Best time to visit, what to know about the bus schedule, and ready-to-use itineraries for 1, 3 or 5 days.
The Cape Town City Pass is generous — but a bit of planning makes a big difference. The most common complaint in reviews isn't the pass itself, it's that travellers missed the Cableway maintenance window or didn't know that some tours like Hermanus only run on selected weekdays. This page solves all of that.
Cape Town's seasons are flipped relative to Europe. Summer is November to March, winter is June to August.
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway closes once a year for safety inspections. In 2026 the closure is Monday 27 July to Sunday 9 August. If your trip falls in this window, you have two good options:
The exact dates shift by a few days each year — always check the operator's site close to your trip.
The City Sightseeing network for Cape Town has two daily hop-on hop-off loops plus a set of full-day Xplorer tours into the surrounding region. All are included in the pass.
| Tour | Covers | Frequency | Last departure (winter 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red City Tour | City centre, Camps Bay, Table Mountain Cableway, V&A Waterfront | Every 30 min | ~18:06 from V&A Waterfront |
| Blue Mini Peninsula Tour | Around the back of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch, Hout Bay, Constantia winelands | Every 30 min | ~17:25 from V&A Waterfront |
| Constantia Wine Tour | Silvermist, Constantia Nek, Groot Constantia, Beau Constantia | Mini-loop · daily | Switch at Constantia Nek (Stop 26) |
| Harbour Cruise / Canal Cruise | Short loops from the V&A Waterfront | Daily · multiple departures | — |
All loops run daily, including weekends. Switch between Red and Blue at Stop 21 (Long Street). The Wine Tour is a mini-loop you join from the Blue route at Constantia Nek.
| Tour | Operating days (winter 2026) |
|---|---|
| Cape Point & Penguin Tour | Daily |
| Franschhoek Wine Tram | Daily |
| 3 Regions Wine Tour (Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl) | Daily |
| Hermanus Tour | Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only |
Xplorer tours return to V&A Waterfront around 17:45, then drop off at various Sea Point and Camps Bay points. Minimum 4 passengers per tour.
In winter 2026: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday only. Departure around 16:45. In summer it runs daily.
Audio guide on board in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and more. The schedule is the official Winter 2026 timetable — minor changes are at the operator's discretion.
A few attractions only run on selected days. Build them in early so you don't squeeze them out:
Three honest, realistic plans built around the bus schedule and the locations of the included attractions.
Single-ticket value used: about R1.825 · 1-day pass: R1.595.
Day 1 — City & Waterfront
Day 2 — Coast & Cape Point
Day 3 — Winelands or full-day Xplorer
Add a premium day to the 3-day plan above:
Premium 5-day pass: R4.195. Standalone value of premium experiences alone: R1.900 – R2.650.
According to the operator, most Cape Town attractions accept the pass without prior booking. The exceptions are:
Note: the Table Mountain Cableway doesn't take reservations — you queue at the station with your pass. The LaGuGu Township Tour runs at fixed times (11h and 14h) on a first-come basis.
Pick a duration, book in two minutes, and you'll receive your barcode by email right away.
12 months to activate from the date of purchase. Refundable while unused.
Book pass from R1.595