Central and walkable
You're in the middle of everything. The City Bowl sits right under Table Mountain, and the V&A Waterfront is a 10-minute hop away, so you can do a lot on foot or with a short Uber.
Where to stay · Cape Town
City Bowl & Waterfront
Central, walkable and close to the sights. The City Bowl and the V&A Waterfront are the easiest base in Cape Town, especially without a car, with the cableway, Bo-Kaap and the Robben Island ferry on the doorstep.
If it’s your first time in Cape Town, this is where to base yourself. The City Bowl is the historic downtown, cupped between Table Mountain, Signal Hill and the sea, with the Company’s Garden, the museums, Bo-Kaap on its western edge and the restaurant streets of Bree and Long. A few minutes north, the V&A Waterfront wraps the old harbour in shops, food and the jetty for the Robben Island ferry and the sunset cruises.
Staying here means you can leave the car for later. The big city sights are within walking distance or a short ride, the area is safe and busy into the evening, and you’re well placed to pick up a hire car only when you head out to the Cape Peninsula or the winelands.
The hotels below all sit in the City Bowl or on the Waterfront. Prices are indicative, per night for two, and the booking links go straight to Booking.com.
The neighbourhood
Why stay here
Best for a first visit
Most of the headline sights are here or close: the Table Mountain cableway, Bo-Kaap, the Company's Garden, and the Robben Island ferry, which leaves from the Waterfront.
No car needed
Stay central and you can skip a hire car for the city days, using ride-hailing and the MyCiTi bus, and pick one up later for the peninsula and the winelands.
Safe and lively after dark
The Waterfront is one of the safest, busiest parts of the city in the evening, and the City Bowl's Bree and Long streets hold the best of the restaurants and bars.
Hotels
The kind of hotels
This is the home of Cape Town's reliable city hotels and aparthotels: names like City Lodge, Garden Court, Protea and StayEasy, plus a few with more character. They're mostly mid-range and good value, a step cheaper than the Atlantic seaboard. The handful right on the V&A Waterfront sit at the top of the range; the City Bowl options behind them are easier on the budget.
Around here
What's nearby
- Table Mountain cableway· 15 min
- V&A Waterfront· On the doorstep
- Bo-Kaap· 10 min on foot
- Robben Island ferry· From the Waterfront
- Company's Garden & museums· City Bowl
- Long Street nightlife· City Bowl
Our pick
Hotels in City Bowl & Waterfront
Garden Court Victoria Junction
8.4/102,322 reviews
from €108/ night Book→
City Lodge Hotel V&A Waterfront
8.4/101,309 reviews
from €142/ night Book→
StayEasy Cape Town City Bowl
8.3/102,803 reviews
from €94/ night Book→
Protea Hotel Fire & Ice by Marriott Cape Town
8.1/10558 reviews
from €103/ night Book→
Cape Town Lodge Hotel
8.1/103,132 reviews
from €62/ night Book→
The Capetonian - Halal
8/102,115 reviews
from €53/ night Book→
Check Inn Hotel
7.9/103,096 reviews
from €40/ night Book→
Hotel Sky Cape Town
7.8/104,414 reviews
from €83/ night Book→
City Club Circle
4.5/10699 reviews
from €34/ night Book→
Indicative prices, per night, from a one-off snapshot. We may earn a commission when you book through our partner — at no extra cost to you.