African allure

Melissa’s, 94 Kloof Street, phone 021/424-5540.

Catamarans leave for Robben Island every hour on the hour beginning at 9 a.m. (until 3 p.m. except in summer when sunset tours are added). The cost of the entire tour, including the boat ride, the bus tour and the prison tour, is approximately $21 (price will vary depending on the exchange rate). Go to the Clocktower Terminal at Quay 5 to purchase tickets.

A number of different companies specialize in tours of the Townships, but we’d recommend One City Tours (phone 021/387-5351) as it’s sensitively led by a resident of Cape Flats, one of the Townships visited.

Biesmelliah, 2 Upper Wale Street, phone 021/423-0850.

For tours of the Bo Kaap area, contact Tana Baru Tours (021/424-0719; www.bokaap.co.za/business/tana_baru_tours.html) or Footsteps to Freedom (021/465-2031; www.footstepstofreedom.co.za/)

District Six Museum, 25A Buitenkant Street, phone 021/466 7200; www.districtsix.co.za/. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the rest of the week (Sundays by appointment only).

Kirstenboch Botanical Garden, Rhodes Avenue (off the M5), Newlands, phone 021/799-8899 or 021/761-4916 on weekends; www.nbi.ac.za/. Hours are 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. from September through March and 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. April through August. Admission is about $3. 

While you can hike to the top of Table Mountain, it will take you a good two to three hours. If your time is more limited you can take one of the cable cars which depart every 15 minutes from the lower station at Tafelberg Road (tel. 021/424-8181). They run from between 8 and 8:30 a.m. until between 6 and 9 p.m., depending on the season. A round-trip ticket costs between $12 and $16, again varying by season.

Africa Café, 108 Shortmarket St at Heritage Square, phone 021/422-0221.

Pauline Frommer is the creator of the new Pauline Frommer guides in bookstores now. Her book, Pauline Frommer's New York, was named Best Guidebook of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association.