Your perfect itinerary: How to spend 36 hours in Cape Town, South Africa

As far as beauty goes, Cape Town is nothing short of spectacular: a city built on the Atlantic Ocean, around a mountain, allowing for stunning views in every direction. The elephant in the room, though, is the harsh legacy of apartheid, when South Africa's white-minority government pushed the Black majority to the fringes of the city. Areas where most visitors tend to go still have a largely white population. To this day, navigating Cape Town as a person of color can bring uncomfortable moments. But South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy this year and has, for all of its challenges, tried to embrace the mantra of the "rainbow nation" -- a place of racial and ethnic diversity. In that spirit, Cape Town is shedding its Eurocentric identity and emerging as a culturally rich African hub.

ITINERARY

Friday


3 p.m. | Tour a township's art

The apartheid government prohibited Black and colored (a multiracial ethnic classification) South Africans from living in cities, instead forcing them to live in established townships in the least desirable areas. But township residents often turned their communities into areas of vibrant resistance and robust arts and culture. Langa, about 30 minutes outside central Cape Town, is one of the nation's oldest townships. Tozamile Mnapu, a local painter, offers three-hour tours into the community (450 rand, or $24, per person). Starting from iKhaya le Langa, a community center where he also hosts art workshops, Mnapu takes visitors past street graffiti to a small art gallery above a narrow home, and another one near a gritty town center with a large monument to the resistance that residents put up against the apartheid police. Book tours directly with him at tozart.langa@gmail.com or at +27-73-073-3529.

7 p.m. | Dine at a market

Time Out Market, the chain of upmarket food halls in several major world cities, opened its first location in Africa last year in an airy, industrial space on the main waterfront promenade. Stop by Mlilo to try chef Vusi Ndlovu's global twists on a traditional "shisanyama," or South African barbecue. Order the Senegalese lamb (180 rand) or grilled hake with Ghanaian dressing (250 rand). Just across the hall, at Barakat, the wife-and-husband team of Yolani Abrahams and Anwar Abdullatief offers takes on Cape Malay cooking, a cuisine born in the kitchens of Southeast Asians often enslaved by South Africa's colonizers. You can't go wrong with the pan-fried kingklip fish (195 rand) or bobotie, a casserole of sweet, curried minced beef topped with egg custard (80 rand). Have a koesister (10 rand), like a doughnut ball, for dessert.

9 p.m. | Tune into local sounds

You can stick around at Time Out Market (cocktail specials begin at 4 p.m.), where you can dance to tunes spun by a DJ until 10 p.m. Or catch a short Uber ride to Selective Live, an intimate performance space and recording studio in the Gardens neighborhood near the city center. Some nights the live music could be African folk, others it could be hip-hop, and still others it could be Afro jazz. Settle into this second-floor space that feels more like someone's living room -- rather than on a stage, artists perform in a nook with a fireplace and a bookshelf. Then step out onto the balcony for fresh air and -- what else? -- a picturesque mountain view. Tickets start at 60 rand.

Saturday

7 a.m. | Hike up a mountain

Trails are aplenty in this mountainous city. The most famous peaks are Table Mountain and Lion's Head, and indeed trekking up them can provide plenty of exercise and adventure. But to avoid the crowds and get uninterrupted coastal views try Bailey's Kloof, another scenic trail that starts along the coast about 30 minutes outside downtown. The first half-hour or so is steep and moderately intense. But once you make it past that, it's a delightful roughly two-hour loop through thick vegetation, including colorful irises, mimetes and cape snow flowers. There are detours for a pond, a cave and a rock formation. Stop and take in the delicious ocean views. Before you go, download an offline version of the area in Google Maps (in case cell service is unavailable) to help you navigate because parts of the trail are not well marked.

10 a.m. | See art in a grain silo

Cape Town hosts several art fairs annually, but even if you can't make it to one, there are lots of opportunities to see great art. One obvious stop is the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (entry, 250 rand), the largest contemporary African art museum on the continent. Housed in a former grain silo on the waterfront, Zeitz includes an exhibition that offers commentary on African liberation movements and their connection to the Palestinian struggle, as well as photography and film works that explore connections to the spiritual world. For something more intimate, head to the Salt River neighborhood and visit Imiso Ceramics, a studio and gallery that features large-scale sculptures by founders Zizipho Poswa and Andile Dyalvane. Their works are inspired by their Xhosa heritage, which they share with arguably South Africa's most famous person, Nelson Mandela.

11:30 a.m. | Fill up your plate

Cape Town's dining scene may best be known for high-end restaurants. But there are also plenty of casual eateries serving classical African dishes. Dennis Molewa, who is from Germany but has lived in South Africa for 15 years, offers three-hour African food tours (starting at about 1,400 rand per person) through downtown that include interesting stories about the city's history and culture. He takes you to a Somali restaurant for chapati, spaghetti and beef stew, but also a blunt conversation about anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa. At Nobantu Restaurant you'll enjoy a traditional hearty Xhosa Sunday lunch, or what locals call a seven-colors meal (named for the array of colors on the plate). You'll also meet flower vendors descended from enslaved Cape Malay people, sip tea in a Methodist church and indulge in stewed meats at Fatima's, a Pan-African restaurant owned by a couple from Mali.

3 p.m. | Take a scenic drive

Chapman's Peak Drive runs 5 1/2 miles along the winding Atlantic seaboard from Hout Bay to Noordhoek, and it is often heralded as one of the most beautiful drives on the planet. It's a mix of rocky coastline and green water as far as the eye can see. Be careful not to get blown away by the stiff winds when you step out to take pictures at one of the many viewpoints. At the end of the route, stop at Noordhoek Beach and take a walk. It is a vast, flat plain of sand and almost feels as if you're in a desert on the ocean. (Note that the road has tolls, starting at 61 rand.)

6 p.m. | Unwind with a meal

Kloof Street was once a dirt road leading from the city center to outlying farms. Today, it's an eclectic and busy mix of clothing boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and nightlife. For dinner and drinks, you can't go wrong with Therapy, a sophisticated space that opened last year with sleek, plush banquettes and marble tabletops. It was founded by two DJs, Loyiso Mdebuka and Vincent Mvelase Manzini. As young Black creatives, they wanted to create a hip vibe and a therapeutic experience, challenging what they saw as an African taboo against therapy. The menu delivers a range of transformed comfort food, like lamb ribs with couscous salad and harissa mayo. Three courses without drinks is about 550 rand per person.

8 p.m. | See a play in a church

Housed in an old Methodist church a short drive from downtown, Theater Arts is an intimate venue to see a play. Shows tackle a variety of themes, from South Africa's regular, frustrating power outages to the efforts of young people trying to achieve success, told through a comical tale of life in Lagos, Nigeria. Built on what it says are "the tenets of affordability, inclusivity and accessibility," the theater company provides space for emerging artists from various cultural, social, economic and skill backgrounds to develop their craft onstage. Tickets start at 150 rand.

Sunday

9 a.m. | Learn some history

The Castle of Good Hope was built as a fort starting in 1666 by the colonists of the Dutch East India Co. It now stands as the oldest colonial building in South Africa. It served many purposes over the years, including a military base, a slave port and a government headquarters. Today, the castle houses nine mini-museums that tell the story of the diverse people who shaped the Cape and the nation. The Cape Heritage Museum was created by Igshaan Higgins, a human rights lawyer, during the pandemic. With artifacts that Higgins assembled over 25 years, the museum tells the stories of settler colonialism and the various groups who struggled through that oppression, including the Indigenous Khoi and San people, the Cape Muslims and the Xhosas. The castle also houses the William Fehr Collection, an assemblage of oil paintings and decorative art created by settlers that reflects on themes like slavery and the wars of dispossession.

10:30 a.m. | Travel underground

Tune out the noise with a subterranean journey. At Earthbox, which opened last year as an immersive art exhibit on the Lourensford Wine Estate in the suburb of Somerset West, visitors walk into a bunker of sorts carved into the ground. The high walls of dirt, changing mood lighting and lulling soundtrack provide a perfect opportunity to relax, meditate or just let your mind go. Tickets range from 170 to 250 rand. For an additional 50 rand, you can purchase an audio guide. Earthbox hosts regular music concerts and private dinners with local chefs. After your visit, you can roam the wine estate, which includes restaurants, a wine tasting room and a market with live music, food stalls, and arts and crafts vendors.

Noon | Lunch in wine country

Lose yourself in the serenity of wine country at Hari Kitchen, on the Topiary Wine Estate, with one of the best meals in the Franschhoek Valley. Chef and owner Munashe Kwaramba did not attend culinary school but learned his style of Afro-fusion cooking by observing high-end chefs and by cooking with his grandmother in Zimbabwe. Another option just down the road is Klein Goederust, the first fully Black-owned winery in Franschhoek. On weekends, you can pair a wine tasting with a Cape Malay buffet (495 rand per person) where spit-roasted lamb is a highlight. Or on Franschhoek's quaint main street, pop into Reuben's Restaurant and Bar, where chef and owner Reuben Riffel serves refined dishes like dukkah-spiced lamb and pickled fish inspired by the culinary traditions of colored families like his own.

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KEY STOPS

Chapman's Peak Drive, one of the world's most beautiful drives, is a 5.5-mile sojourn along a rocky coastline set against the turquoise ocean and mountain views.

See Langa, one of South Africa's oldest townships, with a walking tour led by artist and guide Tozamile Mnapu.

The African Food and Storytelling Tour, led by food writer and activist Dennis Molewa, takes you to casual African eateries that will leave your belly full and spices lingering on your tongue.

Selective Live provides an intimate setting, with a mountain view, to watch music performances from an array of genres that include Afro jazz, African folk and hip-hop.

WHERE TO EAT

Time Out Market, an upmarket food hall, captures the diverse variety of South African foods.

Therapy, a restaurant run by a pair of DJs from the Black township of Khayelitsha, offers comfort food and a hip vibe.

Hari Kitchen, set on a vineyard in Franschhoek with mountain views, serves what its self-taught chef calls Afro-fusion cuisine.

At Klein Goederust, the first fully Black-owned winery in the Franschhoek Valley, you can pair your wine tasting with a hearty Cape Malay buffet featuring spit-roasted lamb.

Reuben's Restaurant and Bar in Franschhoek offers creative dishes inspired by family traditions.

WHERE TO STAY

The Silo Hotel is perched above the Zeitz Museum, with art on the walls and contemporary rooms with traditional décor. Rooms start at 30,100 rand, or $1,589, per night during peak season.

Labotessa Luxury Boutique Hotel sits on Church Square, one of the first public plazas in the city, which used to serve as a slave market. It has seven modern suites starting at 13,000 rand per night.

Kaap Mooi Luxury Guest House, near downtown in the Tamboerskloof neighborhood, has eight rooms with South African themes starting at 2,200 rand per night.

For short-term rentals, there are lots of apartments in the city center, around Bree Street, close to bars, restaurants and street shopping. If you want to be close to the ocean and the city center, try the Sea Point neighborhood, which has a lovely promenade for a run or a stroll. If you want to tuck in near the beach and stay along the stunning coastline, you can book anywhere between Clifton and Camps Bay, though you will pay a premium.