Se7en + 1 Famiy Friendly Things to do in the City of Cape Town…

Cape Town is a fabulous place to visit for families, with so many activities to choose from. When folk visit Cape Town they tend to go to our major site seeing spots: Cape Point and the Waterfront, Kirstenbosch and up Table Mountain and they are all fabulous places to have on your bucket list. What folk don’t know, and until we had in a staycation in the city centre last year neither did we, there are a lot of family friendly things to do if you find yourself in the centre of Cape Town for a day or even for just a couple of hours.

The part of the city that we most like to hang about in is called the Fringe and you can find it between the Castle of Good Hope, which is nothing like the castles that you find in Europe, and the Company Gardens, which are also just stunning. The area is packed with lots of foodie delights, there is something for everyone and good places to hang out and relax. It is a great neighbourhood for people watching and street art… very trendy very fun. Theatre, the Fugard… Movies, the Labia and of course cup cakes at Charly’s Bakery.

Best Place to Play: The Big Box Cafe

This just happens to be one of our favourite spots in the whole wide world, it is a games cafe in the centre of the city. Old familiar games and tons of new ones that you won’t have met before. If you are playing and discover that you absolutely love one of them, then you can buy the game there too. The cafe has fabulous pancakes and is one of our top outings ever, in fact it is a regular treat on our calendar. Here’s a top tip for you… parking is free and widely available in the city on a Saturday Afternoon… just saying!!!

Not to mention, lots of games in French… so plenty of practice for my French students.

Best Place to Read: The Book Lounge

They serve a fine hot chocolate and coffee in the basement… and they have the best children’s book corner in Cape Town. So many of the latest and greatest books and buckets of classics as well. From tots to teens they have you covered. Not to mention lots of trendy and beautiful books for adults. Story time on Saturday mornings at eleven… totally winning at Dreamy Book Store Goals, with couches for deep reading and plenty of space to spread out and browse.

We have interviewed tons of children’s authors there, it really is the book shop to be… Emily Gravett, Katherine Graham and Andy Griffiths…

Best Place to People Watch: The Company Gardens

If you think the city is just wall to wall concrete and places where kids have to sit still and be quiet… then you havent been to the Company Gardens lately. They are beautiful, full of shady spots and lots and lots of interesting features to look at and explore. Not to mention a place where you will literally find nature and wildlife, stepping out alongside you. If you are looking for the vibe feel of Cape Town locals then this is where you will find them.

Best Place to Learn: The Planetarium

Surrounding the Company Gardens are a number of Cape Town’s Museums, if you need a respite from the great outdoors then head for the Planetarium.


Look for ticket specials during the school holidays, often over the school holidays they have half price sales… and head for their website to see the time of particular shows that showing and what you would most like to see. Also, your Planetarium ticket gives you access to the Natural History Museum… so its a win, win.

Best Place for Fine Coffee: Kamili Coffee

Apart from their most fabulous coffee and quick treats… and you can buy raw coffee bags there as well… Love them.

Best Place for Zero Waste Shopping: Nude Foods

Gotta love Zero Waste Shopping, and if we are in the city, then my kids love a little visit to Nude Foods, where they have lots of ready to eat food, that you would want your kids to eat, and little treats on hand.

Best Place for a Quick Lunch: New York Bagels

These guys sell the most fantastic, not to mention beautiful… lunches. Picture perfect works of art every time… not to mention totally delicious!!!

Best Place for a Family Supper: Chef Pons

If you are visiting Cape Town from overseas, then book your dinner at Gold Restaurant and don’t look back… you will have a complete and wonderful African Experience, not to mention dinner to remember. If, however, you are staying in the city centre and looking for a place for dinner with your kids and like us you can’t face anything that is touted as fast food. Then a friend recently recommended Chef Pons to us… like where have we been, why don’t locals know about this spot. The most delicious Asian food… hot and spicy for those that like it, and cool and calm for those that don’t. A menu full of variety and you can buy dishes for the table, which means we just by different meals from the menu and everyone around the table gets to taste and try different flavours.

Have a look at their menu… there really is something for everyone, and the price tag isn’t over the top. We really enjoy going there, we never have to book… just show up, either the father person and I, or the whole gang… they are not afraid of serving a large table.