When is the best time to visit Cape Town?

One of the world’s most beautiful and interesting cities is to be found at the southern tip of Africa.

A tour to Cape Town is for you if you dream of exploring a destination that combines natural beauty, a rich history and a vibrant cultural scene with delicious cuisine comprised of exciting dishes and exquisite wines.

But when is the best time to visit Cape Town?

In this blog post, we take you through Cape Town’s seasons, hopefully making it easier for you to choose when it is the best time for you to visit the scenic metropolis in South Africa.

Please note that the guide below is a guideline only, and recommendations may change on an ongoing basis.

The seasons in Cape Town

Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate and four distinct seasons with hot, dry summer months and cool, wet winters.

Cape Town differs from the rest of South Africa in that Cape Town experiences the most rain in the winter, whereas the weather in Kruger National Park, for example, offers rain in the summer months, when there is hardly any rain in Cape Town.

As South Africa is in the southern hemisphere, i.e. south of the equator, the seasons are the opposite way round to Europe’s, so it’s summer in South Africa when it’s winter here:

• Spring: September to November
• Summer: December to February
• Autumn: March to May
• Winter: June to August

Cape Town offers interesting experiences all year round, and you will enjoy the city’s unique charm whatever the season when you visit. So, the best time to visit depends a lot on what you hope to get out of your holiday.

If it’s the “perfect” summer weather you’re after, you should travel between December and January/February, when the South African summer is at its peak.

When is it summer in Cape Town?

Summer in Cape Town falls between December and February.

For many people, the summer months are the absolute best time to visit Cape Town and a popular time for Europeans to escape the cold winter in favour of some winter sun.

Cape Town really comes alive at this time of the year, and you can expect long, warm days with blue skies and dry weather, perfect for outdoor pursuits and visits to the beautiful beaches. The cultural scene is in full bloom, and there are plenty of opportunities to participate in food and wine festivals.

Summer is peak season for travellers, and it is also during this period that the South African children are on school holiday. The high number of visitors means that Cape Town’s main attractions tend to get busy, so it’s a good idea to book experiences and any restaurant visits in advance. It can also push prices up, so in some cases a tour can work out slightly more expensive than if you travel during the other months of the year.

When the children go back to school in February, the busyness also subsides a bit.

3 advantages to travelling in the summer:

• The possibility of taking a Christmas holiday in the summer heat
• Long days with nice weather for outdoor pursuits and visits to the beach
• A cultural scene in full swing with food and wine festivals

When is it autumn in Cape Town?

The South African autumn falls between March and May.

Autumn makes its appearance in March. Autumn is a shoulder season (the season between high and low season), and with the exception of the Easter weekend, it’s generally a quiet time to visit Cape Town.

The autumn weather brings a little more rain, and the temperatures drop a little compared to the summer months, but the weather is generally still sunny and pleasant.

The influx of summer guests has died down, and from May you can look forward to low-season special offers, when many of the city’s restaurants offer gourmet meals at a fraction of high-season prices.

Autumn transforms the landscapes from green to golden and browny-red hues, and it’s a beautiful time to visit Cape Town. The weather is ideal for exploring outdoor attractions such as Table Mountain, the cute penguins at Boulders Beach, Cape Point or the Winelands, where you can enjoy delicious wines in the lush surroundings of the vineyards.

If you’re interested in sports, autumn in Cape Town offers two of the biggest sporting events: the Two Oceans Marathon, which is the largest running event in Africa, and the Cape Town Cycle Tour, which starts and ends at Table Mountain.

3 advantages to travelling in the autumn:

• Cheaper prices at some of the world’s best restaurants
• Experience Cape Town shrouded in autumn colours
• Great weather for outdoor pursuits and visits to the Winelands

When is it winter in Cape Town?

Winter in Cape Town falls between June and August.

These are the coldest and rainiest months of the year, with temperatures that are still relatively mild compared to the winter in northern Europe. You can also enjoy plenty of nice, sunny days without rain.

Depending on what you dream of experiencing, this can be an excellent time to visit the big city.

These are Cape Town’s “quiet” months, at least as quiet as a big city can be, which means fewer visitors to the major attractions and it’s cheaper to eat out.

Winter is, for example, the absolute best time to go whale watching in South Africa, as you can get a front row seat when the southern right whales come to South African waters to mate, calve and raise their young. Should you be unlucky enough to hit a few days of rain, Cape Town also offers lots of good rainy weather activities.

If you dream of combining Cape Town with a safari in Kruger National Park, winter is a great time as this is when it rains the least in Kruger, making it easier to spot the wildlife.

Please note that the cable car at Table Mountain closes for a few weeks each year for its annual maintenance check. You can keep an eye on when this is here.

3 advantages to travelling in the winter:

• Good time to combine with safari in Kruger.
• Best time of the year for whale watching
• Fewer visitors and cheaper prices

When is spring in Cape Town?

Spring in Cape Town falls between September and November.

The season is characterised by rising temperatures after the cool days of winter, pleasant weather with lots of sunshine and occasional rain. Spring offers many of the same benefits as in the autumn.

Like autumn, spring is also a shoulder season, when there are generally fewer visitors, so it’s not as busy at the major attractions as in the high season.

If you arrive at the beginning of the season, you can experience the wildflowers bursting forth and carpeting the landscapes in a riot of colours.
The spring months are also a great time to participate in outdoor activities.

It is, for example, the ideal time to hike to the top of Table Mountain, where you enjoy a unique view over Cape Town, or take the ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for almost 18 years.

The start of spring coincides with the end of the whale season, so you might be lucky enough to see southern right whales along the South African coast.

3 advantages to travelling in the spring:

• The weather is pleasant with lots of sunshine
• You can experience the wildflowers carpeting the landscapes in a multitude of colours
• Good months for outdoor pursuits

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller