The Most Charming Coastal Villages in Cape Town

My favorite cities are the ones that have nature at their doorstep and which are made up of a number of smaller communities, each encapsulating their own personality and style but also contributing to the city as a whole. A city of villages.

Cape Town is definitely a city of villages, and the villages in Cape Town are fabulous. Life by the sea is part of the Cape Town culture.

During our time in Cape Town, we have been lucky enough to explore a lot of these villages that make the city such an incredible place. My favorites are the communities by the sea, which is not surprising since I lived in one of Sydney’s coastal villages.

Along with the natural beauty of the mountains and the beaches, these coastal villages are the reason I love Cape Town so much. They have similarities to each other but still maintain a distinctiveness that sets them apart.

From glitzy and crowded to rugged and deserted, the coastal Cape Town villages offer different things to different people.

Spanning both sides of the Cape Peninsula, the western coast is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic Ocean, while the east coast of the peninsula enjoys the calmer protected (and warmer) waters of False Bay. Both sides of the peninsula have so much to offer.

Cape Town’s coastal communities are all worthy of exploration.

Just a quick note: These small coastal communities are technically suburbs of Cape Town, not villages, but I see them as more like villages because they are self-sufficient and have a village vibe.

The Best Cape Town Villages by the Sea

Simon’s Town

Along with being the home of the South African Navy, the thing that the small maritime community of Simon’s Town is famous for its resident penguins. There is a massive colony of cute African penguins that live on a beach here and are protected in a reserve that you pay entry to enter.

Walking along boardwalks we passed penguins in nesting boxes and hidden in the dunes. Once reaching the beach we saw dozens of them swimming in the ocean, waddling along the sand, and chatting to each other. An incredible sight.

What is even more incredible is that they have only been there since 1985, with no record of them living there before that.

The beautiful Boulders Beach is next to where the penguins live and is what it says on the package: a beach with large Cape granite boulders strewn in the sand and the water.

The water is so clear here and it is sheltered, making it the perfect place to swim.

We wandered the quaint main street, checking out the quirky antiques and luxury homewares. It is a beautiful place to be on a sunny day.

From Simon’s Town, you can catch a train all the way to Muizenberg, which we did, stopping off at some other cute villages along the way.

Kalk Bay

Kalk Bay is the hippy child of Cape Town’s coastal villages, a fishing village that is known for its eclectic shopping and fantastic cafes. We ate lunch at the incredible Satori Restaurant and Pizzeria where my pineapple and olive pizza was delicious.

There are small alleyways that lead off the main street that hide bohemian shops selling handmade jewelry, scented candles, retro second-hand clothing, and local art.

There is definitely a creative buzz in this small village and there seemed to be a lot more going on here culturally than in the quieter surrounding suburbs.

Kalk Bay is my favorite waterfront village in Cape Town, and if I ever lived in Cape Town, this is where it would be.

St James

St James is Kalk Bay’s quiet neighbor and is largely residential, with beautiful historic homes and a stone church with a thatched roof along the quiet main road.

Historically known as the ‘millionaire’s mile’, this thin strip of coast that is squeezed between the mountains and the sea is home to a lovely beach as well as an ocean pool that is fronted by a row of brightly colored beach huts.

We spent a couple of hours lazing on the beach, half in the shade of the railway tracks that pass right by the coast. The water temperature is much warmer than the other side of the peninsula as it is closer to Cape Agulhas where the chilly Atlantic and warm Indian oceans meet.

I actually went for a swim here without freezing half to death which is always nice.

Muizenberg

We walked along the coast from Kalk Bay to Muizenberg and it was my least favorite of the villages we visited on the False Bay Coast of Cape Town. It had a slightly seedy vibe that reminded me a lot of Venice Beach in LA, but it wasn’t as interesting. Note: I visited in 2014 and from what I have heard, it has changed a lot since then.

The long wide beach is popular with surfers and there are a lot of surf shops that cater to this crowd. It was a lot busier here than elsewhere along the coastline and if you are looking for a party atmosphere, then this is the beach for you. 

Kommetjie

I loved this quiet beach town located along from the deserted Noordhoek beach. Of all of the coastal communities we visited, Kommetjie was the friendliest and the quietest.

We only spent a short time there walking the beautiful coastal path from the iconic lighthouse and along the water past lovely homes with little to no security (very rare for South Africa).

Everyone we saw along our walk greeted us and the place had a very family-friendly vibe. It seems to be home to a lot of dog lovers as nearly every person we saw was with a furry companion.

Luckily they were dogs rather than cats or I would have had an even harder time leaving this lovely spot.

Hout Bay

More remote than its glitzy neighbors on the western side of the peninsula, Camps Bay and Clifton, this rugged beach is a great spot for grabbing a seafood lunch at Fishermen’s Wharf and then watching the seals eating fish out of a local guy’s mouth on the wharf.

Reasonably undeveloped, Hout Bay has a small main street with a few shops up from the beach. We rented a beautiful house for five nights and loved being based in this quiet and unpretentious spot.

It is still a working fishing village so a lot of Cape Town’s fishing boats are docked here and it is interesting to wander up the long wharf to check them out. There are large sand dunes backing part of the beach and with mountains surrounding it, it feels like you are very far from the city.

For a nature lover like me, Hout Bay is one of the best places to stay in Cape Town.

Camps Bay

The star of the show on the west coast of the peninsula, Camps Bay is the place to see and be seen. When we drove along the beachfront road on Boxing Day it was ridiculously packed with people but it was blissfully quiet and relaxed when we first visited on a sunny day in the autumn of 2009.

Palm trees and trendy restaurants line the beachside main road along with expensive hotels and properties. The stunning white sand beach is wide and long, stretching out into a perfect cove of cerulean water. If you want to hang out with millionaires and spot celebrities, this is your beach.

Clifton

Another playground for the rich and famous, Clifton’s four small beaches are more secluded than Camps Bay because they are only accessed by steep paths from the road above. You can walk around the granite boulders that separate each beach and they are all very beautiful, backed by the majestic Lions Head peak.

Clifton retains more of a local feel due to the lack of shops and restaurants. It’s just a shame that the water is so cold.

I would recommend anyone traveling to Cape Town to visit any one of its coastal communities.

There are even more that we didn’t have time to visit or were only passing through briefly – Sea Point which is a vibrant suburb with a happening main street, Fish Hoek with its beautiful beach and colorful bathing huts, Noordhoek with its long and wild white sand beach which we saw from above while driving around Chapman’s Peak.

All are on the list for the next time I am in the Mother City.

Oh, there will definitely be a next time.

Plan Your Cape Town Trip

Where to Stay in Cape Town

If you are wondering where to stay in Cape Town, I highly recommend renting a house or apartment – there are lots of great choices on Airbnb and Booking. Stay at the Camps Bay Ruby Suite with modern amenities and right by the beach, or the Surf Way Beach Cottage, a one-bedroom apartment with a private pool and only minutes from Long Beach in Kommetjie.

If you are traveling solo to Cape Town and you want to meet people, there are so many amazing Cape Town hostels in different parts of the city. My top hostel picks based on ratings and location are Mojo Hostel in Sea Point, Cape Capsules Backpackers in Muizenberg, and A Sunflower Stop in Green Point.

If you are looking for something a little more luxurious, my picks for the Cape Town hotels and B&Bs by the seaside villages are The Muize Bed and Breakfast in Muizenberg, South Beach Boutique Hotel in Camps Bay, and Hout Bay Breeze Guesthouse in Hout Bay.

If you prefer staying in vacation homes and apartments, here are the best picks for location, price, and high ratings:

• Modern Studio Apartment on the Camps Bay Beachfront
• Modern Sea Point Apartment With Stunning Views
• Cape Dutch Five-Bedroom Home in Hout Bay With Pool
• Gorgeous One Bedroom Loft With Table Mountain Views
• Romantic Seaside Cottage Overlooking Llandudno Beach
• Large Luxury Apartment with Pool and Cinema in City Center
• Camps Bay Cottage With Pool and Sea Views
• Unique Luxury Townhouse With Roof Terrace in City Center

The Best Insurance for Your Cape Town Trip

Make sure you get travel and health insurance before your trip. Safety Wing is my go-to and they are cheap and easy to claim with – it auto-renews every month unless you turn it off so you don’t have to think about it on longer trips.

Safety Wing also allows you to sign up when you are already traveling, unlike a lot of other travel insurance providers.

If you liked this post, check out some more of my South Africa content:

• Highlights of One Week in Cape Town
• Tackling the Platteklip Gorge Hike to the Top of Table Mountain in Cape Town
• A Day Among the Vines in the Cape Winelands
• An Unplanned Hike in Cape Town’s Mountains
• The Perfect Cape Town Day Trip: A Self Drive Cape Peninsula Tour

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