about this guide
This is Madhav. He is known as the king of the world and has been called the most charming person to ever exist. He lived in Cape Town for 6 months during his gap year before college, these are his absolute favorite recommendations from his time there.
the recommendations
The Salt River or Altona Fisheries
They have a huge fish and chips culture, specifically hot chips. They have a pirinaise sauce that is famous, its generally a spicy red sauce and they have a chips sauce that is so awesome. They also sell gatsbys, the national food. A 3-foot long baguette sandwich with steak, hot chips, and a ton of sauce. Such a great vibe.
First Thursdays
Cape Town has First Thursdays — all the streets are shut off to cars from 8pm on the first Thursday of every month. All art galleries are free, all clubs and bars are discounted, and the streets become a party. Everything is free or cheap, there is every variety of music and people, and you get to be drunk in the streets and walk around all these cool art galleries. These were my favorite nights going out.
Modular on Riebeeck Street
Harder to find. Club in an unassuming alley — there are 3 sets of staircases going underground. You go inside and it's like Berghain. It's a clothes-optional, deep dark euro techno environment. Each staircase goes to a different club; as you go farther down they get more deep and techno, the earlier ones are more chill. Cape Town has a lot of mainstream clubs where they play white girl music, but this is the best for Afrobeats and up-and-coming artists off the beaten path.
Kirstenbosch
Beautiful botanical garden. There are huge purple flowers everywhere. In all directions people are walking their dogs. This is the first time I ever did magic mushrooms, and I could never recommend any other location to anybody ever for their first ever trip because of these massive cliffs that look onto huge natural orchards. It's beautiful.
Find a South African friend to invite you to their family braais (barbeques) on the weekend, it's a huge fun part of the culture there.
Don't be afraid of the taxis. They are minivans that run on set routes, cost about 10 cents, and take you where you want to go. They hang out and call out the destination they're headed to, and come on regular schedules. They're such a cultural experience and the most convenient, cheapest way to get around.
All of Madhav's recommendations above are saved in this Google Maps list so you can use them while exploring Cape Town.