A day-by-day itinerary for those who want the city done properly. Private, considered, and at a pace that actually feels like a holiday.
There is a version of Cape Town that most first-time visitors miss. Our UAE Traveller’s Guide provides you with the perfect opportunity to experience the best that Cape Town has to offer.
Not because it is hidden, but because it requires a little more intention than simply following the obvious trail. The best wine estate lunches aren’t always the most Instagrammed ones. The most memorable dinners are often in neighbourhoods that don’t appear on the standard tourist map. And the difference between a good Cape Town trip and an exceptional one often comes down to having the right base, the right recommendations, and enough space in the itinerary to let things breathe.
This guide is built for UAE travellers who want all of that. Seven days, structured loosely enough to adapt, specific enough to be genuinely useful. Private experiences where they add value. Halal dining throughout. Family-friendly where it counts, and quietly luxurious everywhere else.
UAE Traveller’s Guide: Visa Requirements for South Africa
UAE citizens travelling on Emirati passports require no visa for South Africa for stays of up to 30 days. If you are a UAE resident travelling on another passport, check your specific requirements and apply through VFS Global in Dubai or Abu Dhabi well in advance.
We recommend confirming the latest visa requirements directly with the South African Department of Home Affairs or your nearest consulate before booking, as these can change.
Emirates operates direct flights from Dubai to Cape Town daily. Cape Town is 2 hours behind Dubai, so jet lag is rarely an issue. Read our Complete Travel Guide to visiting Cape Town from the UAE for more information about getting here.
Is Cape Town a Family-Friendly Travel Destination?
Cape Town is an exceptional destination for families, and The Bliss Collection’s portfolio is well-suited to those travelling with children. Several of our villas offer the space, privacy, and flexibility that families need: multiple bedrooms, open living areas, and private outdoor space that hotel rooms simply cannot provide.
For guests travelling with young children, cots are available on request. Child safety gates for staircases can also be arranged upon request, where required. We recommend mentioning these needs at the time of enquiry so we can ensure your villa is fully prepared before arrival.
Day 1 – Arrive, Settle, Exhale
The first day has one job: transition.
Check into your Bliss Collection apartment or villa, open the doors to the Atlantic, and resist the urge to fill the afternoon with plans. Camps Bay in winter is mild and unhurried. It rewards those who slow down rather than those who try to see everything at once.
For dinner, Salsify at The Roundhouse is a short distance from most of our properties and offers glorious views of the Atlantic and Lion’s Head, only competing with the beauty on the plates. Alternatively, Omri is a beautifully designed new dining spot on the Camps Bay strip, with views of swaying palms, rippling waves, and glorious sunsets.
Tonight is for adjusting, settling in, and remembering what it feels like to be somewhere that doesn’t ask anything of you.
Day 2 – Bo-Kaap and the City
Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap neighbourhood is one of the most distinctive in the city. A hillside of brightly painted houses that tells the story of the Cape Malay community, one of South Africa’s most culturally significant and historically rich. For UAE visitors, it tends to feel unexpectedly familiar: the architecture, the aromas, the hospitality.
Spend the morning here. Walk the cobbled streets, visit the Bo-Kaap Museum if history interests you, and save time for lunch at one of two institutions in the neighbourhood. Bo-Kaap Kombuis has served guests for nearly two decades, offering authentic Cape Malay dishes from curries and slow-cooked Denningvleis to samosas and potato waras, alongside breathtaking views of Table Mountain.
For something slightly more casual, Biesmiellah on Church Street has been a fixture since 1982, serving halal Cape Malay and Cape Indian cuisine including crayfish curry, lamb breyani, and excellent desserts. Please verify current halal certification directly with each restaurant before visiting, as status can change.
In the afternoon, make your way to the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town’s harbour precinct, with boutique shopping, galleries, and the ocean at every turn. Barakat at the Time Out Market offers contemporary Cape Malay cuisine in a relaxed setting. For dinner, Saray at the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre offers a Turkish menu including lamb shank, kofta, and pide, with a harbour-facing setting. Please confirm halal status directly when booking.
Day 3 – Table Mountain and the Afternoons to Yourself
Table Mountain is non-negotiable. The question is how.
The aerial cableway is the most accessible option, a five-minute ride to the summit, where the views extend from the Atlantic Seaboard to the Winelands on a clear winter day. Book tickets in advance and go in the morning when the mountain is most likely to be clear. Cape Town’s winter does bring cloud and mist, and the cableway closes in poor conditions. Check the forecast the evening before and adjust accordingly.
For those with older children or a preference for something more active, the Platteklip Gorge trail is a well-marked two-to-three-hour return hike to the summit, challenging enough to feel earned and accessible enough for a family with teenagers.
For a private experience in the evening, consider arranging a chef’s dinner at the villa. The Bliss Collection can coordinate a private chef for your stay, a full dinner prepared and served in your own space, with the ocean as your backdrop.
Day 4 – The Cape Peninsula Drive
Set aside the whole day. This is one of the great road trips.
Leave Camps Bay in the morning and head south, through Sea Point, past the fishing village of Hout Bay, and onto Chapman’s Peak Drive. The road winds along the Atlantic cliffs for 9 kilometres, with the ocean far below and the mountain immediately above. One of the most dramatic coastal drives in the world. Take it slowly and stop when you feel like it.
Continue south to Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town, where a colony of African penguins lives in the dunes. An extraordinary encounter for visitors of all ages. From there, continue to Cape Point, part of Table Mountain National Park. The walk to the lighthouse takes around 30 minutes each way, or the funicular carries you most of the way up.
For lunch on the drive, the Foodbarn in Noordhoek offers a relaxed, family-friendly setting. Please confirm halal options when booking. Return to Camps Bay in the late afternoon, stopping at Hout Bay Harbour if the children would enjoy the activity of a working harbour.
Day 5 – The Constantia Winelands
The Cape Winelands are 20 minutes from Camps Bay. Most UAE visitors discover this on day one and wish they had planned more time for them.
Start at Beau Constantia on the ridge above the valley, where the terrace looks out over False Bay and the meal earns its reputation. Book ahead, particularly for weekends, and plan to stay longer than you think you will. In the afternoon, Klein Constantia is worth a visit for its historic cellar and the Vin de Constance, a celebrated natural sweet wine produced here since the 1600s. The tasting room welcomes families, and the estate is as beautiful for the landscape as it is for what’s in the glass.
A note for those who don’t drink: the Winelands are still very much worth visiting. The architecture, the landscape, the estate restaurants, and the general atmosphere are experiences in themselves. Most estates offer non-alcoholic options and welcome guests who are simply there for the setting.
For dinner back in the city, Aladdin on Loop Street offers traditional Syrian cuisine including kabsa, mandi, fattoush, and more. *Please confirm halal status when booking.
Day 6 – A Day for the Family
Day 6 is deliberately lighter in pace, particularly valuable if you are travelling with young children who need a morning with less structure.
The V&A Waterfront’s Two Oceans Aquarium is a standout family experience, home to sharks, sea turtles, penguins, rays, and an array of marine life found in both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is well laid out, genuinely engaging for children and adults alike, and comfortably fills a morning. *Please check current entry fees and opening times on their website before visiting.
From the Waterfront, the afternoon opens up. The Watershed is a well-curated market of South African design, craft, and food, good for gifts and easy to navigate with children. For something more active, Signal Hill offers a short drive and an easy walk to one of the best sunset viewpoints in the city.
For a special family dinner, NV80 in The Point Mall in Sea Point serves family-friendly fine dining with some of the most stunning views in the city. Their slow-roast lamb shank, surf and turf, and lobster are worth noting. Alternatively, a second evening with your private chef at the villa is always a considered choice.
Day 7 – The Last Morning, Done Well
Don’t over-schedule the final day.
If your flight is in the evening, a slow morning in Camps Bay, coffee on the terrace, a walk along the promenade, a last look at the mountain, is the most honest way to close out the trip. The pace that Cape Town teaches over a week is worth sitting with for a few hours before the airport.
If you have time, the Oranjezicht City Farm Market on the Granger Bay waterfront runs on Saturday and Sunday mornings and offers one of the more genuine experiences of Cape Town life: local produce, exceptional coffee, street food, and a relaxed atmosphere that feels nothing like a tourist attraction.
For a final lunch, the Eastern Food Bazaar in the city centre is an institution. A lively, canteen-style space serving halal Indian, Cape Malay, Chinese, and Middle Eastern dishes. It is informal, local, and genuinely excellent. The kind of place you will wish you had found on day one.
A Note on Staying in Camps Bay
Everything in this itinerary is more enjoyable when you are based in the right place.
Camps Bay sits at the centre of it all: 20 minutes from the Winelands, 30 minutes from Chapman’s Peak, 15 minutes from the V&A Waterfront, and immediately adjacent to some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. A private villa or apartment here gives you the space, the privacy, and the kitchen that a hotel room rarely offers, particularly for families who want the flexibility to eat in, start early, or simply not be on anyone else’s schedule.
The Bliss Collection’s portfolio in Camps Bay ranges from intimate two-bedroom apartments to multi-bedroom villas with private pools, jacuzzi terraces, and Atlantic views. For families, cots are available on request and child safety gates for staircases can be arranged where needed. Private chefs, wine tours, luxury transfers, and in-villa wellness treatments can all be coordinated on your behalf.
