Ever dreamt of exploring a city where majestic mountains collide with the most immaculate sandy white beaches, where penguins waddle alongside locals, and where history whispers from every corner?
Then a Cape Town tour could be just the holiday for you!
Beyond the postcard-perfect scenery, this South African gem of a city has a treasure trove of quirky and fun facts that’ll make your jaw drop while at the same time fuel your wanderlust. And yet many tourists come to the city without knowing any of these amazing snippets of info, and as such they miss out on some truly epic experiences.
Cape Town is famous among locals and international travellers alike and everyone who comes to the city leaves with some special memory of this almost magical place.
While the beaches might be the main attraction, there’s much more to this place than meets the eye.
What is a unique fact about Cape Town?
If you Google this question, the first answer to pop up will be that Cape Town is home to South Africa’s only nuclear power station, Koeberg, which provides the county with at least 5% of its overall electricity (if you have read the news lately, you will know all about our power struggles, and since Koeberg never lets us down, you can just imagine just how fond we are of this station.)
But while it is pretty cool that Cape Town is the only place with a nuclear power station, this is not really the most unique fact about the city, at least not for tourists.
Instead, we think the most unique fact about Cape Town is that it is home to all sorts of natural attractions and official national parks.
That means the city is home to some elusive and sometimes sneaky wildlife.
At the top of Table Mountain, you’ll encounter the cutest dassies and as you make your way down and back towards the city you’ll find baboons and monkeys. Once you’ve reached Boulder’s Beach, there are the most adorable penguin colonies waiting to be photographed.
You can see in the photos that people share of Cape Town, that the outdoors and wildlife are a big part of the overall holiday experience, but if you’ve read anything about the city you will know that it is also an important historical and cultural place.
The city’s commitment to nature is just one interesting fact, and we have 7 other fascinating facts about the city you need to know, listed below.
1. It has a BIG movie industry
Although you might not know it, South Africa has a bustling movie industry, and most of the industry is based in Cape Town. And it’s not just movies that are filmed here, some of America and the UK’s most popular series are also filmed both in the city and its surroundings.
Such a varied city and landscape means the area can often easily pass as another place on the planet, and this, along with the affordability of filming in such a location, makes the city attractive to film makers
What is the most famous movie shot in Cape Town?
Ask the Dust, Dredd, Invictus (you probably guessed that one), Safe House, and the popular series Black Sails, were all filmed in the Cape Town area.
2. It’s called the Mother City
And not just because the first European Settlers made a home here and adopted South Africa as their “Motherland”. There are some rumours that the city was given its nickname in the 1930s by a local newspaper, that referred to the city as a metropolis, which in Greek means mother city.
3. It’s home to the oldest garden in the country
The Company’s Garden had its start as a vegetable patch and over the years has become a stunning garden.
The garden can be found in the city centre and a must-see feature is the pear tree. It was planted in 1652, the year that the Dutch colonised the Cape. The garden has since undergone several stunning transformations, with numerous indigenous plants being added over the centuries.
4. It’s a city over the sea
This fact could easily also be the answer to “What is a unique fact about Cape Town?”
Originally the city was not laid out like it is today. Back in the 1940s, a foreshore was created using land from the Atlantic Ocean, making everything beyond Strand Street once a part of the cold ocean.
5. It’s home to 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Cape Town has not 1 but 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The oldest site, or at least the first site to be given the status, is Robben Island, which is just off the coast of Cape Town and most famous for being the place where Nelson Mandela spent his prison years. The newest site is the Cape Floral Region, which is the most biodiverse place not only in South Africa but on the entire planet! If you love nature, please make a point of visiting this epic place.
6. It has a Noon Boom
If you are in the city around midday, don’t be shocked to hear a very loud boom. The city has a canon known as the Noon Gun can each day it is fired. The canon has huge historical symbolism behind it and it is an important part of the city’s culture (so important that there is a backup gun should the original fail to sound). The gun was placed there in 1806 and it is maintained by the Navy. The only time you won’t hear it is on a Sunday or a public holiday, and visitors are welcome to watch the gun being loaded.
7. It is the start and the ending point of the world’s longest wine route!
We have to end this list with a fun wine fact because Cape Town is so well known for its surrounding winelands. South Africa has the longest wine route in the world, and it starts and ends in Cape Town. It is called Route 62 and it is a wine-filled 850 km road that will take you through the best of the country’s winelands. Along the way, you will be treated to the most magnificent and dramatic views, French-inspired small towns and all the food and wine you could ever want to indulge in.
So what is the City of Cape Town best known for?
The Mother City is best known for being one of the best places in the country to have a South African holiday.