight. Meet at the tour office at Stop 1. Please note the tours are weather dependant.

Cost: R1500 (R1350 online)

7. Side Car Adventures

Cape Point:

This Side Car Adventure Tour does a 5-hour whirlwind trip around the Cape, and includes a visit to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, Chapman’s Peak, and Boulders Beach. You will view more than 2200 fynbos species from the back of a motorcycle or in a vintage World War 2 side car. Pre-booking is essential.

Cost: R1750 (same online)

Blouberg:

A fantastic 90 minute roundtrip to Blouberg includes magnificent views of Table Mountain and Robben Island. Pre-booking is essential.

Cost: R800 (same online)

If you’re interested in doing any of the above tours, make sure you book online to save, or purchase tickets at the main ticket office at the V&A Waterfront (or on the bus).

8. NEW! LaGuGu Tour

The LaGuGu Tour is an exciting new township tour, working in partnership with Kgomotso Pooe and his entrepreneurial company, So we Too, to add a unique stand-alone tour to the existing Cape Town itinerary. The tour offers freedom and flexibility as travellers can hop off at various stops along the route and spend as much time as they want interacting with locals and absorbing the culture, all while under the watchful eye of locally trained community chaperones.

How does it work?

The tours are run in 15 seater taxi’s, and depart from the City Sightseeing tour office in Long Street. The first tour leaves at 09h00, and the tours run every 20 – 30 minutes along the route. The last taxi departs from Long Street at 15h00 and returns at 17h00. Travellers who prefer to stay on board for the entire tour will enjoy a 90 minute round trip.

The tour stops in Langa, the oldest township in South Africa, where you can do a free 1-hour walking or bicycle tour, and hop off at any of the stops along the route, including the old dom pass office (now a township heritage museum), Brenda Fassie’s house, Sobukwe Square, Langa High School (the first school ever to be opened in a township), the Old Beer Haal, and the N2 Gateway Housing Development. The taxi then continues on to Gugulethu and visits the Gugulethu Seven Monument (an anti-apartheid memorial) and the Amy Bhiel Monument, before stopping at Mzoli’s Restaurant for a drink, a meal and some true South African fun!

Cost: R290 per adult.

When you go, don’t forget to tweet about your experience using the hashtag #HopOnLaGuGu! Make the most of your visit by staying at one of our fantastic Cape Town accommodations.

Images by City Sightseeing Cape Town