5 Reasons to
Visit Cape Town Now

Since its opening nearly 30 years ago, the elegant Cape Grace hotel has been a favorite of visitors. Set on a private quay at the V&A Waterfront, it has unbeatable views of the marina and Table Mountain as well as refined service. A stay at Cape Grace can be transporting — though perhaps too transporting of late, as interiors were starting to look dated. This March, the grande dame reopened in the capable hands of Fairmont Hotels, taking her down to 112 rooms in an extensive overhaul (courtesy of U.K.-based studio 1508 London). The result is a hipper, sleeker new look in warm earth tones, with contemporary South African art and vibrant geometric patterns across the natural-light-filled rooms. Lifelong loyalists need not worry: The beloved Bascule Bar, known for one of the most exciting whisky collections in the Southern Hemisphere, is back, and its speakeasy vibe has elements of South Africa’s much-loved shebeen taverns.

Instead of looking to the West for inspiration, two of Cape Town’s best-known artisanal accessories labels instead have made a name for themselves by celebrating aesthetics and materials from Africa. It’s been a busy couple of years for Pichulik, the popular bauble brand founded by local designer Katherine-Mary Pichulik in 2013: She opened a flagship atelier in 2022 in a cottage just off Cape Town’s trendy Bree Street, followed by a second location at the V&A Waterfront last year. Within the brick-and-mortar, Pichulik showcases her bold necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with signature rope details that have been rocked by A-listers like J.Lo and Cynthia Nixon.

Another pioneering design maven amassing serious global acclaim is tastemaker Hanneli Rupert, who launched Okapi in 2008 — crafting handmade, sustainable luxury bags and wallets out of locally sourced game skins like ostrich and blesbok. In December, Okapi’s first-ever stand-alone store was unveiled in Franschhoek, inside a manor house at the Anthonij Rupert wine estate. The glamorous emporium displays a museum-like array of It accessories — like the feathered Nambi clutch and the Springbok Horn pendant.

In recent years, Cape Town restaurants have been expanding to Johannesburg — but now a few Joburg stalwarts are returning the favor. The highly anticipated CT edition of David Higgs’s Marble, a temple to wood-fired food in Joburg’s Keyes Art Mile, will open any minute now. Meanwhile, the chef and owner of Italian restaurant Gemelli have teamed up on Kloof Street’s hip new Therapy. Gemelli’s owner, Alex Khojane, partnered with two DJs from the Khayelitsha township, Loyiso Mdebuka and Vincent Mvelase Manzini, on the sexy new space, so music is a major focus. Not to ignore the food, though: Gemelli chef Paolo Santo designed a menu of decadent comfort food, like oxtail ragù, soy-glazed short rib, and an Amarula-infused spin on South Africa’s beloved malva pudding.

Wine is a perfectly good reason to drive an hour outside the city to the scenic hamlets of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek — South African wines are among the world’s finest, after all. But the Winelands are also home to a thriving art scene, and in October, Boschendal, a historic farm dating back to 1685, partnered with Elana Brundyn, one of the country’s most respected curators — and a force behind the launch of the Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in Cape Town — to transform its manor house into a striking new arts venue. Boschendal x Brundyn brings photographers, sculptors, textile artists, and other South African talents to this Cape Dutch–style mansion.

Closer to Cape Town, the Constantia wine valley is home to the Norval Foundation, a 90-acre expanse with a museum and sculpture garden conceived to house real-estate mogul Louis Norval’s private collection of 20th- and 21st-century African art. This season sees exhibitions by Malian painter Famakan Magassa and South African sculptor Walter Oltmann, along with more reasons to linger: Chef Matt Manning opened his popular Bree Street bistro Grub & Vine on the estate in November, and a new monthly Wine & Art series gives visitors after-hours access to the museum with a curator and winemaker standing by.

The brand-new Time Out Market — the first of its kind in Africa — debuted in November at the V&A Waterfront, bringing together standouts from Cape Town’s dynamic food scene: Vusi Ndlovu, of haute cuisine pop-up Edge, serves wood-fired African street food at Mlilo; star chef Bertus Basson introduces the De Vrije burger bar; Anwar Abdullatief follows up Happy Uncles, Cape Town’s first halal fine-dining restaurant, with Barakat, an ode to Cape Malay cooking; and Peter Tempelhoff, whose Fyn has landed on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, opens a stall for his popular ramen joint Ramenhead. Think of it as a one-stop shop for the diverse flavors that make up the Mother City’s palate.