Boasting a beautiful year-round mild Mediterranean climate means every Cape Town season brings with it something unique and exciting to be enjoyed by all. While summer in Cape Town means glorious sunny weather, late sunsets and blissful beach days. Winter transforms the Mother City into a lush paradise perfect for adventuring and exploring.
The Cape Town spring season is world-renowned and widely known as flower season. The time of year where the Mother City transforms into a glorious floral escape. Not to mention Autumn, where the weather is perfect for just about everything. So when exactly is the best time to visit Cape Town in 2020? Let’s take a closer look at Cape Town’s seasons and everything they have to offer.
Summer in Cape Town
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There truly is nothing quite like summer in the Mother City. From beautiful warm weather, lovely late sunsets, blissful beach days and nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Summer in Cape Town is pure bliss! It’s therefore no surprise that it is by far one of the most popular times of year to visit Cape Town. With keen global travellers, adventure seekers and those looking to enjoy the perfect summer holiday, travel from far and wide to experience it first-hand. But besides stunning sunny days, cool beach vibes and a sense of thrill and adventure that fills the air, summer in Cape Town also means lovely long days. With the sun rising before 6am and setting as late as 8:30pm. A Cape Town summer’s day provides you with plenty of time to explore, discover and experience to your heart’s desire.
Summer is also the only time of year when people are brave enough to venture into the chilly Atlantic waters. This means that in addition to a refreshing dip in the Atlantic, you can enjoy all the ocean adventures Cape Town has to offer. From kayaking with African Penguins, snorkelling with Cape Fur Seals and Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai to surfing, SUPing, snorkelling and windsurfing, there is no shortage of adventures waiting to be experienced by you. In addition to thrilling ocean experiences, during the months of January and February Cape Town transforms into the ultimate windsurfing destination. With avid windsurfers travelling from all around the world to enjoy Cape Town’s peak summer season wind conditions.
Furthermore, summer in Cape Town is the best time of the year to embark on the ultimate sunset chasing mission around the city. With Signal Hill, Lions Heads, Kloof Corner, Table Mountains, Camps Bay Tidal Pools, Bakoven Beach, Bloubergstrand and the Clifton Beach boulders being some of the top sunset watching spots. It’s for all these reasons and so much more that many people around the world consider summer the best time to visit Cape Town in 2020.
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Winter in Cape Town
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Winter in Cape Town is widely known as one of the Mother City’s best kept secrets. While summer in Cape Town might mean beautiful blue-skied weather and blissful beach days filled with sun-kissed moments, dips in the Atlantic and sunset beach strolls. Winter transforms the Mother City into a lovely lush paradise, perfect for adventuring, discovering and exploring. It’s therefore known as one of the best times of year to go on an epic hiking adventure or explore one of its beautiful natural wonders. As Cape Town transforms into a glorious celebration of greenery that stretches as far as the eye can see. Undoubtedly making winter the best time to visit Cape Town in 2020 for nature lovers.
In addition to its beautiful lush surroundings, winter in Cape Town is also known as whale season. It is the time of year when the Southern Right Whales come out to play! July to September is known as the peak calving season for whales. This means more glorious opportunities to spot these majestic ocean beings than any other time of the year. Apart from spotting the beautiful Southern Right Whales along the False Bay Coastline or the Cape Peninsula, a trip to Hermanus, the whale capital of the world, is definitely worth it. Similarly, going on a boat-based whale watching adventure is a bucket-list experience you won’t soon forget.
With stunning scenery and incredible whale sightings, many people consider winter to be the best time to visit Cape Town due to the smaller crowds, shorter queues and less traffic that has to be endured. This also means that there are far less people at some of Cape Town’s top attractions and destinations, which are often jam-packed during the summer months. It therefore gives you the opportunity to enjoy all the perks of exploring one of the most beautiful cities in the world, including its top landmarks, attractions and experiences, without all the people around. How great is that?
Winter in Cape Town is also the perfect time to curl up next to a fireplace with an exceptional glass of red as well as experience the artistic side of the Mother City. You can take advantage of all of its museums, markets, art galleries and theatres during this season. Although many people might not know this, the winter season is also perfect for surfing too. The bigger waves, wind conditions and warmer ocean temperatures transforms the city into the ultimate surfing utopia for wave chasing enthusiasts from all around the world.
Another reason why many people classify winter as one of the best times of year to visit Cape Town is because of the abundance of incredible specials to take advantage of. From restaurants, holiday resorts, adventure experiences, hotels, shops and wine tasting experiences, the city truly becomes the ultimate ‘special’ paradise. This means you can get way more than you bargained for and your money will go a whole lot further.
Spring in Cape Town
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Springtime in the Mother City is bold, beautiful and bubbling with adventure. In Cape Town spring season is flowers season. It’s the time of year when the Mother City becomes the ultimate floral paradise. As it transforms into a glorious celebration of colour and vibrancy as Cape Wildflowers stretches as far as the eye can see. It truly is nothing short of spectacular! It’s therefore no surprise that people travel from all around the world to see the Mother City in full bloom. The Cape West Coast has become world-famous for the blankets of colourful blooms that erupt over its stunning landscapes. In addition to the West Coast National Park, Ramskop Nature Reserve, Renosterveld Reserve, Paternoster and Darling are some of the must-visit spots along the West Coast floral route.
Spring in the Mother City is also celebrated for its wonderful weather conditions. Due to the year-round Mediterranean climate, spring season in Cape Town boasts lovely mild temperatures, transforming the city into the ultimate playground. It also gives you the opportunity to enjoy just about everything the vibrant city of Cape Town has to offer. While most people proclaim summer as the prime beach-going season in Cape Town, spring certainly isn’t far behind. In fact, you might just enjoy a spring beach day way more than you think. And the best thing is, you get to enjoy a day out on one of Cape Town’s most beautiful beaches all without the large summer crowds.
Cape Town’s lovely spring weather also makes it the ideal time of year for exciting hiking adventures, sunset chasing, beach-side sunset cocktails, adventure experiences and incredible marine life sightings. Although September in Cape Town signifies that the end of the Cape Whale season is near, you’ll still be able to enjoy some great Southern Right Whale sightings. As well as sighting of the other members of the Marine Big Five, African Penguins, Cape Fur Seals, Mola Mola Sunfish and dolphins.
Autumn in Cape Town
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Another great time to visit Cape Town is Autumn. During the start of Cape Town’s Autumn season, you still reap all the amazing benefits of the Mother City’s glorious summer season. This includes the beautiful sunny days, late sunsets, blissful beach days and stunning landscapes, perfect for adventuring and exploring. As the large summer crowds start to dwindle, Autumn is a great time to plan the ultimate Cape Town trip filled with visits to some of the top attractions, landmarks and sought-after destinations and sites. This also gives you the opportunity to tick some incredible experiences and adventures off your Cape Town bucket-list.
By May Cape Town’s temperatures start to cool down with the first rainfalls making their appearance. However, this time of year is far less windy than other Cape Town seasons. The ocean temperatures also tend to be a bit warmer during this time of year. May is also the month when the annual winter specials kick off, giving you the opportunity to enjoy some great Cape Town experiences for the fraction of the price. Autumn in the Mother City is therefore the perfect time to skip the crowds, save money, all while having a great time in the fantastic city of Cape Town.
Regardless of which season you choose to plan your ultimate trip to the Mother City, it promises to be filled with beauty, fun and adventure all the way throughout. With each season offering something unique and exciting to be enjoyed by all, every season is the perfect season to visit Cape Town in 2020.
Planning to visit Cape Town in 2020? Learn more about the Mother City, how to get around, free things to do in Cape Town in 2020, and more from our blog. We can help you find the perfect place to stay. Get in touch if you’d like help finding accommodation or Cape Town tours to indulge in when you are around.
